1 campground with availability next weekend
Eagle Cliff Campground and Lodging near Lanesboro houses upscale glamping accommodations along the Root River, offering a distinctive blend of outdoor immersion and indoor comfort. Guests access premium canvas structures with real mattresses, climate controls, and private outdoor spaces while enjoying the serene landscape of Minnesota's bluff country. One reviewer highlighted, "This campground has it all. Situated right along the Root River next to the bike trail. This facility is clean and very well kept." The Old Barn Resort in nearby Preston complements the area's glamping options with luxury yurts featuring comfortable furnishings and electricity. Both properties maintain immaculate facilities with shower houses that guests repeatedly praise in reviews. These glamping sites provide a perfect balance between natural immersion and modern amenities, with options for couples seeking romantic retreats or families wanting comfort without sacrificing outdoor experiences.
The Root River provides the scenic backdrop for unique experiences at these glamping destinations, with tubing, kayaking, and canoeing available directly from the properties. A recent visitor noted, "We had a site right along the river where we saw turtles, bald eagles and lots of other wildlife." The renowned Root River State Trail offers miles of paved pathways for cycling enthusiasts, with bike rentals available at most glamping sites. Seasonal activities vary throughout the year, with peak season running April through October. Guests can explore nearby attractions including Mystery Cave State Park and the quaint downtown of Lanesboro with its arts scene and local dining. Evening campfires and star-gazing opportunities enhance the glamping experience, with fire rings and outdoor seating areas standard at most safari tents and yurts in the region.
"Located on the Root River. Cliff View has very clean bath houses. Lots of sites to choose from. 50 amp service, sewer hook up and of course water. If your close enough to the office wifi available."
"Close to Lanesboro. If I needed bathroom or showers, I would have been disappointed at the port a pots and showers far away from my site."
from $30 - $46 / night
"It was located right on the Root River Trail System which we liked for biking and running."
"Our site was very large, which was nice as it gave us more than enough room to set up our tent, leaving space between us and the neighboring sites."
"It can be a little confusing because the camping and mystery caves are a distance apart. I highly recommend going to the caves."
"There are so many activities to do both within the park and surrounding areas, but my most favorite thing to do was walk the endless miles of hiking trails."
Campground full next weekend
Get a text when availablefrom $25 - $90 / night
"Drinking water had already been turned off for the season, but the bathroom still had running water and flush toilets in mid-October. Easy access to hiking trails."
"Site 53 was close to the showers and water spigot and it was a big enough spot for 2 tents while being private. It was a 10-20 minute walk to anywhere else."
Available next weekend
from $25 - $250 / night
"Excellent staff. One of the best kept campgrounds I've been to. Between the campground and the nearby towns, there is easily two weeks of activities to do. More depending on the time of year you go."
"We prefer to stay down by the river sans electricity. We have done this for years in a tent and now in our hybrid camper. There are cabins, electric sites, showers and a dump station."
"The cart in sites all have a fire pit with a grill, picnic table, and are a short walk from the primitive toilets. There is a water spigot in the parking area."
"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."
Campground full next weekend
Get a text when availablefrom $24 / night
"The camping sites also have large tall trees where a camper should be parked which causes you to park way to close to the fire pit."
"Gorgeous bluffs and river to camp right next to! Can’t wait to go back!"
from $25 / night
"Nice 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."
"It has a campground and man-made lake (created when Bear Creek was dammed for a flood control project) with hiking trails, a horse trail, picnic shelters, a beach, and a playground."
from $25 - $100 / night
"It was spacious and very well kept, with a great view of the lake. Wry easy to back in and get set up, almost level and took very little adjustment to get our spot in order."
"We had people offer basketballs for our kids to use while they were away from their site."
RangerThis campground has large private sites, most are shady or partially shaded. Bathrooms are large and well maintained. There’s lots of good hiking trails and the historic town of Forestville was interesting to explore. Absolutely no cell coverage for T-Mobile or AT&T but luckily our site had a good opening in the trees for our Starlink. Would definitely recommend.
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.
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.
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.
GuideThis park is very nice. It has long gravel FHU sites. Bathrooms/shower house is fairly new, but they must have high iron levels b/c the toilets and walls already have brown stains. Kid friendly. walking path. Downfalls: Not much shade yet. You have to register online and some older folks don't like that.
GuideVery nice campground with full hookups. Many sites are reservable and inexpensive.
LegendThis campground is on the opposite side of the road as the park office… but on the same side as the beach. Nice new shower building and nice roads. Some sites are a bit on the smaller side, but there are some drive through sites as well. There are also group sites and cabins.
LegendThis is in a rural area and has many seasonal sites. Transitional sites too. There is a restaurant/bar on site. The river is behind the property.
LegendThis is a county campground near Rochester. It is in a county park that has a swimming beach, boat docks, fishing piers, hiking trails, playground, biking trail. There are showers available. Pretty park-like setting.
Along the Root River in southeastern Minnesota, the Lanesboro area sits within a unique topographical region known as the Driftless Area, characterized by steep limestone bluffs and deep river valleys that escaped glacial flattening during the last ice age. The elevation changes significantly throughout the region, with bluffs rising 400-500 feet above the valley floor. Seasonal camping patterns follow water levels in the Root River, which typically runs clearest from late spring through early fall.
Hiking bluff trails: At Great River Bluffs State Park, trails range from easy walks to moderately challenging climbs with 2.5-mile round trips to King's Bluff Overlook. "There are 7 miles of hiking trails, but there really isn't anything interesting other than the overlooks. It was a quiet place for a one night stay," notes one reviewer.
Cave exploration: Forestville Mystery Cave State Park offers guided cave tours for $15 per adult and $10 for children 5-12. "The cave was around 12-13 miles long and there was water and different formations. The floor was really wet so bring shoes you won't slip in," advises a visitor. Tours run regularly during summer but reservations are recommended for weekends.
Seasonal water activities: At Bluffton Resort, water activities operate on seasonal schedules. "Long weekend of camping, biking and kayaking along the scenic Root River. Wonderful camp store and kayak rentals with shuttle," reports a visitor who stayed in the fall when crowds were thinner. Water levels can fluctuate, with best tubing conditions typically from June through August.
Spacious campsites: At Minneiska Campground — Whitewater State Park, campers appreciate the layout and natural features. "Great campground! Awesome hiking, nice swimming beach. Big nature store with lots of great stuff. Lots of spots for great fishing," one reviewer notes. Sites along the water in the non-electric loop offer more privacy.
Limited mosquitoes: Whitewater State Park stands out for its minimal insect presence. "Best part: very few mosquitoes!! (The cold, constantly moving water helps keep them away)," mentions a reviewer. This makes it particularly comfortable for evenings outdoors from June through September when insects are most active elsewhere in Minnesota.
Winter camping options: Chester Woods Park and other regional campgrounds maintain year-round sites. "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," reports a winter camper. This extends the glamping season beyond the typical peak months.
Cell service limitations: Many campgrounds in the bluffs have limited connectivity. At Forestville Mystery Cave State Park, "There is NO CELL SERVICE in the campground - no Verizon, ATT or T-Mobile. Wifi down at the ranger office." This affects navigation and communication throughout the valley areas.
Noise factors: Proximity to transportation corridors impacts some locations. "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," reports a visitor to Great River Bluffs. "Added to this were the half dozen trains that ran through the night (horns going off too)."
Shower considerations: Facility quality varies significantly. "The one shower in women's bathroom has a broken button so doesn't work at all and the one has a plugged drain and there are 3 inches of sanitary water hazard at the bottom," reports a recent visitor to Great River Bluffs. Many campgrounds use quarter-operated shower systems.
Child-friendly river access: The Old Barn Resort designs their facilities with family activities in mind. "Best camping trip EVER!!!! So say my two 8 year old boys," writes a visitor. "Tubing the river is the highlight here. You drop in one side of the campsite and an hour later pull out on the other side."
Pool alternatives: Several campgrounds offer swimming options beyond the river. "There's a nice covered pool, but we didn't use it because the most shallow point was 4'6", which is great for bigger kids, but with little ones, it's a bit more difficult," mentions a family visiting Old Barn Resort.
Evening activities: Family-oriented programming provides structured entertainment. "In the evening there was a Glow Parade where the full timers decked out their golf carts and drove around- candy for kids and lots of dancing," reports a visitor to Neshonoc Lakeside. "Bingo, tie dye, outdoor movies, and other relay races kept the kids happy."
Site layout considerations: Chimney Rock Canoe and Campground offers varied terrain for different RV needs. "The campground is more on the rustic side but they have a nice clean shower house, very well kept grounds and a ton of space to spread out," notes a reviewer. "The lower campground is right next to the river and there are RV, tent and cabin sites available."
Hookup realities: Many campgrounds provide partial connections. "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," advises an RVer at Chester Woods Park. Most sites prioritize electrical over water and sewer connections.
Seasonal considerations: Winter RVing requires preparation. "Super easy to social distance here," notes a winter visitor. "The spaces were kept plowed with easy access to the electric boxes. We were in a teardrop trailer. Plenty of space for the car and the teardrop in space #202."
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular glamping campsite near Lanesboro, MN?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular glamping campground near Lanesboro, MN is Eagle Cliff Campground and Lodging with a 4.3-star rating from 16 reviews.
What is the best site to find glamping camping near Lanesboro, MN?
TheDyrt.com has all 21 glamping camping locations near Lanesboro, MN, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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