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Best Equestrian Camping near Hinckley, MN

104 Reviews

Mille Lacs Kathio State Park offers equestrian camping through its dedicated Equestrian Campground, located in proximity to Hinckley, Minnesota. The campground provides tent and RV sites specifically designed for visitors traveling with horses, featuring direct access to bridle trails and horseback riding opportunities. While the campground lacks modern amenities such as drinking water, electric hookups, showers, or trash collection, it does offer basic toilet facilities. The campground requires reservations and permits pets, making it suitable for family trips with both horses and dogs. Sites accommodate larger vehicles, making horse trailer parking accessible for equestrians visiting the park. Mosquitoes can be abundant during summer months, particularly near slow-moving water.

Trail riders access an extensive network of equestrian paths throughout Mille Lacs Kathio State Park, with connections to the surrounding natural areas. The park's trail system winds through diverse landscapes, offering varied terrain for different skill levels of riders. For horse owners seeking more amenities, St. Croix State Park nearby provides additional camping options with more facilities, though without designated equestrian sites. Horse owners should pack sufficient water for their animals as drinking water is not provided at the equestrian campground. The state parks in this region typically operate seasonally, with Mille Lacs Kathio State Park maintaining year-round access. Vault toilets at the equestrian campground remain clean and well-maintained, supporting basic needs during overnight stays with horses. Picnic tables at each site provide convenient space for tack storage and meal preparation.

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Best Equestrian Sites Near Hinckley, Minnesota (8)

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Equestrian Camping Reviews near Hinckley, MN

104 Reviews of 8 Hinckley Campgrounds

  • Erik R.
    Apr. 5, 2025

    Wild River State Park Campground

    Camping in Spring snow

    Well, it snowed … in late March. I stayed in the campground in late March, 2025. This is a big park with a diversity of hiking, equestrian, and canoeing options. Since the park runs along the St. Croix, there are beautiful river-side walks to be had. There are also Oak Savanna trails. Several trails are for horses, but that isn’t my scene. I stayed in the campground for two nights. It was cold, rainy, and that turned into 5” of snow. Like many MN State Park campgrounds, you are close to your neighbors with no real private offerings. I stayed in site 66e. It was a typical site with nothing bad nor special about it. The hike to the former Dam site is the neatest thing about the park. I recommend reading the historical information at the site of the dam. Having been here once, I see no reason to come back.

  • Tori K.The Dyrt PRO User
    Dec. 29, 2024

    Riverview Campground — St. Croix State Park

    River view?

    My site unfortunately did not have a view of the river, but it was still nice and private!! This is one of my favorite state parks for last minute camping trips due to its proximity to home. I have stayed in each of the campgrounds here multiple times at different sites and don't really have a standout favorite site. Each campground is pretty similar (it's really more like separate loops of the same campground as opposed to actually separate campgrounds... so I wouldn’t worry too much about which one to pick! Multiple restrooms and showers throughout the campgrounds. Each site has a fire ring and picnic table, and wood can be purchased at the office. Cell service is fairly spotty here so come with podcasts or shows downloaded ahead of time! But if you don't, you can always run into Hinckley for some WIFI or cell service to download some things.

  • SThe Dyrt PRO User
    Feb. 3, 2021

    Old Logging Trail — St. Croix State Park

    First solo experience

    This was my first solo tent camping night in June 5, 2020. There were some horse flies when I parked but they didn't seem to hang out in the shade of my campsite. There was a very loud bird making calls until about 1am... Maybe a whip-poor-will. Otherwise a serene spot tucked back in the walk in site.

    Directions to the walk in sites were a bit unclear when driving in but I eventually made it there.

  • Andrea S.
    May. 19, 2018

    Father Hennepin State Park Campground

    Great getaway from the city

    Right on Lake Mille Lacs, one of Minnesota’s largest. Walking distance from the bakery and bar! Newer, updated facilities. Boat access. Lake side sites (if you book early enough). You can hit Mille Lacs State Park if you want to knock them both out on one trip! This park seems to attract a lot of long term campers, as I’m sure it’s pretty reasonable to stay at the lake all summer. We went mid-July I think and the trees were literally raining caterpillars… it was tough to want to hang out in our tree canopy-covered site. Sooo.. we ventured outside of the park more at this one.

    There was a festival going on in a town west of here that had a couple rides and a really fun patio bar. If you do decide to venture out at night, ask the bartender for the limo driver’s number; he’s the city’s “uber”!

  • Scott M.The Dyrt PRO User
    Jul. 19, 2021

    Father Hennepin State Park Campground

    Great Area

    Smaller sites and a little privacy in the lake campground. The ones next to the waters edge have a nice view and are more completely in the shade. The inner sites have more sun. The beach is long and rocky but ample enough to swim in. It is a busy place because of its location close to the cities and other areas up there. The electric hook ups were well maintained. Bathrooms were nice and clean and vault toilets are scattered throughout the park. Trails are there to hike and walk. Water to swim and plenty of bike paths. 

    Maple grove is the more primitive site and lots more coverages between camp sites.

  • K
    Aug. 30, 2020

    Mille Lacs Kathio Petaga Campground — Mille Lacs Kathio State Park

    Great spot not too far from the Cities

    Stayed in Petaga (drive in) spot #52. The spots were pretty private - the surrounding campsites were definitely visible through the trees, but there was plenty of distance so you weren't overhearing everyone's conversations or anything. The site was very roomy! It was a short walk to the bathrooms, water was nearby. The paths to the overlooks on the Rum River were close as well. The inner campsites are RV hookup sites, and the sound definitely carried when someone came later at night to set up their RV. We lucked out with great weather, and bugs were not bad (some mosquitoes but not overwhelming). Campsites have easy access to the trails that connect to the west interpretive center. Some things were closed due to COVID (including the fire tower), but bathrooms were open. No boat rentals right now either, but the river looked like a great, calm spot to kayak.

  • Joslyn H.
    Jun. 27, 2024

    Wild River State Park Campground

    Lots of good memories

    I have been coming to Wild River since I was a kid. Nice park, scenic trails, horses on the way in.

  • M
    Sep. 26, 2023

    Wild River State Park Campground

    Serene times at Wild River

    Stayed for two nights at a drive-in double site here and found it ideal for autumn camping. We didn’t think we would get colors, but they came out a little early, adding a few splashes to the hiking and river view.

    Site was private enough, the woods surrounding dense enough to obscure others while still feeling open. Also open enough to spot three white-tail deer.

    Hike to the Nevers Dam lookout was easy enough for a five year old to walk (most of it) — featuring some very cool fallen trees and a wonderful winding staircase — and the adjacent sandy beach was a pleasant and peaceful surprise.

    One complaint is that the nearby vault toilet reeked of amonia and was unusable so we had to walk to the adjacent loop for bathroom. Silver lining is that we discovered the free little library near that bathroom and grabbed a copy of ‘Ramona the Brave’ for the kiddo. We went back and left a copy of ‘Amira’s Picture Day.’

  • Kate H.
    Jun. 4, 2018

    Wild River State Park Campground

    Very spacious and private campsites!! Lots of wildlife!

    This campground is massive! Our campsite was on the farthest loop and was very private! We saw sooooo many deer some even walking right through campsites! You can hear coyotes, raccoons and very loud owls😂

    We spent an entire day hiking and it was decent hiking along the river, some of the trails where a little confusing and trying to figure out where we at, but we made it just hiked a little further than we wanted to😂! This seems to be the hot spot for horses and if we go back I definitely want to do the horseback riding right outside the park! DRIVE to the visitors center from the campsites it’s a bit away!

    Postives: Very private and remote, Lots of wildlife, friendly staff, okay hiking. The canoe rental place wasn’t open so we can’t comment of water activities!

    Negatives: Only one shower house and we had to drive there, the primitive toilet smelled so bad it burned!! It needed to be emptied and wasn’t the entire time we were there. This isn’t a comment on this state park but because we where no where near a real bathroom and we have a toddler who wears a diaper/potty training there are no trash cans in the primitive toilet it could create a problem if you had a little one or if your a women😉

    overall it was good camping trip, but if we did come back we would definitely camp closer to the shower house.

Guide to Hinckley

Horse camping in Minnesota offers a unique opportunity to explore the great outdoors while enjoying the company of your equine friends. With a variety of campgrounds equipped with horse-friendly amenities, riders can experience the beauty of Minnesota's landscapes.

Tips for equestrian camping near Hinckley, Minnesota

Equestrian campgrounds include essential amenities

Most campgrounds have horse-focused activities

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near Hinckley, MN?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Hinckley, MN is Old Logging Trail — St. Croix State Park with a 4.1-star rating from 10 reviews.

What is the best site to find equestrian camping near Hinckley, MN?

TheDyrt.com has all 8 equestrian camping locations near Hinckley, MN, with real photos and reviews from campers.

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