Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Fertile, MN

We followed the instructions on the confirmation email across the bridge from Grand Forks to East Grand Forks, MN to check into the campground (CG). After going through the Avenue of Flags and near the Blue Moose Bar& Grill there’s RV parking in front of the little check-in cabin. Check-in was easy and as disabled veterans, we got a free Minnesota State Park Vehicle Pass. We then proceeded to the Sherlock CG, which is the camping area and site 106E. Site 106E is a long pull through with FHUs. Pulling in was super easy and utilities are placed in the middle of the long pad. The utilities worked great with water pressure at about 50 psi. We got two bars on Verizon. There are trees in and around the sites, but we were able to get a clear north shot for Starlink. The sites in our area were well spaced apart, which we really liked. We were on the back row where the cement walking/bike trail is located far enough away that you still have privacy. There are a lot of sites in this CG mostly pull throughs but there are back-ins. They are serious about the vehicle permits and you cannot just lay the pass on your dashboard. It must be adhered to the windshield. We went to the office to clear our ticket, which didn’t cost us anything as we were prompt to respond. The office also has t-shirts, which we purchased. There was not a formal dog park, but plenty of areas to walk. Red River is one of the better CGs we have stayed at in our 5 years of“Most Timing.”

There are quite a few RV sites at Shooting Star Casino in Mahnomen and they offer full hookups!  We stayed at site 19, shown in the photo.  Although the sites are close together, there were quite a few empty sites so we felt like it was semi-private.  The cost was about $25 per night so definitely a great deal for full hookups.  There is a picnic table at each site and the RV park is pet friendly.  We spent a lot of our time in the casino while we were here so our time in the camper was limited but while we slept, we didn't here much noise.

Nice and clean campground with the best bathrooms we have been too...

good trail system with a walk through the prairie and/or by the river..the weather was perfect when we came, 75 and a breeze...

We had an incident with our cat. Cat got loose and everyone worked as a team to get him found. People were walking and looking for him. Posters went up around the grounds. We left our # with two campgrounds and as soon as they saw him 8 hours after he went missing, they called us and kept him contained. We appreciate everyone and their kind acts...

The campground has either electric or water or just electric sites for RVs and there are also tent-only sites.  The tent sites are located across from and adjacent to the RV sites.  The RV sites are pretty close together but, we were there in the middle of the summer and there were a couple of open tent sites on one side of us.  The campground is pet friendly and the management is friendly.  The campground is close to Itasca State Park as well.  Others have mentioned that getting in to the campsites near the circle drive area (closest to the lake parking lot) are a little difficult to get into & this is very true.  We have an 8x17 Ice Castle/RV that we pull behind the truck and backing into our spot without disturbing other campers was not an easy task.  The circle drive is right where the last couple of RV sites are sitting and there is a tree at the point of the circle drive so you have to avoid the tree and maneuver around it when backing in.  The sites that are closer to the entrance & the playground that do not have a good view of the lake are easier to get in to.  We used the dump station which is nicely situated on a slope just outside the entrance so it's easy to completely pump out a tank that might sit lower on your unit.  There was a picnic table and campfire ring at each site.

$24 for non-electric site + $7 for car permit.

Spacious site (#39)

Very few other campers on May 15, 2023 and we enjoyed the quiet.

Enjoyed hiking the easy trails with our dog.

Black flies just starting. 

Tics found us and dog.

I'm always looking for a campsite late in the afternoon. And this one turned out to be perfect. I pulled into East Grand forks. Got out my phone and started looking, and I said oh, there's a state campground right near here. Here. Right in town in fact. I'm traveling with the dog on this trip so I'm always looking for places that I can run the dog, if possible off leash in the morning. Well, technically you're not supposed to have docs off leash here, there's plenty of space down along the river and trails that go away from the campground where the dog can have a little bit of a free exercise. Because it's October, the place is almost empty. And I got one of the no hookup sites, so it was reasonably priced.

We often take our dog here on the weekends for longer, out of city limits walks. The trails are the perfect amount for that purpose and he enjoys the wildlife that hides in the natural prairie fauna. The trails hug the river so there's easy enough access if you wanted to play in the water. You do have to walk through some brush however, so be aware.

The swimming area is wonderful! Less chlorine than you'd ever get exposed to in a public pool and picnic table access with lots of area to picnic.

We have not camped in this park yet.

• This was my first time seeing a prairie. It was a really neat experience.
• This Minnesota state park is just outside of Fargo,ND, so it makes for a great get away in nature just outside of the hustle and bustle of the city.
• I recommend camping in one of the sites beside the Prairie.
• Extremely clean bath houses.
• Beware of mosquitos!

Not going to say anything that everybody else hasn't said in the reviews but I thought it was charming there's space between the campers and well there's no privacy there tends not to be in city campgrounds. Also it's right on the River trails so if you're a biker it's fun to do the loop that goes from both the North Dakota and the Minnesota side. The bike trails also connect you to the larger city and there's several other very charming parks and downtown neighborhoods or downtown houses to see. The walk-in sites near the river are quite nice I wouldn't come here if you wanted to be in a quiet state park but that's not the intent of the park and it's a good use of the green space. I'm fully self-contained so I didn't use the bathrooms I've heard their little bit older but there's water there's sewer there's electric sites their sites with electric only and then their sites for just camping also group sites.

Nicest city-location RV park I've found in the past few years. Very "green" with mature trees, river and city park with walking trails. And, for a city park, especially nice/clean restrooms and showers.

Both FHU and electric-only sites, 30-amp only. Potable water close by for electric-only sites and free dump location across the street. Weekly pump-out service, if desired.

The electric-only sites on the park's east side are the nicest, most spacious, and most quiet because they back up to the forest and river (see photo). The FHU sites are more crowded.

Small town, so everything is very convenient, literally within 3-4 minutes drive -- Walmart, Ace Hardware, Dairy Queen and fast food.

I stayed at the Thief River Falls Tourist Park for several months while workamping at a walking-distance distribution warehouse. I will certainly stay at the park again if ever in the northwest part of Minnesota. I rated the park only 4-stars because of the electric-only sites and the tight FHU sites. For my style of camping -- mostly boondocking -- it is a 5-star location.

Good state park campground with everything you need. You can make your reservations online once you get there, and it’s nice because there’s no online transaction fee. But watch out that you pay the $7 daily state park entry fee as well as the camping fee, because otherwise you'll get a friendly visit from a ranger! 

 There are two loops, one slightly larger one with 50 and 30 amp power (no water or sewer) for $34, and one smaller one with no power for $24. We stayed in a power site because we couldn’t handle the heat anymore, otherwise the smaller one looked a little nicer and quieter and we would have stayed there. 

Showers were nice and clean and free. Bathrooms were nice. 

Very nice walking trails all around the campground and throughout the park as a whole. Trash dumpsters here as well as an assortment of segregated recycle bins. Good cell reception with Verizon and ATT. Firewood available at office for $8 and ice for $3. 

Group camp is off from the main campground a ways, but connected via a little walking trail. There is a dump station and potable water fill at the campground exit. 

No drinking allowed at any Minnesota State Park campground!

This is another typical small town campground located within a city park. The park has large shade trees, playground and picnic shelter, and shares ball fields with the adjacent school. It is clearly a nice outdoor community gathering space that also has an area where camping is allowed. The “campground” includes a horseshoe drive along which a few RV’s could park, but there are no hookups. There is an adjacent grassy tenting area that is very nice for tents, but be advised that the only “facilities” are a portapotty, albeit a clean and new one! This is of course would be a good place for a scout group overnight or a family reunion campout, but is not a vacation destination campground. If you are on a roadtrip travelling somewhere on Hwy 2 this would be a safe, clean, quiet spot to stop overnight, being convenient to highway access but far enough away not to hear road noise all night. The leafy setting is peaceful too, and you can get gas and supplies in town

This is a campground within a city municipal yard.

We just needed a place to crash for the night. We came in pretty late. There were 2 other campers.

The site numbers are along the back of the fence and were difficult to see at night. There aren't really individual driveways, tent pads, picnic tables, etc.

We just chose an empty spot and set up camp.

It was nice and flat for our tent. There was electricity though we didn't use it. There was a dumpster and a shelter with many picnic tables near by.

There's one flush toilet and shower and they were nice and clean.

I was pleasantly surprised by this little campground. One downside was that there was a railroad nearby so the passing trains' horns we're really loud. But it wasn't all night.

I was driving this way and I needed a place to stay overnight. I found this campground on Google, and added to Dyrt. It's in a small town called Fosston.

Nothing special about this, it's not a place to stay for multiple nights but it's great for an overnight.

There is a self-check-in, electric hookups and there is a dumpsite and water at the end of the campground. The price in 2020 September is $5 for a tent and $16 for RVs. 

It's quiet enough but you will hear road noise. 

I don't use public showers or toilettes but there was one.

AT&T and T-mobile reception both slow but manageable.