Best Cabin Camping near Lynd, MN

We stayed in a Camper Cabin in this park in the wintertime.  It was a great experience for our kids and a fun winter camping experience for mom and dad.  The camper cabin was nice and warm and we even cooked our dinner over a fire at night.

Our party consisted of two adults, and three children under 12. The cabin consisted of bunk beds with double beds on bottom and twin bed on top. With our gear for four days we found the cabin had just enough room for our party. Any longer or more kids and the cabin would be too small.

The cabins are close to the lake. In early October the leaves are mostly fallen and you have an unobstructed view of the lake and surrounding hills. During the day take in the great vistas across the lake, at night look up and see stars that can only be seen in the wilderness.

The area has several good hikes of 3 - 7 miles in length. If you are looking for heavy wooded off trail hikes you can forge your own way otherwise we found the trails great for family hikes, and a morning run.

Bathrooms, and showers are clean and better than I have experienced at other state parks.

We spent three nights at the Oak Woods campground at Lake Shetek State Park in May 2022. The six non-electric campsites are along one edge of the campground, across the road from the park’s four camper cabins. All of the campsites are large and open and grassy. They lack privacy but have good spacing, tall trees, and lake views. One of the two bathroom-and-shower buildings is nearby. We were there in early May and were the only tent campers in the park at that time.

The park is lovely. We saw and heard many birds including songbirds, woodpeckers, geese, turkeys, pelicans, turkey vultures, and a nesting swan. We saw deer, squirrels, chipmunks, and a mink. We heard coyotes the first night. There are some nice hiking trails. We especially enjoyed the Loon Island loop, which is accessed by a causeway across the lake. There is an observation deck with a viewing telescope at Eastlick Marsh, which is where we saw the nesting swan and a beaver dam. In season there are recreational rentals (canoes, kayaks, etc.), but we were a little too early for them to be available.

This review is for Oak Woods Campground at Lake Shetek State Park. Drive-in Site 12.

This campground is pretty large and there are neighboring campgrounds that make the camping options plentiful in this state park!

Sites are well marked and they are all in close proximity to one another. There are little to no natural features that divide each site from the next. When this campground is full you have zero privacy, and can probably hear the conversation by the fire at the neighboring site!

Site 12 in directly across from one of the camper cabins - these little cabins are super cute! You are also probably ~1000ft from the lake shore and can clearly see the lake from the site. It’s possible that sight line becomes somewhat obstructed when other sites are occupied. Restrooms and water source are very nearby.

We camped here in July and it was a great experience, but apparently it is spectacular during the spring and fall migration seasons, because this area is a major stopover on the Red River/ Minnesota River flyway fir migrating birds and waterfowl. During migration, the thousands of birds convening on the headwater lakes of these two rivers makes it sound as though the lake itself is speaking up in its own voice, hence the french furtraders name of “Lac Qui Parle”. The state park here has two sections, a lower part in the forested lowlands on tbe west side, and an upper section on an open prairie bluff on the east side. We camped at the upper camprground, where the sites were open but nicely spaced from the neighbors. The sites were surrounded by blooming prairie and had an exquisite view over the lake, especially at dawn and sunrise. There are also several really nice park camper cabins if you would rather not camp out. The park has lots to explore but is also close to a huge national wildlife marsh refuge that is great for birdwatching and paddling. The park has good facilities eg water and restrooms etc, but is pretty far off the beaten path in terms of access to groceries and supplies, so stock up before arriving and come prepared. This location is close to some interesting Minnezota history sites, too, as well as being a great destination for natural history and outdoor recreation

Lots of space between sites. There are not many trees so not much shade. Sites are gravel and relatively level, not much leveling required. Variety of sites, from group camping, primitive (no hookups), electric only, full hookups (water, electric, sewer) as well as cabins and tent only areas. Limited hiking trails connected to campground. Surrounded on two sides by farm fields and Lac Qui Parle Lake on another. There are two loops in the campground. One loop has view of the lake. Boat/canoe launch is in lower campground about 10 minutes from Upper Campground. Recycling and garbage dumpsters on site. Dump station near entrance. Verizon cell signal is poor. Pit toilets available. Bathhouse is centrally located, includes private showers. No laundry on site. Nearby attractions in Montevideo include Talking Waters Brewery/taproom, Jake’s pizza and Java River cafe (with outdoor seating, dog friendly).

6/12/20-6/14/20 cart in 3

Lake Shetek State Park is located in the SW corner is Minnesota and on Lake Shetek. They have 4 campgrounds. We always up for the more private sites and stayed in the cart-in campground. There are carts available to haul your gear if you choose. The cart in sits sit up on a ridge and had some views of Lake Shetek. Our campsite (3) was spacious with a tent pad large enough to hold 2 tents and had a spot for a hammock. It had a fire ring and picnic table. The vault toilet was right across from our campsite, so we had a lot of foot traffic. It was not the most private site of the bunch, we liked 5 and 7 better.

Lake Shetek allows motor boats and there was a lot of boat traffic. There are other resorts on this lake so it’s very active. We brought our kayaks and enjoyed kayaking the lake, though there was always a pretty big wake and we stayed near the shoreline. We kayaked (a short Portage) to 2 smaller lakes that had no one on them. We were able to tie our boats to a tree below our campsite and scaled up the embankment, there was a path already there. There are a few hiking trails in the state park (roughly 4 miles of hiking tidal) but I wouldn’t say it’s known for its hiking. We enjoyed the causeway that led to the 1-mile Loon Island Trail. We saw turtles, deer, waterfowl and eagles during our stay. There is a “beach” locates near the Oak Wood campground however it was underwater, people still enjoyed swimming as it was shallow and warm in June. We did find another beach within the state park that was a longer walk to reach, but MANY boats were docked and “partying” here. There is a nice fishing pier and a dock within the park.

Due to all the boat traffic, I would say this is a much less private and serene state park.

Nice, secluded and wooded sites.

Pretty spacious seperated by lots trees, good place for camping with kida as well. has a swimming pond and beach. Clean restrooms.

We stayed in the lower campground. It is very opened. The campsites are medium size and close together. The bathroom was well taken care of. There are train tracks really close to the campground. The trains didn't seem long nor did they blow the horns. The swimming area looked nice, but it was too cold to use.

This is the best campground I have been to! We have about a 30 foot Ice Castle so we stayed in the Sunrise campground with full hookups. We also did a week day camp so it wasn’t too crowded. When we arrived there was a ranger walking around and helped us back into our site. There are a lot of “extra” poles to maneuver around. Crews were out emptying fire pits, mowing and spraying for mosquitoes on Monday. I don’t think any of us got bit by a mosquito our whole trip, however we did see them. There were biting black flies that got us near the lake. All of the trails were EXTREMELY well taken care of. The actual swimming beach gets flooded out easily, however there are secret beaches all over! The lake is only about 10 feet deep at its deepest point so lots of kayaking and canoeing. On the north end of the lake there is more boating and water sport activity so kayaking on that side can get a bit choppy. Shower house is very nice with good water pressure. Good cell phone coverage (Verizon) Lots of deer, raccoons and turtles roam through campground often.

Loved the open feel of the sunrise campground. Hardly any bugs, bathroom facilities were very nice, swimming was great and fishing was fun on the rocks! We made friends with other campers after our daughter crashed her bike. One was a nurse and was so kind and helpful. Ignore the red circle on the photo or campground.

Sunrise campground was very nice and well kept. We stayed over the memorial day weekend and with all the people around, it felt very spacious and comfortable. We will definitely return.

This place has tons to offer!

I was here for a brief stay while on a geotour. This park has lots to offer. Great camping sites and many hiking trails. During the time I was here the wildflowers were in full bloom! Be sure to take the interpretive trail and discover all the wildflowers that grow here. Don't miss the historical monument near the entrance of the park. It tells a lot about the attempts Native Anericans made to gain back their land from early settlers.

We stayed at the sunrise campsite for 4 days. It was one of the best camping trips our family of 5 have had to date. Filled with fishing, swimming, and biking along all the great routes. The sites in the sunrise campground were the largest we’ve ever setup camp on. We will definitely be back and recommend to all other visitors.

We had a great view of the lake from our tent site. Sites were very large for a state park. We had many lovely walks on the trails around the campground. Loon Island was a cool walk on a hot day. Lake Shetek had a fish kill over the winter, so our boat only got one trip out on the lake. I would definitely recommend.

FHU. Large gravel sites. Good fishing. Stock up on groceries as large grocery stores are approximately 40 minutes away. Vehicle pass required along with paid campsite. Nice staff. Firewood for purchase.

the park is beautiful and the lake is really nice, however the campground was essentially an open field with sites numbered along the edge. No privacy which made it tough to travel with dogs and kids were running around everywhere. Well kept but wouldn’t stay at this site again.

Spacious sites and great full hook up sites!! Tons of walking trails and pet friendly!! You’ll see lots of birds and deer... Second time here and love it!!