Best Glamping near Fort Ripley, MN

Recent Glamping Reviews near Fort Ripley, Minnesota

96 Reviews of 14 Fort Ripley Campgrounds

• 

  Brian C.

  Guide

  

  Jun. 25, 2018

  Crow Wing State Park Campground

  A Very Confused Campground

  The thing about State Parks is that they don't always know what they want to be.

  Are they here to celebrate nature, and provide a moments breath away from the pace of urban life? Are they here for historical facts? Are they for revenue?

  Crow Wing State Park suffers from this dilemma. While the tent sites are nice and spacious, the RV sites are stacked one on top of another, with no illusion of privacy. The weekend we were there, they were pretty full, but noise coming from other campers was acceptable.

  There are plenty of water spigots, and toilet/shower facilities. The facilities are clean, but old.

  There is an almost constant booming, however, coming from Fort Ripley, just down the river. The Fort serves as training for everything from the national guard, to state police, to the DNR. At one point, we could clearly hear live rounds being fired.

  The walks and paths were well maintained, except that some were flooded out due to recent heavy rains. The area dedicated to the Old Crow Wing Village was well done.

  What causes me the most confusion though, is that someone made the call to cover the roads with sand, instead of the traditional crushed stone. So, never mind that the sand made it harder to walk up hill to the water and showers, it got everywhere. When we tore down camp, I emptied enough sand from my tent, that I could have added a fresh layer to a cat's litter box.

  I am very conflicted about this park. It is very pretty, but when you get right down to it, the little quirks that surround it add up. I'm not sure if we will be back. Not that we won't, it's just that we won't be rushing back.

• 

  Sydney J.

  Traveler

  

  Oct. 7, 2017

  True North Basecamp

  Close to town and trails

  Loved the proximity of True Nortb to both Crosby restaurants and bars and the incredible trails of Cuyuna Country. Lovely cabins for glamping with incredible views of Armour Mine 2. Nice beach for summer. Bathrooms were fine but the men's password didn't work and it took away to get someone to fix it since this campground wasn't staffed. Looking forward to our next stay nevertheless!

• 

  Gunnar C.

  Scout

  

  Jun. 14, 2018

  True North Basecamp

  Always a Good Time

  True North Basecamp is great for those wanting to “camp lite”. You’re enjoying the outdoors & camping in a tent but there’s a bathroom (outhouse style) & fresh cold water near by. Town is close enough you can even skip the cooking if you choose. Heck, the BBQ joint in town (excellent, btw) even delivers to the campground! The heated shower house has modern toilets if needed. The hot shower is nice after riding the trails all day. I wouldn’t call it glamping but it’s definitely not backcountry camping in the least. We go here for Mtb trail riding trips for all these features. Close enough to town to bike in, trail access from the campground, a lake/beach area in camp & clean, quiet campsites makes this a favorite spot.

• 

  Allison K.

  Legend

  

  Jul. 2, 2019

  Cuyuna Country State Rec Area

  Stunning yurts and unbelievable clear lakes

  For someone who likes to do it all Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area is the place to be!!!

  From Rv Camping and tent camping to amazing secluded Yurts on a trout pond there are more than enough options to camp and stay.

  The campground itself isn’t anything to rave about, and is mostly open and pretty close together but the yurts, those are a different story!

  The yurts are set on a beautiful only mine pit that is stocked with all kinds of trout. The have a wood burning stove, bunk beds, table, chairs, bear locker, fire ring and picnic table. There is a pergola style shelter with a full roof for outdoor cooking.

  The view of the trout pond is absolutely stunning and fishing isn’t bad either if you know how to fish trout. There is a shop in town that will deliver kayaks and pick them up when you are done for a small fee, like 50$ for the day?

  The old mine pits around and in the park are pristine and literally crystal clear! You can see hundreds of feet down through crystal clear water making it an amazing place to canoe and kayak.

  If you are into mountain biking, this is definitely the park for you! Some of the best mountain biking red dirt trails are located in this recreation area! Shops in town rent bikes too! The views from the trails are breathtaking!

  Overall, one of my favorite places to hike, bike, camp and, paddle!

• 

  Keith L.

  Guide

  

  Oct. 30, 2021

  Lake Carlos State Park Campground

  Nice campground with one problem.

  There are plenty of campsite in the lower area that are very close to the water and good for RV people who do not care for privacy (like camping on a golf course).  If you want privacy, go for the upper area which is completely forested with plenty of trees and brush between sites.  I was in site 17 and was totally pleased... With one exception.

  I paid full price for this site.  But, the restrooms. showers, and water were shut off.  If I am paying full high season rates, I want full services!!!!!!  I appreciate there is no padlocked gate keeping people out in the off season.  But, if it easy to turn off the water, showers, and bathrooms, it should also be easy to create a reduced rate for reduced services.  Some other County, State, and Federal campgrounds charge nothing for no services off season camping.  What is Minnesota's problem?  Give people what they pay for!!!

  This is purely a ripoff.  It left me with a very unpleasant memory of this area and Minnesota.

• 

  Allison K.

  Legend

  

  Aug. 1, 2019

  Crow Wing State Park Campground

  Nice smaller State Park

  Crow Wing State Park is a good choice if you are looking for something close to the Twin Cities metro area in Minnesota. with this park being just under two hours away from the Twin Cities metro area it’s an easy choice for a nice weekend getaway. If you’re looking to stay for a long extended time it’s also a good choice as it offers electric and water. The electric sites are pretty open and close together so if you like to be secluded and not see other campers from your campsite I wouldn’t use this park. The electric sites are really on top of each other and don't feel like you are camping to me. The non-electric sites are pretty nice and secluded from each other which would make this park a park I would bring my tent to instead of my travel trailer. There is also a group camp That is separate from the main camping area.

  The park office offers ice and firewood for sale. Firewood is 6$ a bundle at the park office. The only firewood you can use is the approved firewood in the local area or scrap lumber. See the Minnesota Firewood law.  Canoe rentals are offered at the park office for $15 for a half-day and $25 for a full day. There is also a water fill station and a dump station for your travel trailer or RV. This is a good park for hiking and exploring. 

  If you wanna stay close to the Twin Cities metro area this is a good park for you!

• L

  Liz H.

  Guide

  

  Aug. 14, 2017

  Cuyuna Country State Rec Area

  Great for Mountain Bikes

  We camp frequently in Minnesota state parks. This had to be one of the hardest parks to find. The lack of signage is really a problem here. If you are camping, you need to know you are looking for 'Portsmouth Campground' and ignore every other sign that says Cuyuna. The park office is in town and also hard to find. They are also not open very much. There is no wood for sale, no dump station and the water has a funky taste. You will need to go to the memorial park in town to fill/dump your rv and the Holiday Station for firewood. The roads are very bumpy and narrow. There is a tiny beach off of the campground and a larger one at the Cuyuna Recreation Area about 1/2 mile away from the campground. If you want privacy, this is not the campground for you. The outer ring has some foliage but the central ring is wide open with very few trees. The upside is that the campsites go the whole width of the inner ring. There are lots of bike trails at this campground and people love mountain biking here.

• 

  Allison K.

  Legend

  

  Jul. 11, 2019

  Lake Carlos State Park Campground

  Beautiful but a bit crowded

  I am from a suburb of Twin Cities metro area in Minnesota and we wanted to go camping with my in-laws who have horses. We needed a park that was close and had equestrian camping so we decided to go to Lake Carlos State Park.

  Lake Carlos State Park is roughly 2.5hours from the Twin Cities and is a beautiful getaway for a weekend trip. You can leave after work on a Friday and still have time to make it to the park, set up and still be able to cook dinner and enjoy a s’more or two.

  We booked site H3 in the equestrian campground which was a VERY open site right off the main loop in the equestrian campground. It was very sunny and barely any shade for the horses. The site were in was electric and there were only three non-electric sites in the equestrian campground. The other sites were awesome for shade but were still super open to everyone.

  There were great trails for hiking and horseback riding. They also allowed mountain biking on the trails.

  The staff at the office were super friendly and they talked to us for about 15 minutes. Their store in the office was pretty great and they had everything from toys for the kids to s’mores stuff and stickers specific to the park. The firewood was pretty fast burning and cost 6$ a bundle so it was pretty spendy since we cook only over the fire.

  The main campground was VERY busy and jammed packed. The sites were too close together and open for my comfort.

  The beach was very dirty and there were army worms everywhere crawling on everything.

  We took a little bike ride to the group camp which was an amazing area with a very nice shelter with electric.

  All in all, this is a good park to go to if you are looking for a park close to the twin cities metro area.

• L

  Laura B.

  Traveler

  

  Jul. 25, 2021

  Crow Wing Lake Campground

  Great family RV park

  Everything was clean and a great family rv campground. Fully stocked store, pool, games, outdoor activities, etc. Only drawback was the lake was too mucky and weedy to swim in but has to be a great fishing lake. The owner's were awesome. Seriously great family rv campground. Quiet from 10 pm - 8 am and lot's to do for kids and adults.

• P

  Peter Z.

  Guide

  

  Aug. 21, 2021

  Crow Wing Lake Campground

  Beautifull campground

  The campground is very quiet and clean . Biking on the Paul Bunyan Biketrail amazing

• 

  Russell S.

  Scout

  

  Sep. 13, 2021

  Crow Wing Lake Campground

  Awesome camping!

  This campground has to be one of the best privately owned hidden gems. This place is a family camping dream. I can’t wait to go back another time.

• m

  mark M.

  Scout

  

  Sep. 6, 2023

  Crow Wing Lake Campground

  Relaxing camping

  What a beautiful, peaceful sight in the woods next to the lake. Sit back and relaxing camping at it finest

• C

  Carmen W.

  Scout

  

  Sep. 28, 2018

  Crow Wing Lake Campground

  Great Getaway

  Amazing, Family-owned campground, just far enough from “the cities” to get away for the weekend, without spending too much time in the car. Clean bathrooms, nice sized park for kids, pool (not open in Sept), lake with ample docks for fishing or you can rent boats. The “general store” has everything you need from souvenirs to wood, to marshmallows for s’mores, and all at reasonable prices. Each campsite has electrical hookup, picnic table and fire pit. Pets welcome.

• 

  Kristen B.

  Guide

  

  Aug. 11, 2018

  Crow Wing Lake Campground

  Fabtastic family campground

  This campground is perfect for families with the heated pool, swimming beach, super playground and activities like horseshoes, shuffleboard, basketball, ladder golf, disc golf, and more. They have paddleboards and funyaks to rent, youcan bring your boat to fish or fish off the dock. The grounds and bathrooms were clean. Every RV site had a cement pad to use for lawn chairs or a camp picnic table. The campground had nice big trees for shade. The owners were very pleasant. We had a great time there with our grandkids. I highly recommend it.

• B

  Brent G.

  Guide

  

  Jun. 23, 2019

  Crow Wing Lake Campground

  Great place

  Great campground. Very clean and nice. Good fishing, nice lake and and good staff.

• 

  Melissa H.

  Guide

  

  Jun. 30, 2017

  Crow Wing Lake Campground

  Lake front camping

  This was our first time staying here. The lake front sites are small width wise but your view of the lake makes up for it and helps the site feel more spacious. This is a family run campground and it definitely has that feel--their customer service is outstanding. They escorted us to our site and directed us while we backed in. We also rented a pontoon for the afternoon for a reasonable rate of $60/4 hours.

• 

  James and Susan K.

  Ranger

  

  Sep. 18, 2022

  Crow Wing Lake Campground

  Enjoyed this campground immensl! Site overlooked the lake.

  RV site had 30amp with FHU’s. Campground owner was helpful by leading us to our site and directing us into spot.

• 

  Tori K.

  Legend

  

  Nov. 22, 2022

  Crow Wing Lake Campground

  Lake spots

  Fun for the whole family. Amenities include: playground, pool, lake, dog park, and store. Each site has a table and fire pit. Keep an eye on your account. We noticed goggles charged to ours even though none of the 3 of us bought any. Somebody must've given them the wrong site number to charge to. Overall great campground, but a little spendy.

• 

  Jackie F.

  Legend

  

  Aug. 8, 2022

  37 Acres Campground

  One night welcome, not preferred

  Our quick stay was fine as we were passing through. This campground definitely caters to seasonal stays although was a convenient location off the highway.

  Restrooms were nice and they had a compost area too.

  RV Site with Sewer was $45/day (had all three water, electricity, sewage) thought this was a little pricey

• 

  Scott S.

  Guide

  

  Jun. 9, 2023

  Crow Wing State Park Campground

  Great Campsites

  Nice park on the Mississippi and Crow Wing Rivers. The park encompasses the 1850’s town of Crow Wing. Great hiking trails. A lot of mosquitoes. Bring spray.

• 

  HollyRose M.

  Ranger

  

  Oct. 27, 2020

  Crow Wing State Park Campground

  River Life for the Win

  I live close so I visit frequently to use the trails for running.

  This park boasts an amphitheater, trails along the river, a group center, an historic site, decent bathroom facility, and spacious camp sites.

  The electric site area isn’t super awesome, as it gets crowded and is more like a huge group camp. But the rest are way more private.

  One thing missing is tent pad areas- still grassy and flat enough to truly be NBD, BUT, always nice to have a designated surface.

  Great access for canoeing and kayaking the Mississippi water trail. If you start at Kiwanis Park in Brainerd- you can make it to crow wing in four hours leisurely, or three fairly easily.

  Nice trails, good parking, good shower facilities, and pretty trails.

• 

  Big Craig .

  Scout

  

  Oct. 29, 2020

  Crow Wing State Park Campground

  Historic town site great biking trail

  Great state campground, good hiking trails, Paul Bunyan Bike Trail passes through park(120 miles long).Crow Wing town site interesting. Sites pretty close together.

• 

  HollyRose M.

  Ranger

  

  Nov. 22, 2020

  Crow Wing State Park Campground

  Sunset Hike

  Tent camp here once and a while, but finally got around to officially doing the hiking club trail. Love doing a sunset hike, this trail is just over two miles, all along the river, with pretty much continual sunset views if you take the trail East to West. It's a loop, which is always preferred I think. Nice picnic area by the river. Historic signs describing the old town are along the beginning part of the trail near the picnic area. Kinda fun to read about and feel what old settlements were like! 

  Easy and pretty trail, took just half an hour, went with the kids. Just an awesome sunset walk and a bit of moonlight!

• A

  Alicia A.

  Scout

  

  Sep. 11, 2022

  Crow Wing State Park Campground

  Meets camping expectations

  Tent site is an open area with tall trees. It also offered an open view of the night sky & enjoyed watching the full moon! Next to the shower house which makes it a convenient trip to the bathroom. Stayed one night but will stay longer when bringing the kayaks. Price for this spot made my trip super cheap!

• C

  Christine

  Scout

  

  Aug. 5, 2021

  Crow Wing State Park Campground

  First Time

  It was a last minute booking over 4th of July. This was our first camping trip in our 30' camper, in a state park Campground. Not alot of room to maneuver 5th wheel around, spote are skinny, close together, not much shade. Showers are push button and lasted 5 seconds, NOT IMPRESSED!!

• 

  Russell S.

  Scout

  

  Sep. 13, 2021

  Crow Wing State Park Campground

  Family fun!!

  We introduced our youngest to camping at this campground. It’s a crazy story. In summary you couldn’t ask for a better first time family campground as far as my sons first camping experience lol well I’m surprised he doesn’t deeply hate camping. Everything that could of went wrong did including rain on a clear forecast and we didn’t equip the rain fly.

• 

  Steve M.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 9, 2021

  Crow Wing State Park Campground

  Nice state park campground but facilities are a little dated.

  Nice separation of sites.  Easy access off of Highway 371. Bathrooms not updated as they are at other State Park campgrounds.