Whether you're a tent camper, an RVer, or just passing through, Hayward, MN has a lot to offer. Camping, hiking, biking: however you want to spend your days near Hayward, you'll find great campgrounds with The Dyrt. Find the best campgrounds near Hayward, MN. Read helpful reviews and tips to find the perfect camping option for you and your crew.
"We arrived on a Sunday and stopped at the Park Welcome area. We got the last spot with electric for 3 nights. Nice staff! Ice was available."
"We had an electric site. Very level and clean. Nice fire pit and located right next to the lake. Only downside was the site was electric only."
"Bathroom and shower available. Each site has a fire pit and picnic table. Some sites suitable for hammock camping."
"This sites are spread out enough that you have a little privacy and each site has a fire pit and picnic table. This area is actually part of the owners farm.
Bonus, it’s dog friendly."
"Check in was quick, spots were easy to pull into, the bathrooms were really clean, and it was surprisingly quiet despite the proximity to the highway. "
"We stopped for the night driving between Black Hills and Chicago and the service was awesome. The hosts called to tell us about construction and give us alternative directions."
$10 - $18 / night
"Located by New Ulm, MN this campground has plenty of activities in the park or very near the park."
"Very clean bathhouse and bathrooms, park. Family friendly and quiet place to camp."
"My only complaint was how close together the walk-in sites were."
"Beautiful 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!"
"It was mid April so no water at the sites but had electric in ours. We were able to get potable water at the entrance. And firewood. Had great trails to walk and bike on. Sites are spaced out."
"Great park if you’re not looking to drive too far to enjoy a bit of nature. Wonderful hiking paths and biking paths.
Our site was nice a secluded and right next to the trail heads."
"Had a small swimming beach, nice bathrooms and showers dump station. Saw many people swimming off their boat/pontoons as the bottom is sandy and the current is very very slow."
"New Shower house/bathrooms. Natural themed kids play area including a huge tree house. City water and sewer with 50 and 30 amp to each site. Man made swimming pond with a lighted waterfall."
"Large bath house with restrooms and showers and a little free library inside. Very long parking pads- big rig friendly and very roomy sites."
$12 - $20 / night
"The rest of the sites are beautiful with electric hook up. Nice clean bathroom and hot shower!"
"Pros: Clean/well maintained, easy short path through the trees to get to the beach, sturdy picnic tables all around, long “driveway” for campsite
Cons: pads are gravel and not very level, pads are very"
"Plenty for kids to do and the staff was great"
"There was a pretty bad storm that came through and the staff was quick to clean up downed branches and help all the folks who got damage."
Scout40 site Totally renovated 2 years ago nestled along the little Cedar river above the dam. New Shower house/bathrooms. Natural themed kids play area including a huge tree house. City water and sewer with 50 and 30 amp to each site. Man made swimming pond with a lighted waterfall. Volleyball and walking trails with primitive camping across the road. Cabin with air conditioning and fully furnished further up the river on 200 acres of county land. Fishing above and below the dam. Picnic table and fire ring at every site.
GuideWe arrived on a Sunday and stopped at the Park Welcome area. We got the last spot with electric for 3 nights. Nice staff! Ice was available.
$34/night plus Minnesota State Park pass @ $8/day.😩
Not super spacious but very comfortable distance between spaces. Well maintained dirt road in campground. Grassy and mowed. Nice big trees! Water spigots. Very nice individual, clean rooms for showers.
Two separate campground loops in the White Fox area and another couple loops half mile down the road
The lake is gorgeous but just a few places to get to the water. Saw a sign on the park door saying kayaks and canoes available to rent.
Six miles of paved, but badly in need of care, is a bike path that meanders through thick forest and open grassy fields. Follows the lake and heads close to the town of Albert Lea.
We saw a guy setting out electric scooters that were available to rent which looked like fun!
Birds and deer abound.
Walmart 2 miles away!
GuideGot to this campground late in the evening. Check in was a breeze and easy to find and pull into the site. We had an electric site. Very level and clean. Nice fire pit and located right next to the lake. Only downside was the site was electric only. No option for full hookup but water was located between the sites. Dump station was clean and modern and located close by.
LegendGeneral: A mixture of tent (non-electric) and electric sites, mostly arranged in several rows.
Site Quality: Mixed. Not all sites are level, and most do not have delineated parking pads (there is a small pavement indent to show where to access the site). A fire pit and picnic table complete the site. Most of the sites are too close together for our liking, however, when we were there (a Monday at the end of August, the day before school started), we were only one of three sites occupied so for our stay it didn’t matter.
Bathhouse: Basic but clean. My biggest complaint is there were no hooks or shelves for toiletries by the sinks. The showers looked nice but we did not use them.
Activities: Horseback riding (there are trails for this), hiking, fishing. Although we did see several trailheads, I did not have a map so didn’t explore them. There is an observation tower, but it is a two-mile walk/drive from the campground (on paved roads; I didn’t try to find hiking trails to get there).
Misc: A shout-out to the great host, Pam, who greeted us as we arrived. The observation tower, entrance gates, and picnic shelter were all constructed by the CCC and were beautiful. It almost seemed like the campground was an afterthought as it is outside the entrance gates and nowhere near the tower. The layout of the campground would be challenging if all sites were occupied.
LegendWe biked the Sakatah Singing Hills Trail from Faribault, MN to Mankato, MN (39 miles). The whole trail was paved, which was really nice and runs through hardwoods forest. We camped in Sakatah State Park and then explored the City of Mankato. Sakatah Lake is a relatively calm lake and seems like a great place to kayak.
They have 5 bike-in campsites near the trail. Other campsites include drive-in sites, electric sites, group sites, and camper cabins. The campsites are secluded just enough so that one feels like they are camping in the woods by themselves. Unlike a lot of campgrounds, Sakatah State Park has its fire pits above ground. Very nice for keeping warm. Amenities at the campground include showers, flush toilets, vault toilets, dump stations.
GuideWe stayed here while visiting Minneopa state park. The campground was nice. It was mid April so no water at the sites but had electric in ours. We were able to get potable water at the entrance. And firewood. Had great trails to walk and bike on. Sites are spaced out. Our 34’ trailer fit easily. Vault toilets on site. Bathrooms were closed (covid). The loops near the entrance had more shade. Spaces are large and accommodating!
TravelerBeautiful shaded campground near the lake, not far from town if you forgot something. We stayed in one of the two yurts- bunk bed plus a futon and table/chairs inside. Picnic table and grill outside. Walk to small town/restaurants.Clean bathroom facilities in area. Short hikes. Fishing nearby.
GuideI've been using this as a night over stop before going on to the Black Hills or on my way back home. The first time I stayed the night over there it was a nightmare just because of this family or group of people showed up late and didn't comprehend quiet hours. So needless to say I had little to no sleep.
The other times I've stayed there it was quiet and not too many people around. Kind of buggy but that's expected with the water and all the shade.
LegendRoomy gravel sites. A mix of electric and non-electric sites. Commercial fire rings. Electrical needs refreshing. We had an issue with the 30A breaker not resetting on site 46E; eventually relocated to 47E. Park employee Noah was very accommodating and pleasant to deal with. He came out to the site to discuss options with us and eventually made some site reservation changes to resolve the situation. Close to town, nice historic district.
Frequently Asked Questions
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular glamping campground near Hayward, MN is White Fox — Myre-Big Island State Park with a 4.6-star rating from 21 reviews.
TheDyrt.com has all 14 glamping camping locations near Hayward, MN, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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