Best Cabin Camping near Mankato, MN

Sakatah Lake State Park campground is a lucious, green campground located near Sakatah Lake. There are quite a few sites. Most are private, but they are a bit crammed together in multiple loops so some sites are not so private.

The campground has friendly rangers with great recommendations and is located on a state trail that goes from Mankato to Fairbault. We had a great time from Friday-Sunday hanging out at the campsite, roasting marshmallows, riding bike on the state trail, and hiking around the lake!

Sakatah Lake is quite shallow so late season is at risk of algae bloom - the lake was pea soup green when we got there at the end of August, so go early in the season if you want to get on the water.

We 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.

Stayed in a camper cabin during the winter and it was lovely! The park was so quiet and trails were great for both hiking and snowshoeing.

The waterfall brought me here it was awesome my little one loved the adventure. Close to the town of Mankato as well.

Good campground location for the bike trail and for going to places like Mankato, and Faribault. No swimming beach, but that's good because the lake is nasty in late summer.

Big sites with plenty of trees. Small hikes to river and waterfalls. A short drive to see the bison. Excellent 2 day visit. The town of Mankato is 10 min away with breweries and restaurants

This place is more old school and ma & pop type place!!! Very family friendly, quiet, and plenty to do if you like fishing, kids swimming in the lake, kayaking, paddle boards, bikes you can use for free but must follow his safety rules, also has boat and pontoon to rent. We go a few times a year and love it!!! Not pet friendly unfortunately but nice and clean!! Also has sand volleyball, basketball court/tennis. My kids love the big cleaning the kids get a big baseball game going or kick ball!! Has 7 sites to rent and 3 cabins

Minneopa State Park is located near Mankato, MN. Minneopa is a smaller campground with only 12 sites maybe. They have multiple group camping sites that are secluded. They have a lot of trails. The buffalo are close to the campground and the other half of the state park is about half a mile away. That section has more trails and a large waterfall you can walk down too. It’s all prairie land so easy to walk around.

Such a beautiful park with so much to offer, located practically downtown Mankato in a river valley, you get the delight of being 10 minutes from a great brewery!

The waterfalls are an easy walk from your car but the real treat is the bison range! When we visited the bison herd was right near the front gate so we didn’t even have to drive very far to have bison surrounding our car. But stay in your car! These bad boys can easily crush you so drive cautiously and respectfully!

Our campsite was very wooded but beautiful!

Great place to camp and get away from the cities without a long drive. Firewood is available at the office and a fire ring is at each site as well as picnic table.

We visited Minneopa state park because a) I love hiking b) I’m trying to get as much state park time in before the summer hordes descend and c) my back is dying from working at home out of a dining room chair so I preordered an office chair for curbside pickup at an office store which is on the way home from this park. 

Minneopa is a unique state park. A River Runs Through it. So does a train(choo chooo). And a neighborhood(kind of). If you have never visited the park before you need to decide what you are going to prioritize first because all of a sudden there are two different park road signs pointing you to either turn left or right depending on what you want to do. 

One direction is the waterfall part. It is a nice waterfall. The parking lot is right by the waterfall- so it is very accessible for people who are unable to hike to a lot of waterfalls. However, because the parking lot is RIGHT THERE it isn’t the most rewarding waterfall that I’ve been to, it’s kind of like a less impressive Minnehaha. On this trip we didn’t visit the waterfall because it’s plague time and I figured that it might be busy. Tip: On the weekends get to state parks as early as possible during social distancing time! Most people don’t roll out of bed at 6 am like we did, so it will be fairly easy to socially distance yourself. We got there at 8 and only encountered 4 other hikers that were just heading out when we were almost back to our car. 

The other direction is the BISON DRIVE. Yes, you can actually drive amongst bison if the road is open. It wasn’t on our trip on 4/10/2020 because the road conditions are still gross from the winter thaw. Instead we hiked the entire loop(I think it’s 3.3 miles) because it goes around the entire bison enclosure, and I wanted to guarantee that I would see me some bison. 

Other highlights about this section of the park are the views of the magnificent Minnesota river, an old windmill(the blades are gone), and the campground is also situated here. This section isn’t as popular as the waterfall section, as evidenced by the relatively small parking lot. The hike was enjoyable while we were there- if it is a hot hot day you might want to just do the Minnesota River Bluff Trail for the shade- the Seppman Mill trail is exposed and you can drive and park at the mill. 

As I mentioned before there is also an access point to drive into the bison enclosure. We were able to see the bison herd once we got to the mill area, unfortunately for my photos the bison were just far enough away that I didn’t get a quality photo. 

Now onto the campground. Loop A is superior for tent camping in every which way, unless you happen to want electricity or want to rent the cabin which is in loop B. Loop A has trees, large sites, a bathroom, and several sites have awesome views of the river. One thing to keep in mind is that the sites on the outside of the loop are much more private and have way more trees- the inner loop is relatively open in comparison and would be good sites to choose if you are group camping. I would be prepared with lots of bug spray and a screenhouse if you are camping here in the worst of mosquito season- there was quite a bit of standing water and swampy pond nearby. 

Site notes(see pics/videos): A2 is nice and spacious, but next to the swampy water 

A4 is the immediate neighbor and is distinctive because it’s up on a hill 

A3 is on the inner loop and is visible to the road, but I liked it anyway 

A5 is a nice spacious site on the inner loop that is less private, I’m pretty sure A19 butts up behind it if you are looking to get a few sites 

A12 is the type of site that I would love to camp at- view of the gulley and of the river 

A14 is the site that you need to reserve a year in advance if this campground were more popular- amazing location with a spectacular view of the river 

A24 also has a good river view 

A26 is large and has some badass oak trees 

The B Loop is weird- a lot of the campsites don’t seem to even have space for a 2 person tent unless you are ok with not having a campfire(or burning down your tent). If you have a tiny scamp you might be ok? 

Site notes: B3 is a good pull-through site for an RV 

The cabin is here! It has a screen porch and a propane tank for heating it in cold weather! Also has a decent view of the river- inside is just some bunk beds and a table. There is a pit toilet next to it that I’m guessing other campsites use too. 

B20 is definitely the best site in the loop for tent camping- I actually would camp at this one. 

There are also 4 group campsites that could probably fit 2-3 tents on them that are only a short hike-in from the parking area. Nice pit toilets are nearby. Minneopa is definitely either a nice day trip or camping trip from the Twin Cities! I was extra pleased that the drive down 169 is interesting- the terrain is beautiful, there are some really random touristy places and showrooms(giant yellow barn/extended structure that is without a doubt indeed Minnesota’s Largest Candy Store), and driving through Saint Peter is a nice old-timey experience.

Everything was beautiful. We camped for a week in southern Minnesota state parks, but this one is our favourite.

It's a great park in an area of Minnesota that is not well traveled. There's also a lot of history here with an interesting museum on the U.S.-Dakota Conflict of 1862.

Beautiful, small state park less than an hour south of Twin Cities. Sites are wooded and shady but some are close to neighboring sites. Not too many mosquitos or flies for August in Minnesota! Sakatah Singing Hills paved trail runs through the park.  It was pouring on Saturday so most of the other campers checked out and we had the campground mostly to ourselves. Super friendly and helpful staff, clean restrooms. Faribault is 15 minutes away so we went antique shopping at Keeper's Antiques downtown and had cocktails at 10,000 Drops Distillery for rainy day activities.

This is a decent park but the sites aren't too far off the road and many back up to rail tracks with the sound of passing trains day and night. There is an active herd of bison on the park grounds. They are fenced off from the rest of the park with enough prairie land that you don't always see them.
There are surrounding parks and bike trails that make for nice day trips along the Minnesota River Valley. For a newer park, I would have hoped that they would have taken more care to lay out the campsites to offer a quieter and more private camp setting.

After reading all of the wonderful reviews, I was a little underwhelmed. Perhaps it is because we arrived after a rainy period. Many of the sites in the A Loop were flooded or muddy and there was only one site occupied. B Loop was a bit better and there were a few more people there. Some sites in the A Loop overlook the river valley through trees but they are directly over railroad tracks so you will hear loud trains. No flush toilets but for pits (A Loop has sinks and a shower), reasonably clean. However I would not choose sites closeby because the fans are quite loud. Bison viewing road was cool and leads to the rebuilt granary (all that remains from a mill). Waterfall (across the street and about a mile from campground) is nice. Unless you hike the Minnesota River Bluff trail, you could easily see the bison, granary, and waterfalls in half a day, making this good for just a one night stay.

About the only nice thing about this place is the lady who answered the phone, Valerie.

She was extremely nice other than that it was gravel. Roads that were poorly maintained trucks were parked sticking out into the road making it difficult to get around. The site was very unlevel and the water Spicket didn’t really work very well.. we paid for two nights and bought a KOA review or rewards program to do it… We refused to stay the second night when we called to see if we could get our money back the gentleman who checked us in as a ground tender was rude and choppy he wasn’t very friendly when he brought us into the place.

The place was packed like sardines… Very difficult to negotiate at night.

Overall, the worst campground we’ve stayed in in the two RV trips we’ve taken from Florida to Minnesota. There are so many beautiful state parks don’t bother with this KOA not even for a one nighter.

We were stuck on a back loop. There were a lot of mosquitoes bugs and mud… It just wasn’t a nice experience.

What a great campground! Stayed here while visiting friends in a nearby town and we were so pleased with our site. I think it was #4? There was a nice leveled tent pad area for setting up. The area is wooded and it was on the outer loop, which provided more seclusion. In addition to the beautiful waterfall, there is an area with bison! The park doesn’t have a ton of hiking, but it’s a good place to stay while exploring the area or visiting friends.

camp sites are very close together. Hiking circles around a buffalo enclosure, you have to drive to a different area of the park to experience the waterfalls.

We arrived late but our site was marked reserved for us. Signage was good. Site was clean and well laid out.

Park was active but at 10pm everything was quiet and we were the only group with a fire. Not for partiers. Family friendly. Waterfall and buffalo were cool.

What a great place to camp! There are several beautiful things to see in this park. I actually made 2 trips. Gorgeous waterfall from any and everywhere you view it. Don't miss out! Take the trail down and around to get a lower view of the fall! Hopefully, you are there during a day/time when the Buffalo gate is open. The drive up to Seppman Mill is fabulous! First time I went it was closed, but luck was on my side on my return visit.

The campsites are very clean and within walking distance to the bathrooms. They also have plenty of room for several people in the sites. The area where the buffalo are is very wild and abundant for them. Lots of other animals are there to roaming around freely.

Campgrounds are somewhat private and pretty standard for a state park. the waterfalls are beautiful. The drIve through the bison herd area was really cool! would highly recommend. the hiker’s club trail was mostly prairie and some wooded areas and mostly flat. A really nice park.