Best Cabin Camping near French, MN

This resort is located on Stalker Lake, outside of Dalton MN in Ottertail County. The resort has 4 smaller cabins for rent ranging from 3 nights for $500 to 3 nights for $790. There is a minimum of 3 nights for the cabins that are equipped with a bathroom & kitchen. The cabins are not modern, furnishings are a bit outdated, but provide a clean getaway on a nice fishing lake. Tent camping is $20 per night and RV/Campers are $50 per night with electric, water and sewer hookups.

We stayed at Maplewood State Park mid-July. We actually stayed in one of the 3 camper cabins and loved it! They have electricity, heat, ceiling fans and a private dock on Beers Lake. There is a vault toilet & water spicket nearby. Each cabin has its own fire pit and picnic table area. It felt very private although the cabins are rather near to each other. We checked out the campgrounds and they had spacious sites, some more private than others. It had a family friendly feel and was obviously a favorite spot for fisherman and water recreation enthusiasts. I wish we could have spent more time in the 9200 acre park. There is a swimming beach & picnic area that allows you to have campfires, as well as a nice shower house. The ranger was helpful regarding my questions about the lake and potentially renting a cabin for ice fishing this winter. At sunset, sitting by the lake, it was beautiful- nothing but songbirds and the call of loons to listen to.

Leap Day 2/29/20-3/1/20 Frog Pond

We headed to Lake Carlos for their candlelight ski, this was our first visit to this state park. Tent camping wasn’t available and we were able to reserve a camper cabin - Frog Pond. It was a nice change and a warmer option, the cabin is gorgeous! Frog Pond sleeps 6 with heat and electricity. There are 4 cabins that share 2 vault toilets.

It was a beautiful 38 degree Leap Day and we took advantage of it. They offer a large number of ski trails so we xcountry skied before dark. The trails were icy, but still enjoyable. At dark we headed to the candlelight event. It was very busy and a huge turnout. We hiked 1.2 miles and then snowshoed 2.4 miles. There are ponds and bogs that they create snowshoe trails on, so there are even more trails to explore in the winter. It was a beautiful night and we enjoyed the wooded trails and starry skies. We had a fire and enjoyed a normal outdoor cookout before bed.

We did more skiing on Sunday and checked out the 2 campgrounds as they were on the ski route. One campground is on Lake Carlos and very open. Sites have beautiful lake views. You can apparently drive your boat right into a sandy shore and dock it. They also have a swimming beach. The other campground is a bit more wooded and more suited for tents. This campground is near the camper cabins. The trails are very wooded and pretty. We enjoyed skiing the hiking club trail and ended up hitting almost every trail in our stay. I assume this park would be equally beautiful in the summer. What a beautiful state park!

This is a private campground and we were lucky to get in. Has electric and water...shower house and bathrooms...beach to swim and good fishing and boating. A lodge to visit in and cabins to rent. Like I said a great campground in the middle of no where. Beautiful setting and plenty to do.

The tent sites are all cart in, making the scenery the main focus. You don't have to stare at vehicles while you are enjoying a fire, which I love. They also have sites that you can canoe in to as well as cabins and yurts. The trails are well kept, the river clean and the lakes are motor free. You would never know that you are as close to the town as you are. And they have plenty of activities to do on the water like canoeing, paddle boarding, paddle boating, kayaking or just swimming.

This is one of the few state parks where they have canoe-in sites. It's right in the heart of lake country so there's always water around you. They have cabins as well as tent sites so its pretty easy to get around. They have a few of the new yurts that the Mn State Park system put in. These are very nice.

There's also an old house/museum where the former owner of the land lived. Apparently a few presidents visited there during the turn of the century.

End of October, Stopped for just one night, probably about a 20ish minute drive from 94. Was able to purchase firewood after closing, and the campsite were easy to find after (7$)entry to the park. Campsites are reserved through an online system. We found the top campsite completely empty and plenty of sites had good tree coverage for privacy/ way no protection. Nice level sites with soft ground. Each site had a fire ring and picnic table. The only bathroom in walking distance to the upper campsites was a vault toilet located amongst the cabins. Seems like a great place to stay any season.

I have a special love for this park so I maybe a bit biased. I have had great experiences here during every season. From great lakes to kayak and fish on, to trails that are beautiful to hike, snowshoe or cross country ski this park has something for everyone.

There is a main campground for those who want more of a community experience, campgrounds that have sites spaced out to provide more privacy, remote sites you can hike out to and even a horse campground (and trails marked for trail riding). They also have camper cabins and the main campground is open year round.

Ive stayed mostly in the knoll loop and always had a good experience. Trees and shrubs between sites adds a good amount of privacy for campers. There is a vault toilet in the center of the loop for campers to utilize.

Only located an hour from Fargo, ND and Pelican Rapids, MN is just a hop, skip and a jump away if you need to grab any forgotten supplies!

The one thing I will say is properly store your food. There are some overly active raccoon robbers around at this park.

walk in campground on a non-motorized lake, great for canoe or paddle board, paved bike trail around the park, rentals for bikes and watercraft available, sand beaches

Woah love this park! Has so many things to do.

• Went on the hiking club trail around Annie Battle Lake, most of it is even paved for biking or groomed for skiing.

• The yurt and watercraft sites are secluded and so awesome with great views, right on the lake, firewood and water back there available specifically for that area... so cool.

• The cart in sites and camper cabins are in a little old growth forest area right on the lake up in a little hill area. Spaced out quite well, all have views of lake (even though on a hill so for swimming/boating access you gotta go to appropriate spots). What a site for camping!

• Very clear and calm lakes, sandy, and the little creeks/rivers betwixt them are just begging to be canoed or kayaked.

• Great swimming areas and picnic tables and fire pits everywhere. Vast views and also pretty wooded areas.

• Shower and rest rooms very modern by the trail center.

All in all so cool that they kept it so rustic has a cool history! Big views and wooded views which I love. Various walks, streams and lakes. Campground is the real deal and good for anyone who wants a wilderness experience without actually backpacking! Great for kids, for sure!

We had a really great weekend exploring Glendalough, in the Ottertail Lakes region where the northwoods transitions out to prairie. Lots of lakes, a mosaic of habitats from pine and aspen forest to maple and ash woodlands, to oak savannah, to fens and marshes and lakes and streams and prairie. The camping opportunities here are really unique, it is one of the few state parks in our state where there are no RV's or car camping,, you have to hike in with your tent and gear on trails into the campground, or paddle across the lake to some of the more remote campsites, or backpack or bike around to the other side of the lake on trails to more dispersed sites. It is awesome. The lakes are ranked among the most pristine in the state and are designated"Heritage Lakes" because of the water qulity and the diverse habitats around them. They also have a few camper cabins or yurts that you can rent which you can cart in to or hike to with your gear. It makes for a very quiet, very secluded and very peaceful retreat with quiet outdoorsy like-minded neighbors. In the summer they have all kinds of environmental education programs, and you can learn on your own with their field guides and good interpetive trails explaining the activity of the glaciers through here, how the landscape formed and how different microclimates and habitiats evolved after the glaciers retreated. They are open year round, in the winter you can cross-country ski or snowshoe in for winter camping. Pretty cool!

This was the first MN state park we’ve been to in the “shoulder” season (weekday before Memorial Day) that was staffed and had boat rentals available. Very spacious sites; the best ones in the main campground (with electric) are along Grass Lake (7,8,15,16) but all would be decent sites. Well-marked hiking trails, however, if you take the figure 8 hike around Cataract and Grass Lakes, it IS longer than the two miles advertised! Clean restrooms and showers. Friendly and knowledgeable staff. The only warning (and we were warned upon arrival) is to watch for ticks. I found two on me.

This park is a little gem. The campgrounds are on Annie Battle Lake, a peaceful little lake. A prairie walk away is Molly Stark Lake, which, though it allows motorized boats, is quite peaceful, and great for an afternoon of swimming and play and fishing.

Galloping Goose rentals is on the park, and rents out canoes, kayaks, and SUPs. Be sure to spend some time paddling around Annie Battle Lake.

Nearby Battle Lake has several grocery stores and restaurants and ice cream options.

We stayed at site 22, which is one of a few sites with lake views and access (I believe 24 might, as well). The sites are spaced out enough that it still feels private even though you can see other campers’ tents.

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.

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.

We stayed 7 nights really wish we had booked a few weeks. Our site was #16. We had electric hook up, fill with water near the dump station. Our site was big and private on Grass lake facing west so we saw great sunsets sitting in our site. Our bump out was facing the water when we backed in so sitting at the dinette in the camper we had a great view of the lake. Our table & fire pit were behind the camper with a great view of the water & sunset. The small birds were amazing, the sound of the Loons and an occasional muskrat will swim by.  Every morning we had a Chipmunk warm itself up on a tree behind the camper when the sun hit that spot. The big Maple trees everywhere is nice very lush campground. When the sun set we kicked up a bonfire and took it all in. 

There are several docks on grass lake and a big dock on Beers lake you can fish from. We launched the Kayak at the boat ramp on Beers lake it's a nice ramp and not busy. We didn't get on Lake Lida it's much bigger and lots of go fast boats we prefer no wake. The bigger fish are on Lida.

There are 8 lakes in the park which 3 or 4 have easy water access to launch a canoe or Kayak. Each lake has different fish in it. Our favorite was Beers lake it had some calm coves in it, we caught some Crappies, pan fish & Bass on this lake. They say it also has Walleye and Northern Pike. Lots of beavers & muskrats swimming interesting to watch. There is a hike or boat in site on Beers lake it's nice. 

Grass lake has Pan fish, crappie, Northern Pike & more it's a smaller lake. Bass lake has trout, imagine that!

There is a 5 mile drive in the parks around some lakes that was nice we saw Swans with babies, Loons, and beavers. We loved this park. There are so many trails and so much to do.

There is a fish cleaning station, restrooms, boat ramps, canoe rentals, a swim beach and picnic area tat Lake Lida just a great place. We will go back & spend a few weeks next time were from Florida so it's a ways to go but will do it again. 

The ranger that would drive through in the evenings was very knowledgeable about the wildlife, the area & 2 other parks he works at.  Someone had 2 campers in one site he told them it wasn't allowed (I think we all know that) he made one book a spot & move. It was the only noise we heard was their dogs in that site when no one was there they barked the entire time. Glad he made the one camper move it got quiet again. We did have some people try to walk through our site we asked them not to. They had to walk between the camper & the truck I would think it was common sense. 

There is an Equestrian campground there and trails around the lakes to ride your horses on, a few water access spots for them to wet their hoofs. 

There is a town close by Pelican Rapids, the drive there is nice and it's a small town but a nice grocery store (Larry's), Liquor store, a drug store a few gift shops & good ice cream. 

I'm so happy we found this campground we will return.

Several rangers directed us here so we stopped in before we left Minnesota. The ranger was very helpful and set us up with a quiet campsite. The drive in was a few miles but it gave a view of the variety of ecosystems in the park. 

Site 33 is by itself on the access road to a small non-electric loop. This meant no distraction for my dog and let the bird song entertain us. There is a very long walk to a restroom but water is close by. The site is large and has enough room for two cars. This is a great site as long as you don’t mind the walk. 

We tried out hiking along one of the trails. The grass was long and we quickly found ticks crawling up our leg. More trimming of the trails would make hiking more pleasant. There are trails for horses and mountain bikes. Another draw is the lake. Bring your boat or rent one. There is even a place to clean your catch. 

The sites in the main loop have little privacy. That, coupled with the hiking trails, made this a not so high recommendation. It would go over higher with fishermen.

Loved our stay! Super easy setup for our camper and tons of activities to do as a family! A little cold for us to try out the water amenities but we’ll be back next year!