Best Cabin Camping near Meadowlands, MN

site: wooded. walk-in sites available. camping cabins available. amenities: very clean. attractions: geocaching. historic sites. nature programs. biking. hiking. I would go camping here again.

We came with our extended family and while they did tent camping we stayed in a camping cabin. The cabins were great! Our family also was pleased with their tent camping site. This park offered some fun hikes. The views are beautiful- great place to take photos! We came into the stay somewhat unaware of the park, as our family had done the reservations and planning, but we were pleasantly surprised at everything this park offers :)

This park is right before Duluth and is a perfect getaway spot if you don’t want to travel all the way up the shore! The campground has tent, hook-up, and cabin sites. The facilities, while somewhat dated, have always been in good condition and clean on my visits. This seems more like a family campground and is quiet pretty early. The trails are just across the street and are beautiful in all seasons. The bridge history is pretty cool too; go see it! One thing I would note for this park is that it definitely blends with the nearby city, which isn’t a bad thing as long as you’re aware. The town has some great breakfast spots too!

This state park is a real gem in terms of its location (near Dulluth, and first in a series of state parks that go up the North Shore of Lake Superior) as well as its educational and recreational opportunities. It is located in a rocky gorge on the St Louis River, which provides a great destination for anyone who wants to study geology of the region. There are also miles of hiking trails, access to the Oberstar Bike trail, park naturalist programs, and nearby rentals for whitewater kayaking for those who are very adventurous. The campsites are wooded and nicely spaced, and the park camper cabins (where I stayed) are really cozy and nice!

WARNING: One current downfall of the park, which will be a problem for the coming yea, is that the park experienced a massive water main break during a recent storm, and the park currently has no drinking water, showers or bathrooms available. You will need to bring your own jugs of water for drinking and washing up, and be prepared to use outhouses. This applies to campsites as well as camper cabins. Major construction is going on in the west part of the campground, too, as a new line is put in and the bath houses are rebuilt, so be prepared for some construction noise.

This was my first time at this location and we decided to do a cabin (package) so that we could stay and ski (well, they skied I snowshoed). The cabin was nicely located close to the slope but not in the way of the action.

Cabin 1 was an RV Cabin (as they call it) which is sort of RV shaped but not on wheels.  Wooden cabin, 2 bedrooms and a loft with plenty of space for sleeping. It was carpeted with outlets and windows and lights .  We had three teenage boys up there and could easily have slept 2 to 3 more.  A mini kitchen with fridge, stove, pots, pans, dishes, soap and microwave as well as full bathroom with shower.  All linens provided. Ah yes - and it's heated/cooled too! Not with a wood stove, but an actual thermostat adjustable heater. Bedrooms have mini plug in ceramic type heaters for extra warmth.

If you stay in a cabin or campsite (they are open in summer) you get a discount on lift tickets. During the summer, there is a lazy river, mini water slide type of platform and a summer tubing area that runs through the trees!

While I can not speak for the actual campsites since they were snow covered, I can say that they do have them.

Additionally, all sites have a fire ring, picnic table and the cabins have BBQ grills. Firewood available for purchase.

Jay Cooke has always been one of our favorite places to camp. It has gotten so busy it’s not even that enjoyable anymore. It’s always well maintained and clean!! We booked a walk in site ( 83 ) which was beautiful! The down side was it’s very close to the camper cabins and many families with children running around unattended. They ran into out campsite yelling and screaming with flashlights and banging bat’s against the trees  while the parents did nothing even after my husband asked them nicely.  We had planned to have a quiet getaway from the city and zone out peacefully.  I have not been back since. Busses and busses of kids pulling up the the park and a 25 minute wait to cross the swing bridge.  But it is absolutely gorgeous there despite the hoards of people.

I love Jay Cooke year round! The tent camping is great, the park is amazing for hiking and geology study, and there are camper cabins that I have often stayed at as well. This was my first time staying in winter, the camper cabins are cozy and fully heated and really nice. People use them when coming here in winter for the terrific cross country skiing or snowshoeing. The cabins are very simple and have beds, table, heat, and electricity, but no water inside (water punps are nearby, so bring a bucket ir canteen) and no bathroom (but you can use the outhouse nearby, and the campground will have a new bath house by early summer, it is inder construction and almost finished!) . You can use the facilities at the visitor center during the day but they arent open in the evening and are a bit of a trek from the campground. But, it you want to camp in warmth and relative comfort, and want to explire this amazing state park, the camper cabins are a great way to go year round! You can reserve campsites too if you have an RV or dont mind winter camping

We have stayed in a camper cabin in the winter and RV site in the summer. We have explored so many trails on our snowshoes and cross country skis in the winter and have enjoyed many hikes and mountain bike rides in the summer months. The accommodations were well maintained with very clean campground area. The shower room is very new and the bathrooms were very clean. The cabins are pretty basic with bunk beds and a small table with chairs. The cabin we stayed in was heated with base board heaters that you have control of the temperature. We have also brought our canoe to explore the river and went fishing. There are so many trails to explore so we plan on camping here again and again!

I live on the edge of this park but I love to rent a cabin so I'm in the middle of the fun. My grandkids, friends and daughter have stayed with me. Campfire at night, hiking during the day and lots of fresh air. We usually have a few "visitors" in the evening. While sitting around d the fire we can spot raccoons hoping to steal some marshmallows or in the morning when the chipmunks ate our donuts! It's a great place a d the cabins are wonderful for those who aren't fond of tents.

Even though it rained almost the entire time, we spent a great couple of days at Jay Cooke State Park in MN last June. We went with friends who also had an 8 year old boy. We both rented camper cabins. Our family was in Gabbro and their family was in Shale. The two cabins were separated by 20 feet of forest connected by a footpath through the trees. The boys had a blast running back and forth between the two cabins. The parents were pretty happy to have the screened in porches for listening to the rain and playing several rounds of Mad Libs.

We did a couple of short hikes during breaks in the rain. The suspension bridge was cool and all the boys had fun climbing on the rocks in the gorge and scaring us moms. There are some great trails that run through the area (Willard Munger and North Country National Scenic trails and Duluth is only 15 miles away via bike trail) and I hope to return on a drier weekend to do more hiking.

This state park is definitely off the beaten path, with the Savannah Portage itself almost as it 200 years ago when Americans explorers came trekking through. It is worth a visit to the park to experience and learn about 1) the physical geography of the important continental divide that occurs here, dividing the Great Lakes watershed from the Mississippi watershed, and 2) to hike the Savannah Portage to experience and learn about expedition history along this old historic fur trade route. The opportunities for hiking and nature study are really good here.For canoers, there are a couple small lakes within the park, but you can also easily get out to the very large Big Sandy Lake just to the west, and even on to the Mississippi River nearby. As for the camping experience, I would agree that the campsites are a bit small and crowded in, which is a bit on the down side. You might like one if the hike in sites or canoe in site if you want ti be more secluded. On my most recent trip in very early June it was surprisingly bug-free, but it is often really buggy later in summer due to the myriad swamps and marshes in the vicinity. If it is available, you might want to consider the camper cabin! Also, autumn is a spectacular time to visit, lots of color and no bugs, and I have friends who come here in winter, the camper cabin and guesthouse are open year round, I havent stayed with them overnight but did visit for the day one weekend in February, and being in the park in winter for snowshoeing was beautiful and amazing!

Quiet campground on the st Louis River just south of duluth and close to Jay Cooke state park. Most sites were pretty open but nice spots right on the river. Water and electric at those sites. We stayed 2 nights. Only complaint was the hosts or owners kids running around and being kind of rude. Signage I think was difficult for some people. We had family staying in the cabin and everyone thought they were the host.

Nice bathrooms and shower rooms according to other members in our group. Small playground and sandbox for kids. Horseshoes, ladder toss, and bag toss provided by campground.

Nice city park across the street with short walking trail through the woods and a larger playground.

This campground is in a sweet location on the banks of hisotric and beautiful Big Sandy lake. There are standard tent and RV sites, as well as camper cabin options. Some of the campsites are close together in the main campground, but there are also walk-in sites avaiable. This location is family friendly with boat launch, picnicking, playground, and hisotrical exhibits about the dam and its history, and about the old furpost that used to be here. The campground is wooded and shady and the lake is very pristine, and very large so you have options for all kidns of boating and water activities. Of interest for hikers is the nearby Savannah Portage State Park wihich has miles and miles of hiking trails, including the famous historic portage through the Floodwood swamp between the Savannah River, St Louis River, and Mississippi River, which was important for centuries during the fur trade era and for native americans prior to that time. This is a beautiful near-wilderness part of the state, and this campground on beautiful Big Sandy is a real asset. For paddlers on the Mississippi River Water Trail, you only have a short detour of less than 1/2 mile up the Sandy River  from its confluence with the Mississippi River in order to access the campground, and it is a great option in an area of the water trail that doesnt have many other options nearby

Savanna Portage State Park is a beautiful and peaceful spot for camping, especially if you enjoy tent camping. The campsites are well-spaced, private, and perfect for tents, offering a great connection to nature.

The park features a lovely lake that’s ideal for kayaking, fishing, or just relaxing by the water. There are also several great hiking trails, ranging from easy walks to more challenging routes, giving you plenty of opportunities to explore the scenic forest and wetlands.

One thing to note—there are a lot of bugs in the summer, so make sure to pack plenty of bug spray! Overall, it’s a fantastic place for outdoor lovers looking for a quiet and rustic getaway.

The main reason we wanted to come to this park was to hike the trails and experience the famous swinging bridge that takes you over the St. Louis River and the rushing rapids below and rocky gorge below. The park dates back to the early 1900’s and its historic character comes from the influence of the Civilian Conservation Corps who made improvements to the park in the 1930’s and 40’s. The park has an 82-site campground and LOTS of activities to keep adults and kids busy.

The campground is what you would expect in a state park with tall trees, shady sites, lots of activities, and popular with families. Roads and sites are gravel and each site has a picnic table and fire pit. Some campsites are long and suited for large RV’s while others are more rustic tent sites and there are 5 cabins for rent. Twenty-one sites have electric hook-ups. If you are looking for more rustic, remote tent sites there are some hike-in sites. Four sites are located 1 to 4 miles from parking area where each site has picnic table, fire ring and latrine but water must be hauled in.  About half of the sites are reservable online with the others being first come, first served. What we liked was that this park was very well cared as sites and facilities were very clean. Tall trees provided nice shade and campsites were well-spaced so you didn’t feel like you were on top of your neighbor. 

There is lots to do in this park and we were sorry we didn’t have more time to spend. Activities include hiking (over 50 miles of trails including a stretch of the North Country National Scenic Trail), 8 miles of biking trails, 30+ miles of cross-country ski trails, kayaking and fishing. The park offers hundreds of naturalist programs including nature walks, evening campfire talks, fishing programs, and geocaching.  Just a short drive north of the state park is Gordy’s High Hat which is a famous hamburger joint that has been around for years and still draws a massive crowd. There is a big enough parking lot to pull your RV into if you need to. Food was great and cheap!

Even if you don’t camp in this park, I think it is well worth the $7/daily admission fee to spend a day enjoying all this place has to offer.

North east Minnesota has some very beautiful country. Highly recommend this spot. 

This was a last minute camping trip for us. The camp sites are spaced out enough to have privacy. The hiking trails were fun and not far from camp. It was chilly at night a very nice area to go camping. Absolutely love this place. Would comeback again if we’re ever in Minnesota again.

Jay Cooke is really a must experience state park within easy driving distance to other parks in Minnesota and Wisconsin.
Positives:

• Amazing hiking and water play
• photogenic
• Some open site options for camping with other families or friends and many private sites
• Very clean and large shower/restroom facilities
• 15 min to small town grocery store
• Standard fire rings that you can grill on too
• lots of bird watching Negative:
• MOSQUITOS!!!! Bring bulk bug spray or extra blood.