Looking to get away and reconnect with nature? Glamping near Medina is the perfect choice. The Dyrt lets you enjoy a unique, rustic Medina experience while glamping. The Dyrt makes it easy to find glamping for your Medina adventure.
Backpack sites, located on remote lakes and ponds throughout the park, are one to two miles from the trailhead parking. New log camper cabins, located near lakes and ponds, provide bunk beds for six people and a table and benches for campers who want more of the creature comforts.
$20 - $32 / night
$15 - $18 / night
$20 - $75 / night
Located on the St. Croix River, just 20 miles east of Saint Paul, Afton State Park is great for those looking for camping near Minneapolis and is 1600 acres of rolling prairies, oak woodlands, and limestone river canyons amid an ancient glacial landscape. The land for the park was acquired in 1967, but it took almost 15 years of planning revisions and compromises with local residents before the park finally opened in 1982. Little development has gone into Afton State Park in an effort to maintain its natural characteristics, and former farmland atop the bluffs are continuously being restored to their original state. This makes Afton an ideal destination for campers looking to experience the outdoors in a wilder setting.
Load up your backpack with all you’ll need for your stay, as camping at Afton State Park requires a hearty, 0.75-mile hike in from the parking area. The year-round campground offers 27 rustic sites with picnic tables and fire pits, with options for pitching your tent in either open or wooded areas. There is drinking water, a vault toilet and firewood is supplied within the camp area. There is also three boat-in campsites, and two group campsites that can accommodate up to 60 people each. If you’d rather not rough it, the park also offers four camping cabins and two yurts, some of which are wheelchair accessible. There are also several picnic areas and restrooms within the park. Campsite rates range from $15–$23/night; cabins range from $55–$70/night, and yurts $50–$65/night.
When you’re ready to explore, start at the park’s Nature Store where you can pick up information about the park’s flora and fauna, or join a nature walk. Then choose from more than 20 miles of hiking, biking, and equestrian trails, as well as a short barrier-free path. If you’re visiting in winter, many of these trails are open for snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. Bring your GPS and go on a geocaching treasure hunt, or bring your binoculars and go on safari for a variety of migratory birds, waterfowl, and wildlife, including deer, foxes and badgers. And little ones will love becoming Junior Park Naturalists and learning about bugs, birds, plants and other critters. If you’re looking for a real outdoor adventure, Afton State Park has what you’re looking for.
$15 / night
Cleary Lake Regional Park has 20 sites for tents only and 2 RV sites with full hookups.
$16 - $50 / night
Come and Camp With Us! “Go with the Flow” and enjoy our fun and relaxing family campground near the city of Isanti, in central Minnesota. By day enjoy camping, tubing, canoeing, kayaking or paddle-boarding! Hop in the refreshing swimming pool or take a spin through our fun splash pad.
$40 - $75 / night
Guide
Minnesota State Parks have just started to build Yurts for 3 campgrounds around the state; Afton, Cuyuna and Glendalough State Parks. These have some great amenities and are perfect for family camping, especially in Fall, Winter and Spring.
ScoutI have stayed multiple times in the hike in camp sites and also in the yurt! The hike in sites were beautiful with a view looking over the St. Croix River. It was a shaded site perfect for our hammocks, it was quiet and very secluded. The Yurt was very cool! Very comfortable beds and plenty of space for the 6 of us to stay and sleep. The fire pit and picnic table wasn't far from the yurt which made it nice to not have to walk too far since we camped in the winter. I highly suggest the expeeience of the yurt!
ScoutAfton is a gorgeous park. There's beautiful trails that take you through dense woods and prairie, and then you take a pretty decline to get to the St Croix River. It was foggy when we were there but still gorgeous. We also managed to get a yurt and it was so much fun. Comfy beds, room for 7 and it was clean and well built. This is a great park!
Guide
My partner and I scheduled a 3 day / 2 night stay in a new Vintage Cruiser RV for $39.99, in exchange for attending a presentation on private membership.
We checked in Wednesday evening, and the nicest staff I've ever met helped us acclimate to RV living. We are new to this game. They patiently described how to utilize the grey and black water tanks, as well as encouraged us to check-out the canoes, row boats, bikes, horseshoes, ladder golf and many other entertainment items - for FREE!
The map provided was accurate which made locating the cruiser a breeze. There were further instructions inside as well. The RV was immaculate. Provided for our use were all linens (a public very clean bath and shower was just across the road), dish soap, dish towels, paper towels, flat wear, plates, bowls, mugs and pans.
The campground has a couple of ponds, as well as access to Ham Lake where the watercraft is launched. There is a petting arena with goats, ponies, and a llama who gave my partner the stink eye, but fell in love with me rubbing the fence and giving me all googly eyes!
The clubhouse sells bundled wood, ice, snacks, cold drinks, ice cream and provides 24-hour fresh coffee. There is also a small resupply area, and gift shop.
There are pull-through sites, back ups, 50 and 30 amp hook ups, and tent sites, covered pavilions, picnic tables and fire pits.
The campground itself seems remote, secluded and peaceful, however, you are conveniently located to two well-stocked convenience stores, as well as Wal-Mart about 15 minutes away. It's also only about 45 minutes from the Minnesota Twin Cities.
One note: We visited in August and needed gallons of bug spray.
We very much enjoyed our get away!
Traveler
Met a friend for a relaxing weekend in loop c. Quiet, lots of trees, nice fire rings. Bathrooms were close and well kept. There were lots of other campers there but the sites are large and plentiful so it was not crowded.
GuideI have lived in the area all my life and remember exploring nature in all aspects at baker park! Fun, clean and fairly priced! Most activities are free!
GuideI grew up going to baker park! Tons of trails and camping. 🏕
Guide
Sites are close to each other, but easy access, clean grounds and facilities, friendly staff, and a K9 fenced area for a pet friendly campground.
ScoutMy husband and I picked this spot to try out our new camper (and puppy) for camping and it’s been a lovely place to stay. It’s a normal KOA setup but the staff is wonderfully sweet and the amenities are clean and reliable. Close to lots of state parks and hiking opportunities.
TravelerNot especially welcoming and a little run down. Our site was nice because we had an end site, otherwise sites are on the small side. The playground could use some revamping and the pool area was closed and looked sketchy. The location was perfect for us, but I doubt we will ever go back.
ScoutI made a reservation over 3 months before my stay. When I arrived, I was given a site that backed up to a very busy road. There was also no shade on the site and I was 3 feet or less from my neighbor. Many of the reviews mentioned nice shade trees but not all sites have them. When I asked the owner for another site, he told me they were all taken except for one without a sewer connection. I asked why I was given such an undesirable site when I booked so far in advance and he told me that there is an algorithm that determines the site selection and if I wanted one with trees I needed to put a note on my reservation. He also suggested calling the office and requesting a site with trees. So my suggestion to anyone staying at this campground, be sure to call the office ahead and let them know that you want a site with trees and not one backing up to the road. I can assure the owners that algorithms do not equate to good customer service and I will not be returning or recommending this campground to others.
TravelerThis is the closest campground to our home, so it has the distinction of being the place where my kids had their love of camping kindled! The sites are stacked on top of each other, but there is a pool (unheated) and a cute little camp store.
We have stayed here several times and found it a great place to cut your teeth on camping and gather with friends if you'd like.
GuideThe KOA was nice and clean but your packed in on top of each other like sardines in a can
TravelerThe hosts at this campground were very nice. We had a tent site with no hook ups. The site was spacious and private-surrounded on 3 sides by trees. The bathrooms were clean. The pool area was clean and without issue. There were no extra walk ways or special features in those regards but the roads had enough of a country feel that they were fun for walking around with my kids and dog
ScoutNice hosts. Nice sites. Trees and level sites. Bigger than i thought.
RangerWe tent camped here for a night while passing through. It’s a basic KOA with a few amenities. The lots were really big and we had no one near us, so it was nice and private. Most of the lots near the front were occupied but the back was almost empty, which is where the more wooded lots are. Only 1 bath house and it’s not close to most of the tent sites.
Staff was nice and helpful. It has a small pool and game room but not much else for kids. The bugs are aggressive here, especially near the tent sites which are located near a swampy area. Definitely more of a place to stay as you are passing through, not really a destination campground.
GuideThe sites are well maintained. The staff is very kind and accommodating. There are a few restaurants around that deliver. Great spot.
LegendThis is an ok spot for a stop on the way somewhere else. It is a KOA, which is all you need to know. Basic campground with level sites. More space than many other KOA locations. Clean showers and bathroom.
Guide
I never tire walking the dog park circle along the crow river! Great for birding and tons of beautiful trails!
LegendThis is my all-time favorite park to bring my horse to, and it's her favorite trail too. Seriously, when we head back to our trailer she will stop and refuse to proceed. Do a 180 on the trail and she is happy to trot away from the trailer. Horse camping is available in two locations in the park, even though once when I was there a family was camping in the parking with their horses. Apparently they got the cops called on them by some other park patrons who didn't believe that this was an option. At the time it was marked as a camping location on the map, but that may have changed.
The best place to be bug-free happens to be the sandy prairie trails, the wooded areas are nice but you may want to hustle out of there if you don't have enough bug protection. For non-horse riders some parts of the trail out in the open prairie might be a bit sandy. Also important to note- bikes are NOT allowed on the trails. Absolutely gorgeous in the fall. Pit toilets are available and there is water available at the entrance off of Park drive, not sure about the other locations.
LegendDuring these COVID times everyone wants to get out and about more, which means that the main parking lot for the park that used to be mostly designated for horse trailer parking is now overrun with family vehicles. So as a result the Riverbend group equestrian campground is now the parking lot for day visitors through at least August.
In normal times you can rent this group campsite for$70-$80 a night, which is ridiculously cheap considering that you can fit quite a bit of horse trailers on here. The information for this site states you can put 10 horse trailers on this lot, but I have definitely seen groups camp here with more. The barn stalls are available for use (unlike the Blue Stem horse site), otherwise there are overhead horse hitch lines.
This campground is nicely maintained and has nice mature trees that a lot of people set up hammocks in. The vault toilet near the barn is nice, there are no showers. Be aware that the road into this group site only is wide enough for one vehicle at a time, so far I’ve been lucky to not encounter another vehicle as I’m entering or leaving.
Guide
Watch out for stinging nettles! Campsite 100!
GuideLots of space between campsites. They aren’t very private though. Great playground and green space for the kids, beach is very nice. Bathrooms are clean.
TravelerWent camping for the first time, with 2 kids (8 and 4). Bathrooms were clean, there was a beach and playground nearby. Enough shopping nearby also to replenish groceries but feels woodsy. Nice nature area nearby as well.
ScoutWhile some sites are a little uneven and better suited to RVs than to tents, all sites are spacious and clean. Campground management is helpful and friendly, and even has little fire starting bundles if you're having a rough time getting that fire going. The swim area was cool after a hot day and the beach was gently sloping and smooth.
ScoutSuper quiet& relaxed atmosphere!A cute lil beach for swimming! This campground even has 2 walking/hike-in campsites to give your avid campers a real out-in-the-middle-of-nowhere kind if feel, like you drove hundreds if miles to get away from the hustle and bussle if the city to be in an exclusively secluded camping adventure! Only this campground is just minutes from the major city (Minneapolis)! So it great because u feel like ur on a far away vacation when really if you forgot something, you could run back home if you absolutely needed to! :) this campground also has miles connected trails that lead through prairie lands and to a nature center where you and your kids can learn about the natural surrounding habitats. It really is one of my favorite campgrounds! No showers
TravelerLake Auburn’s sites are all along a one way road that loops through the campground. While the park is nice and has mature trees, the sites are very open and offer little privacy between sites. The only separation is the driveway where you park your car. I stayed here during the week though, so there wasn’t another camper anywhere near us. I’m not sure how busy it gets on the weekends.
The playhroubd is nice, the vault toilets have automatic lights at night, which is pretty nice, and the beach has couple large shade umbrellas and a fishing dock. The facilities here are very nice, but I like my camp sites to be more private than what Auburn Lake has to offer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular glamping campsite near Medina, MN?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular glamping campground near Medina, MN is Lake Maria State Park Campground with a 4.3-star rating from 32 reviews.
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TheDyrt.com has all 21 glamping camping locations near Medina, MN, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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