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The Mississippi River valley near Homer, Minnesota provides multiple campground options for both tent and RV camping. Great River Bluffs State Park offers established campground facilities just minutes from Homer, while Perrot State Park Campground across the Wisconsin border provides riverside camping experiences. Whitewater State Park, located approximately 20 miles west, features tent sites, RV hookups, and cabin accommodations. Most campgrounds in the region support mixed-use camping with amenities such as picnic tables, fire rings, and access to drinking water, though specific facilities vary between locations.
Reservations are highly recommended for developed campgrounds, particularly during summer weekends and holiday periods when sites fill quickly. "Beautiful place to canoe or kayak. The park does have kayak and canoe rentals available for reasonable prices," notes one Perrot State Park visitor. The camping season generally runs from April through October, with some parks like Great River Bluffs and Perrot remaining open year-round. Campers should be aware that water access points may experience seasonal flooding, particularly in spring when the Mississippi River levels rise. Mosquitoes can be problematic during summer months, especially near water features, so appropriate repellent is advisable.
The surrounding bluff country provides distinctive camping experiences with numerous hiking opportunities. Perrot State Park receives particularly positive reviews for its hiking trails and scenic overlooks of the Mississippi River valley. Several campgrounds in the area feature river access points for paddling and fishing activities. Prairie Island City Campground offers both electric and water hookups for RVs with convenient boat access to the Mississippi. Money Creek Haven provides cabin rentals as an alternative to tent or RV camping. Campers frequently mention the region's natural beauty as a highlight, with one visitor commenting that "Brady's Bluff is not necessarily an easy hike, but the view afterwards is worth it." Mixed-use campgrounds throughout the area generally maintain clean facilities with accessible bathrooms and showers at most developed sites.
"There is a rail line that runs along between the Mississippi and the park edge, campsites are away from this but still can be heard as well as motor boats on the River."
"The sites with nearby water are especially peaceful, and there's plenty of wooded space to explore without worrying about disturbing other campers or damaging wildlife habitat."
from $19 - $110 / night
Check Availability"I enjoy camping away from the hub bub of the family campground and opting for the backpack or cart in sites. Luckily, Great River Bluffs has some of the nicest cart ins I have encountered."
"What a beautiful & peaceful gem of a place in south eastern Minnesota!"
from $24 / night
Check Availability"This campground is a home away from home. We found this campground through this app, and was very happy with our stay. We had one of the primitive sites on the river front, and it was huge!"
"Clean bath house and convenient outdoor bathroom buildings around the grounds. The road along the river is narrow making it hard to back your camper into the riverfront sites if you have neighbors."
"Whitewater is by far one of the top state parks in Minnesota. Their camping facilities are clean with running water and free showers. The campsites are quite spacious but not too wooded."
"Easy access to hiking trails. My site was close in distance to adjacent ones, but was on the edge by the creek, so it was pretty quiet."
from $25 - $250 / night
Check Availability"Showers and flush toilets at the north campground which is a quick drive or a very long walk. They were clean, but showers could use a refresh."
"Some are more off by themselves and some are right next to each other. There is drive in, cart in, and pull in sites. There is nice ground for renting as well. Many of the sites are on the river."
from $19 / night
Check Availability"The website states there are tracks nearby that are active 24 hours. This was not a problem for us at all. They were hardly noticeable. We did stay at the north loop, as we wanted electric hook up."
"Really close to the river, as well. Yes… the trains do go by quite a bit, but it really hasn’t bothered us. Beautiful tall trees, clean pit toilets. This park is a gem! We’ll be back."
from $19 - $35 / night
Check Availability"Great Harvest Host location super nice family."
"We pulled in from a long driving day .we were greeted by our host . She was very friendly and explained where the site was . Had a great night sleep . This is a good over night stop ."
from $30 / night
Check Availability"We were visiting our daughter in nearby Winona, MN. This place is also close to La Crosse WI. We stayed here three nights."
from $29 - $999 / night
Check Availability"We stayed one night on our way to Minnesota. There is plenty of shade. The park streets are asphalt with two concrete strips for your tires in the sites."
"We stayed one night on our way to Minnesota. There is plenty of shade. The park streets are asphalt with two concrete strips for your tires in the sites."
from $28 - $30 / night
Check Availability"Right at the end of the root river state trail. Singing toads at night. Very flat. Sites are spread out. Within walking distance to grocery store."
"The Nature Center campsite is located at the trail head for the Root River State Bike Trail."
TravelerWe tent camped one night, midweek late August. Our site was private, close enough to the shower house but far enough away that we didn't hear any noise from the exhaust fans. Was a lovely quiet night. On a tight schedule so we weren't able to sample any of the hikes. Would stay here again. #33 also looked like a prime tent camp spot.
GuideOctober 12, low of 63° high around 78°.
We arrived here on Sunday around noon and there were maybe 4 other trailers. We self registered and chose one of the many spots and headed to decorah for lunch. When we got back around 5 pm everyone was gone. We enjoyed the creek rushing next to us and the quiet park!
Water was shut off but vault toilets were available.
GuideNice campground sites are smaller & you will need to level. Nice clean flush toilets & showers. Can hear the highway below. Road in is gravel & narrow not for big rigs.
ScoutWe selected "best available" site and showed up two hours later to a disgusting mess. There was a pile of garbage in our site. There was a busy railroad track right next the the site not shown in the campground map. They offered other sites but they were not any better.
LegendHas river access. Two parking lots Picnic area And make sure you go to the back of the field and take the suspension bridge trail
GuideQuiet, beautiful and good facilities. Showers .25 for 5 minutes. We are here midweek in September so even the occupied sites only have people staying there in the weekends.
TravelerI go there every year for hunting. Everyone is friendly and everyone is responsible for cleaning up the place. First come first serve. No reservations.
ScoutI was a little skeptical after a negative review about the regular residents, so I watched for that dynamic. We were camping with another family so we had 8 kids between the two of us and I was worried all those kiddos would upset people. Quite the opposite experience from that review and it motivated me to leave this one to help provide a good picture. I have nothing bad to say about our camping experience. We did go a little out of season (September 12) so a lot of the campsites were empty. Most their sites are flat, and clean. The grass was well mowed and maintained. They had activities for the kids (Halloween). People that drove by were friendly and smiling, and waiving. We had people drop off candy for the kids asking parents first. We had people offer basketballs for our kids to use while they were away from their site. Me and my friend were about to haul ice bags and wood up a huge hill on foot and someone stopped their golf cart and emptied it of what they were carrying to give us a ride to our campsite. The kids tootled about on their bikes being kids with no negative experiences. There were a couple of kids on motor scooters whose engines were kind of obnoxious but that’s going to happen more and more at campgrounds, and it wasn’t during quiet hours. We had sites atop the “full Lakeview” and it was honestly surprising how beautiful it was up there. I think it can be difficult to get a view when you’re camping but those sites had it. We knew the full lake view sites were open so we took the cheaper ones across from them, but still saw the same view. There was a great amount of space between the sites we used. The only possible critique I might offer is in that specific row there weren’t many trees for shade, but the weather was cooler so it didn’t affect us, but if we went in the summer it might have been more uncomfortable without that natural shade. The bath houses and showers were great!!! I feel like a good bath house can make or break a campsite and we’ve been to some smaller ones that were quite lacking but this one was great. Very clean, not many bugs, spacious, real doors on the shower stalls. We did not arrive in season to utilize the pool area but it looked great from the other side of the gate ;) - the parks were well maintained and the kids loved them. there was a set of stairs that went from up the hill down to the office that looked a little sketchy but they were closed off for use. If you didn’t have a golf cart or couldn’t ride a bike, the trek from where we stayed to the office might be a challenge. Overall we loved it and would definitely consider going again. The sites were a little pricey but had on site sewer hookup which is fantastic.
GuideEasy check in. Self serve. Staff and hosts are great.
The Mississippi River basin offers multiple camping options near Homer, Minnesota where the terrain ranges from 650 to 1,300 feet in elevation across the bluff country. The region features limestone formations with natural springs feeding numerous creeks that flow into the Mississippi River. Water levels fluctuate seasonally, with fall offering drier campsites than spring or early summer.
Hiking through bluffs: Great River Bluffs State Park Campground offers 7 miles of hiking trails with viewing areas like King's and Queen's Bluff. "The trail system is very well labeled with maps along each trail. The trail system is mostly level and I would label as easy hiking with rolling hills," notes one visitor to Great River Bluffs State Park Campground.
Trout fishing: Beaver Creek Valley State Park Campground provides access to cold, clear streams ideal for beginning anglers. "Small quiet campground with sites that back up to the creek. Very easy walking trail winding through the park and stream. An easy way to trout fish and enjoy the park," writes one camper of their experience at the park.
Water activities: Merrick State Park Campground offers multiple access points for kayaking and canoeing. "We liked having our site right on the river; our dog loved this. The campsites were very open and train tracks were nearby," reports one reviewer. The park includes three camping loops with varying amenities and river proximity.
Private campsites: Money Creek Haven offers spacious camping spots with various accommodation options. "Great campsite girlfriend and I stayed here last summer it was great friendly staff and very clean also very spacious," mentions one visitor to Money Creek Haven Inc. The campground includes a man-made lake that's popular with families.
Accessible waterfront: Prairie Island City Campground provides direct river access for boaters and paddlers. "Spacious campsites on the Mississippi River. Nice wooded area allows for shade. Clean bath house and convenient outdoor bathroom buildings around the grounds," notes one camper at Prairie Island City Campground.
Fall colors: Seasonal campers praise the autumn landscape at several area campgrounds. "Stayed here in the fall. Had a site right next to the bathroom big enough for 2 tents and 2 vehicles. Hikes here offer great views of the river and bluffs and the fall colors are gorgeous!!!" shares a visitor to Great River Bluffs.
Limited cell coverage: Some campgrounds in the area have poor or no cellular service. "There is no cell reception because of the valley. This is great if you want to get away from it all, but if you're staying a while and need to work, this isn't the place to do it," cautions a camper at Beaver Creek Valley State Park Campground.
Seasonal water quality: Some campgrounds report water issues during certain times of year. "There were signs posted that the drinking water cannot be boiled, nor can it be given to babies or elderly due to high nitrates. But we brought our own water anyways," reports a visitor to Perrot State Park.
Train noise: Several campgrounds near Homer experience railroad disturbances. "Highway noise from the highway running along the river and from I-90 (while not really noticeable during the day) is ridiculously loud at night. Added to this were the half dozen trains that ran through the night (horns going off too)," mentions a camper at Great River Bluffs.
Playground access: Multiple area campgrounds feature play structures for children. "The campground has plenty of playground equipment and some organized activities for children. There was a nice beach," mentions a visitor to Prairie Island City Campground.
Farm experiences: For a unique overnight stay, Frickson Family Farms offers camping with agricultural activities. "Neat to see baby pigs and also grill some tasty steaks from the cool farm store!!" reports a visitor to Frickson Family Farms LLC, which operates as a Harvest Host location.
Educational activities: Some parks provide interpretive programs for young visitors. "The Saturday we were there they had a heritage camp set up to learn about how things were done in the past," notes a camper at Perrot State Park Campground.
Site access challenges: Some campgrounds have limitations for larger vehicles. "The road along the river is narrow making it hard to back your camper into the riverfront sites if you have neighbors," cautions a visitor to Prairie Island City Campground.
Electric site availability: Whitewater State Park offers reliable electric hookups year-round. "We visited in winter (February) and while there was snow on the ground, the spaces were kept plowed with easy access to the electric boxes," notes a winter visitor to Minneiska Campground — Whitewater State Park.
Off-season camping: Many campgrounds near Homer remain open with limited services in winter. "As with State Parks in MN, it's best to make the reservation online, especially with office staff being spotty these days. Price is $35 for the space/night with electric, and this time of year, there are no other options besides electric spaces," advises a camper at Whitewater State Park.
Frequently Asked Questions
What camping is available near Homer, MN?
According to TheDyrt.com, Homer, MN offers a wide range of camping options, with 157 campgrounds and RV parks near Homer, MN and 9 free dispersed camping spots.
Which is the most popular campground near Homer, MN?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular campground near Homer, MN is Perrot State Park Campground with a 4.5-star rating from 37 reviews.
Where can I find free dispersed camping near Homer, MN?
According to TheDyrt.com, there are 9 free dispersed camping spots near Homer, MN.
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