Escape into nature and disconnect from daily life with glamping near Hay Creek. Glamping near Hay Creek is a great way to travel off the beaten path. Find the right glamping site for you with our user-submitted photos, reviews, and tips. Glamping offers quick access to one or more of Hay Creek's most popular destinations.
Located on the St. Croix River, just 20 miles east of Saint Paul, Afton State Park is great for those looking for camping near Minneapolis and is 1600 acres of rolling prairies, oak woodlands, and limestone river canyons amid an ancient glacial landscape. The land for the park was acquired in 1967, but it took almost 15 years of planning revisions and compromises with local residents before the park finally opened in 1982. Little development has gone into Afton State Park in an effort to maintain its natural characteristics, and former farmland atop the bluffs are continuously being restored to their original state. This makes Afton an ideal destination for campers looking to experience the outdoors in a wilder setting.
Load up your backpack with all you’ll need for your stay, as camping at Afton State Park requires a hearty, 0.75-mile hike in from the parking area. The year-round campground offers 27 rustic sites with picnic tables and fire pits, with options for pitching your tent in either open or wooded areas. There is drinking water, a vault toilet and firewood is supplied within the camp area. There is also three boat-in campsites, and two group campsites that can accommodate up to 60 people each. If you’d rather not rough it, the park also offers four camping cabins and two yurts, some of which are wheelchair accessible. There are also several picnic areas and restrooms within the park. Campsite rates range from $15–$23/night; cabins range from $55–$70/night, and yurts $50–$65/night.
When you’re ready to explore, start at the park’s Nature Store where you can pick up information about the park’s flora and fauna, or join a nature walk. Then choose from more than 20 miles of hiking, biking, and equestrian trails, as well as a short barrier-free path. If you’re visiting in winter, many of these trails are open for snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. Bring your GPS and go on a geocaching treasure hunt, or bring your binoculars and go on safari for a variety of migratory birds, waterfowl, and wildlife, including deer, foxes and badgers. And little ones will love becoming Junior Park Naturalists and learning about bugs, birds, plants and other critters. If you’re looking for a real outdoor adventure, Afton State Park has what you’re looking for.
Schools of trout happily swim through the lazy Whitewater River and various spring fed creeks of Whitewater State Park. And while it’s known for its fantastic fishing opportunities, the park also boasts year-round interpretive programs, a modern Visitor Center, and an especially appreciated lack of mosquitos, unique for the region.
Whitewater is well seasoned, with a number of historical attractions within and nearby. In fact, 2019 marks the 100th anniversary of the park. To commemorate the occasion, local conservationists and naturalists have teamed up to release a special Oral History Project from stories of campers and those native to the region.
Explorers and adventurers will love this park’s diverse selection of attractions and oddities. Home of the park office and interpretive services, the Whitewater Valley Visitor Center should be your first stop. The friendly Park staff are ready to help you plan your visit and load you up on information, and even loaner equipment such as GPS units, fishing kits, discovery kits for kids, and birding kits. Don’t skip the Discovery Room, which showcases nature displays, exhibits and a spotting area to observe the local bluebirds, cardinals, hawks and bald eagles flying about.
The vast expanse of outdoor wilderness is really what you’ll want to check out. If you only have time for a quick visit, check out the Chimney Rock Trail for an awesome view of the Whitewater River. Those searching for a more accessible hike can take the Meadow Trail, which drops off right into a grassy valley, surrounded by dramatic Minnesota bluffs. During the hot and humid summers, go unwind at the beach for a refreshing dip in the cold, spring-fed water. Those more interested in history lovers should visit the famous Elba Fire Tower. Built in 1933, this sturdy tower offers cozy 360 degree views of the entire wetland region below. You’ll be especially grateful for the chance to unwind, thanks to the arduous 500-step climb required to ascend to the top.
Finally, firmly planted atop the land sits Inspiration Point; a beautiful limestone rock outcrop that overlooks the entirety of the Whitewater valley. Known as the most popular attraction within Whitewater State Park, visitors can still discover solace from their troubles. In fact, this is the only overlook in the entire park where there are no signs of civilization anywhere in sight. With just a little imagination, standing atop Inspiration Point on a clear, calm day can make you feel as if you could step down into a deep forested paradise, unspoiled and far from the reach of society.
Whitewater campground here is plentiful, with every site having full electric hookups and full-through capabilities. The campground features a full range of amenities including regularly placed shower houses with laundry facilities, and a number of group camping areas as well. Furthermore, there are 5 cabins available with various sleeping capabilities.
Kruger Management Unit campground is adjacent to the Zumbro River Water Trail. The campsites are considered primitive, designed to furnish only the basic needs of the camper. Each has a cleared area, fire ring, and table. Vault toilets, garbage cans, and drinking water are available. All sites are on a first-come, first-served basis for a fee. Quiet hours are between 10:00 p.m.–8:00 a.m. (this includes no generator use). Please be considerate of others around you.
$14 / night
$85 / night
Traveler
Good pricing, great trails for all different skill levels and nice staff. Our site was mighty large and for the most part secluded from those near and on the path. $22 for the site, $8 for reservation. $8 for wood (all you can chop) and $7 for the overnight and next day parking pass for one car. Beautiful surroundings and clean bathrooms and grills one mile mostly uphill hike from parking lot but not to difficult and some paved parts. Definitely coming back.
Legend
Stayed here for a couple nights on a mini state park road trip. Nice place, like most of the MN state parks. Spotty cell service. Hiked a trail with lots of steps. Fire ring and picnic table are provided at each site. Restroom with showers also available in campground. Site was large and easy to back into and offered some tree cover for shade during certain times of the day. Was unable to hang hammock in specific site we stayed at, but some of the sites looked like they would be suitable.
Guide
We really liked this campground. The paved trail around the area is really nice for walking the pups. Very clean and well kept campground.
The campground gets booked up fast, so book early!
The sites on and close to the water are long, but not very wide. The sites further back have alot more room at each site.
Legend
Ashley here with The Dyrt. We're so happy to have this property on our platform. With comfortable beds, firewood, firewood starters, and trails, this property has it all. Secluded but close to town. Book them today and leave them a review here!
Legend
Lots of good trees and space between campgrounds which isn’t always the case at the regional parks. The access to water is really nice and a couple sites were perfect.
The hike in sites are super close to the car so it doesn’t even require much work. Plan to come here again!
Legend
Super simple camping cabins. They each have 4 spots and have contactless entry as you get sent a code to use. There is no cooking inside the cabin so you have to use the fire ring outside. Shower facilities are really nice and match the cabins. Plan ahead as these are hard to come by.
Legend
Camped when the mosquitos had gone away for the year! The trails here are nice and wooded and some go along the lake. Firewood at the office.
GuideBeautiful forested area just outside Owatonna. Easy drive past beautiful farms to town. Camp host told us mosquitoes were light this year; they seemed plentiful to me! Water near site, showers and bathrooms adequate.
RangerStayed here a few years back with a one friends. Had a good time. Nice state campground.
GuideWe camped at Whitewater State Park August 14-17, 2022, in drive-in campsite #53 of the Cedar Hill campground. The campsite was great! We were surrounded by mature trees, shrubs, and wildflowers on three sides. We could hear the flow of the river as it tumbled along its course behind the campsite. It was very peaceful.
Lots of birds, butterflies, and squirrels visited our campsite daily. We heard raccoons at night but never saw them. There were no mosquitos and very few other flying insects.
It was a long walk from our site to the new restroom/shower building. There was water and a vault toilet closer, about four campsites away.
The park has many hiking trails of varying degrees of difficulty. We hiked to Chimney Rock and Inspiration Point and found the trails more challenging than we expected from their descriptions.
We greatly enjoyed our time at Whitewater and plan to return.
GuideWe are new to tent camping and are fortunate to live a short drive away from Whitewater State Park. We have heard from our friends who go camping that this is a highly sought after destination and I can see why. Beautiful lookouts on trails, quiet camp sites (non electric sites are much more peaceful), and very nice amenities. The main shower/restroom area looks brand new and is very nice.
ScoutNot overly crowded, clean showers and family friendly. Swimming beach about half a mile from campground. Didn’t get to hike, due to heavy rain. TMobile has no service while AT&T has average to poor service. Probably one of the nicest state park camping I’ve done.
GuideWhitewater State Park Campground is amazing. It's very clean, well kept and the sites are all mostly private with trees which is so much nicer than being in a giant field of tents and RVs like most campgrounds. There's toilets all over the place and water available in many spots. There's beautiful hiking trails right next to the campground and a lovely beach for kids. I'll definitely be back.
Guide
Nice place but it is a campground not an rv park, 30 & 50 amp service but no water hookup (fill when you come in) and dump tanks when leaving,
TravelerI really like the hike in sites. Short walk from the car and right by the water yet spaced nicely for privacy.
ScoutEnjoyed the cart-in experience. Made it feel like you were out a bit more and not totally dependent on your car. Also further away from the road. Couldn’t hear any traffic at night or day. The creek helped with that too. Enjoyed putting up our REI kingdom 6. Grilled hot dogs and s’mores. Read star Bible and Brian Jacques’ Redwall to our little boys. In the morning we did a little hike before taking off. Just 1 night stay.
GuideHad a great long weekend every sight was booked but it rained all weekend which really thinned out the herd and made the more challenging trails slick and muddy but I loved it all the same.
TravelerWe had a fabulous experience at BJ's this weekend. Mark, Sheri and the staff are good people who work hard to make sure you have a great time. The food is excellent and comes out SO FAST; bravo to the kitchen staff! Bartenders are very attentive; Tasha took excellent care of us! The campsites are well kept and spacious. There are no picnic tables in the sites, but we got along just fine without. We can't wait to go back!
RangerWe checked in at the visitor center and the ranger told us the site we had chosen on-line was not suitable for our small RV. She found us a site in the electric campground that someone else had just canceled on. It was a good site with some privacy due to thick woods on two sides of our site. It was a weekend so the place was full.
We heard Barred Owls and Sandhill Cranes. The cranes flew over making strange LOUD calls. Cool.
TravelerI can't really speak for any of the other sites here, but 13 is the only one right on the water and it's HUGE with lots of trees and absolutely beautiful scenery. I imagine in the middle of summer, it might feel slightly less secluded as there are 3 other sites relatively close by, one of which you have to walk through to get to this one, but in early September, no one else was around and it was PERFECT!
GuideNice park for everyone’s type from tents, cabins and all size RV’s. Electric only at the camp sites but have water and dump station on site. Clean bathrooms and showers. Best value I’ve seen for fire wood. Has many walking trails that you can take your dog on and just a couple that you can’t.
TravelerThis summer we took our 7 year-old here as a trial of backpacking camping with him.
This is a little more than a mile, and so it was super approachable for all of us to hike-in with all of our things. There was a good amount of hiking, some hills up and down and such, but a good length for a little guy.
Back in the campsites, there is A LOT of space. Everyone is super spread out, so we could feel like we had very good privacy. We heard a bit from other campsites, but with the space, we weren't bothered by others' noise nor did we feel like we needed to silence the kiddo to avoid bothering others.
ScoutThe campgrounds were beautiful and well kept. The bathrooms were immaculate. I love it!!!! I will be back!!!!!
Guide
Right on lake peppin. Cramped spots with no privacy Camp post cruised around constantly hassling us about everything and made us feel unwelcome. Trains come by every 15-30 minutes just feet away from camp site.
Guide
I love this place. Nice and tucked away. Sites are very private. Has beautiful trails. Next to the river great for exploring and fishing.
GuideSpent 2 nights here. Not so crowded during the week. In newer area of campground, very clean and nice bathhouse, camp sites don’t have as much shade here, but will as trees grow. Throughly enjoyed the hike along the Dakota trail.
TravelerOne of the most amazing parks in the state! With its fun but difficult hiking trails and beautiful rivers to fish from you might be lucky to catch a rainbow or brook trout but be ready to go very early or near dusk if you hope to land a bite. For those who enjoy wildlife and nature I highly recommend but warning the wildlife is very friendly and get very close to you especially raccoons at all times of the day . The beach has really soft sand and the water is nice and cool but this time around a lot of people had mix reviews about it saying it had pockets of warm temperatures and pretty buggy. But for sure one of the best features are the restrooms always cleaned everyday and the showers water always hot and enough for multiple family’s so never any waiting time
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular glamping campsite near Hay Creek, MN?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular glamping campground near Hay Creek, MN is Afton State Park Campground with a 4.6-star rating from 36 reviews.
What is the best site to find glamping camping near Hay Creek, MN?
TheDyrt.com has all 12 glamping camping locations near Hay Creek, MN, with real photos and reviews from campers.
