Best Cabin Camping near Minneota, 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.

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.

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

Lots of shaded trails at the lower campground. Upper campground is very open and offers little to no shade, but beautiful views of the lake. The lake is gorgeous.

Really new campground, with a terrific view of the river.

Very accessible walking paths

Be sure to get an outer edge by river location

The upper campground was open and I found a level campsite for the evening. Very few trees. Bathroom faculties were ok. Cell phone coverage is good

This was a nice campground but the upper section is open with little to no trees. There is a nice view of the lake. This had some hiking trails. When we stayed the lower campground was closed, this would be more private and tree covered.

The park and campground are nice, but the mosquitos weren't! Stayed right after a mosquitos hatch sadly. Lake views from the campground and lots of hiking nearby!

We spent two nights tent camping at the Upper Campground of Lac Qui Parle State Park in May 2022. This is a prairie setting, essentially a very large grassy field without trees or shrubs to provide privacy from neighbors or protection from winds. The campsites are well-spaced, so that provides some cushioning distance. There are many young trees planted, but it will be years before they mature. While the campground lacks privacy, its wide open skies provide wonderful stargazing on clear nights. The openness was also great for watching groups of large birds (geese, turkey vultures, pelicans) wheeling overhead.

There was one trail we could hike from the Upper Campground, and we enjoyed its grassy, rolling hills, trees, and lake views. The main parts of the park (lower campground, picnic area, beach, trails) were inaccessible due to recent storms that caused flooding and tree damage. We plan to revisit the park when it is restored and active again.