Best Cabin Camping near Mississippi River Headwaters - Cross Lake

Perfect little camper cabin and site. Fabulous park staff that even turned the heater on for us before we arrived. The cabin has electricity, heat, no plumbing. No cooking inside, wonderful fire ring for cooking, which we used at night.

We stayed in a camper cabin that was just perfect. Lots of hiking to be done and the fire towers are one of my favorite!

Stayed at Mille Lacs Kathio and visited the nearby Father Hennepin State Park in late winter, staying in a camper cabin. Great ski trails leaving very close to the campground, excellent views of Mille Lacs Lake, and the nearby forest.

Their brochure mentions that they have a modern campground, but I can't find it.

This area has a lot of resorts, and they mainly cater to RV campers and cabin campers. This one, however, also mentions a campground, but it isn't clear where it is. This time of year, this one might be closed, but you can still drive around and look. Good reference points for next season. All the cabins were incredibly close together, not terribly well maintained (at least from the outside), and I have no idea where I would pitch a tent. I tried to call the number on the website, but it kicked to voicemail. It appears that the owners live on site.

They did have picnic tables, firewood, a playground for the kiddos and lake views. Easy access to the lake. It's down a long, gravel type road so there isn't much traffic.

Most of this camp is reserved for seasonal campers but they have 2 extra sites. One Full hook up and one electric site. The full hook up site is a little tight if you bring a big RV, backing up is a skill you must bring.

When I was here, we were very close to Crooked lake which is a beautiful with a great fishery. I mainly came here for fishing and it was great.

They do have cabins that overlook Crooked lake and all I have to say is that it’s beautiful. They do have there own boat launch if you bring any type of water vessel. It cost $5 per day to dock it on their docks. They treat there RV sites and cabins which is a plus because we don’t have many mosquitoes during the day and night.

I would highly recommend this site for fishing and those who just want to get out. Booking was very easy and straight forward!

Full hook up: $50 a day Electric only: $40 a day.

$100 security deposit once booked which goes into your bill.

Crow Wing State Park is a good choice if you are looking for something close to the Twin Cities metro area in Minnesota. with this park being just under two hours away from the Twin Cities metro area it’s an easy choice for a nice weekend getaway. If you’re looking to stay for a long extended time it’s also a good choice as it offers electric and water. The electric sites are pretty open and close together so if you like to be secluded and not see other campers from your campsite I wouldn’t use this park. The electric sites are really on top of each other and don't feel like you are camping to me. The non-electric sites are pretty nice and secluded from each other which would make this park a park I would bring my tent to instead of my travel trailer. There is also a group camp That is separate from the main camping area.

The park office offers ice and firewood for sale. Firewood is 6$ a bundle at the park office. The only firewood you can use is the approved firewood in the local area or scrap lumber. See the Minnesota Firewood law.  Canoe rentals are offered at the park office for $15 for a half-day and $25 for a full day. There is also a water fill station and a dump station for your travel trailer or RV. This is a good park for hiking and exploring. 

If you wanna stay close to the Twin Cities metro area this is a good park for you!

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!

This resort and campground only has a few reservable campsites and a couple of cabins (at least one is more like a Park model). There are bathrooms and showers available, but only one of each for each gender. The sites are close together and a bit of a walk to the swimming beach. The staff is amazingly accommodating though and let us put 2 campers per site to accommodate our large group. I was also impressed that they had many beach toys that were able to be used by anyone and a decent playground that is right near the campsites. It rained 4 inches the first night we were there and many of the low lying areas were flooded, but it did not affect any of the campsites and the kids loved playing in the huge puddles.

While this seems to be mainly an "RV" campground, but there were a few cabins on the lake and two gorgeous tent sites that would be the envy of many other camps. They were ideal, especially for the family that wanted the "tent" experience without having to huff it through the woods with toddlers in tow.

Sleeping Fawn is very clearly marked from the road, and although they don't say "campground" on the sign, there are a few tent sites available. It's about a 3/4 mile drive off the main road, but signage is apparent the entire way, and it's super easy to find once you get there. There is an office for check in, cabins to rent and lots of RV sites available too. Even though RV's seem to dominate here, the roadway through the woods and past them is peaceful and serene. Pine needles cover the ground and create a softness to the scenery. The posts that mark each site are wooden, tall, and are clearly numbered. Close to the entrance is a "tent parking" area, a cart for hauling your things, and 2 tent pads, just across the drive and down a little path about 20 yards. Perfect!

The tent sites are far enough apart to be "separate", but close enough that if you had family or friends, they are close by. Garbage cans are at the split in the path between #1 and #2 and each site has a fire ring, picnic table, gorgeous, flat tent pad and a view of the lake. And again, if you needed something from the car, it's a 50 yard walk. Not a 3 mile trudge through the woods.

Camping in tents May 18 - Oct 1

Camping rates were a bit steep for my liking, but I like primitive sites in the woods. So if you were a family trying to introduce wee ones to camping, it would still be worth it. $28 for a site as of 2018. Or a weekly rate of $170. Showers and laundry available, as well as free coffee in the morning. They also have a beach, nature trail, small store and other amenities.

NOTE: Pets are not allowed at this resort

The quality of this campground is really a 4, however the location is a little  bit out of the way for doing day trips, exploring and access to the Chippewa National Forest. It is not on Lake Winnie, so you have to drive to a boat landing to launch your watercraft, and there is swimming at a nearby beach but it is not on the premises. However, the grounds are meticulously maintained and the camping prices cant be beat--$20 a night for tent camping, and $35 a night for full RV campsite with hookups. There is a playground. laundry facilities, and full bathrooms. There are also many walking trails on the premises. The general store on the premises provides staples and treats. If you prefer, there are also vintage cabins you can stay in here. Best of all, staying here supports a local family business including their painstaking efforts to maintain an hisotric general store and vintage vacation spot that was established almost a century ago and is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Nice campground. We were dry camping in the RV since there was no water. Still a nice place for a winter getaway. Will go back in the fall!

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

Nice wooded campground. Gravel sites, fairly level. Water fill and firewood available at the registration building. The water was high in iron. Canoe and kayak rentals available. Lots of trails for hiking and biking. Bring bug spray in the summer!
Historical sites along hiking path. Bathrooms and showers were decent. Dump station on site.

Right on the lake with private dock. Sites a close by. Most have water and electric. Full hookups are very limited. Only 4 site near the back. Off of a quiet road. No traffic noise. Lake is clean but dark with ore. Loons frequent. Turtle lake channels over to another lake. Makes a great boat or kayak trip. Boat kayak paddle board and paddle boat rentals available.

Located just south of Mille Lacs in central Minnesota, Mille Lacs Kathio State Park is large and welcoming.

In addition to a state park and campground, the park is also on the nation register of historical sites, owing to the large number of archeological digs, revealing human activity in the area that dates back thousands of years.

The sites are large and spaced decently from each other. We could have used a little more privacy between sites, but this can be written off as an effect of being nearly in the season.

With the exception of a large family reunion, the park was quiet and you can easily find yourself alone from the crowds.

Canoes are available for rental, which allow for fishing in the Rum River. There is also an observation platform- the climb can be intimidating, but the views are well worth it!

I wasn’t able to find a spot to find a spot to fish from shore at, but that could just be my failure.

The Interpretive Center gave you a really good glimpse into the wildlife and history of the area, as well as provided an assortment of activities.

The facilities were a little time-worn, but clean, and the water in the showers heater fast.

My family and I had a wonderful time, and will be back!

I was looking to take a solo camping trip for the weekend and paddleboard on the Cuyuna Mine Lakes. I booked the trip pretty late because of a lot of different factors, but Crow Wing State park still had plenty of availability. The park is nothing spectacular, but it was nice, wooded, and the staff were great. It was my first time solo camping in awhile, so I opted to stay at a state park where there would be rangers. I noticed that the rangers stopped and talked to me night one, and remembered me- which made me feel very safe as a solo female camper. The campground was overall pretty quiet, and my site was wooded so that I normally could not see other campers from my site, which was great! It felt decently quiet . If you visit in the summertime, expect hellish mosquitoes and pack accordingly!

You can join the hiking club trail straight from the campground, which was nice- I went on a few beautiful sunset walks to watch the sunset over the river

The bathroom and shower were clean and easily accessible.

The park was a 20-30 minute drive from the Cuyuna Mines area, so I was able to easily drive over Saturday morning and spend the day paddleboarding.

This park is not one of the most spectacular in Minnesota, but I had a great stay and it was very relaxing. It was great for a weekend getaway for a solo female camper looking to do some paddle boarding in the area

If you like boats and boating and the water, this would be a good place to be, but if you are looking for peace and quiet, I doubt it'll be all that. This is mainly an RV camping park for those that have boats. It has a waterway in the campground with slips that you can rent for your boats. There are, however, a few tent sites that are kinda cool!

Most of the RV camping is pretty cramped. But I suppose if you have a boat, you'll probably be on it most of the time. That said, it would do the job. Maybe most people stay on their boats at night? There is also firewood for sale, which is convenient, but I don't know how much it cost. They seemed to be pretty well closed for the season. They did have electric hookup and sewage drains too. And for those that were feeling a little less outdoors-y, they had a few cabins for rent on the water.

There are only a few tent sites, and they are in an obscure spot, but it'd actually be a pretty cool place to drop a tent if you wanted something unique. The tent site(s) are on a little point near the water. It's actually on the opposite side from the RV camping, and they are separated by a little waterway that is the inlet/outlet for the area where the boat slips are. So boats would be passing in and out all the time. If you are the private type, this might not be ideal. But if you were looking for something different, it might be fun. However, there is no bathroom nearby that I could find. There is a fire ring and picnic table. And the coolest part...there is a small lighthouse type structure that is simply a screened in building with a table and chairs. It's screened in and the windows can be closed. So, essentially a bug free zone in the summer. Love it! Right next to the tent area. Although it's not clear if these sites are for rent for the general public, or just for friends and family of the boat/RV people. I see conflicting information about this.

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.

We give this resort 5 stars because, despite it not being visitor friendly, they are up front in their policies about visitors and the place is great in all other respects. If you want to have visitors while staying here it is best to consider these policy before visiting as they are strictly enforced. We won’t stay here again because of those policies despite how great the amenities are.

OK, for the good stuff. Sites are huge, very dog friendly, quiet, ice and firewood on site, cute little lake with gorgeous sunsets, huge kiddy play area on water, free kayak and paddle board use, nice little onsite store. Be aware much of the place is seasonal rentals but these sites are kept very tidy. Whole place is immaculate. Also have 3 docs and a small boat landing.