Are you an equestrian lover who prefers a more rustic experience when you visit Mississippi River Headwaters - Leech Lake? Finding a place to stay in Minnesota while traveling with your horse is easy. At The Dyrt, you can find top-rated spots for horse camping, as reviewed by campers.
Located 10 miles south of Blackduck, Minnesota on County Road 31. Follow Forest Road 2207 east for one mile, then drive two miles south on Forest Road 2236, the campground provides access to Webster Lake, a picnic area and a large trail system. There are 15 sites available as well as a boat launch.__
$14 / night
Cut Foot Sioux Horse Camp is located northeast of Lake Winnibigoshish. Over 120 miles of forest roads and recreation trails surround this scenic campground, making it a favorite location of campers with horses.
Many miles of trails pass through or begin at Cut Foot, leading horseback riders, hikers and mountain bikers through the Cut Foot Experimental Forest. Several trails are also open to off-road vehicles. Research areas are designated by various markers. Please leave the markers as you find them.
Many miles of trails pass through or begin at Cut Foot, leading horseback riders, hikers and mountain bikers through the Cut Foot Experimental Forest. Several trails are also open to off-road vehicles. Research areas are designated by various markers. Please leave the markers as you find them.
The campground lies within the Cut Foot Experimental Forest, managed in part by the North Central Research Station in Grand Rapids and the Chippewa National Forest. The Cut Foot is an outdoor laboratory for studying pine forest management. A mature stand of red pine trees cover the area, and oak and birch trees dot the forest. The campground has nice shade and good privacy between sites.
Boating, swimming and fishing are popular activities on Big and Little Cut Foot Sioux Lakes and Lake Winnibigoshish. These lakes and several others are within a few miles of the campground.
$16 / night
$14 / night
Rustic camping at its finest! Beautiful private secluded sites with 120 acres of winding trails specifically Designed for ATV's and horses. Unique camping experience includes your own picnic table, charcoal grill, outdoor lighted camp cupboard and strategically placed lantern hooks. Even a fire ring with supplied firewood! Each site has its own private port-a-john nearby with a quaint little night lantern. For the horseman, sites are available with 100 gallon water tubs, and a custom hitchin' rail for up to 6 horses, complete with bucket hooks, protected saddle rack, hay pallet, tack-rack, everything you need including tents, screen house and chairs if needed. We forgot nothing! You bring the FUN!
$25 - $35 / night
A free county camp very well maintained grass with nice toilet, clean well water, firepit, benches all well cared for. I was alone all day mid week in summer until a big rig pulled up at 10pm and took half the other spots about a dozen horses. It seemed cool for one night as a tenter but a clicky type of horse owners environment where they may not want folks without horses. A nice creek near by with space and a interesting place for my dogs to soak in all the smells even if its just one night.
I saw the sign for a campground on the road and I thought I check it out. It's a campground by a lake with a hiking trail, pit toilettes, and boat launch.
People come here off-roading, fishing, boating, and hunting.
I was visiting in September, Labor day weekend, and half of the sites were empty. I got a really nice, large spot on the lake. It's a primitive campground, with no any sort of electricity or even garbage service. First come first serve, there is an envelope stand at the entrance.
Depending on what way you are coming from, you have to drive a few miles on gravel forest roads. It's not bad though.
I did try the trail that goes around the lake, it's about 3.5 miles long. It goes through the forest mainly, not a very exciting trail, very easy. There is a place where you can walk on the bog and sit down on a bench for a nice view. That was the pretty part.
So many mosquitos though, you better spray yourself before going on the hike. I forgot and bugs were chasing me. I couldn't stop at all, I was rushing through the trail.
Overall, a nice National Forest Campground, quiet it's perfect for an outdoorsy weekend.
I had a strong AT&T signal, enough to run Netflix and do online surfing.
I've never been to an equestrian camp before, and this was a surprise! I didn't know it was one until I arrived. But surprise or not...it was a happy accident to find the Shell City Equestrian Camp. What a beautiful little place to drop a tent, even if you didn't have a horse! And even though there was snow on the ground and a serious chill in the air, I still had the gitty up and go to make some Mountain House Beef Stew, but this time, with a twist!
Campground Review:
Shell City Equestrian Camp (and sister Shell City Camp) are run by Itasca State Park, so any info about this campground can be found under the State Park website. When I set out for the day, I anticipated finding a campground on the river, and I did find one there, but I didn't know they had a sister camp for horses. They are both located off the same road, but the equestrian campground had two ways to get in. Both are equally good, but come from different directions. The road is gravel/dirt and not a bad drive, but being unpaved, it's a bit bumpy. Be gentle when you drive. I visited in the winter, so I had snow on top of bumps and ruts and my all wheel drive was appreciated. I don't think I'd want to drive the 1/2 mile on this road in deeper snow.
Near the entrance, there are a few campsites with picnic tables and because the road into the campground is off the beaten path, I doubt there would be much traffic to bother anyone. Just past these sites are hitching posts and more campsites around a large, open area that I assume would be for horse trailers and campers (note there are no hookups here). Around the perimeter are more picnic tables, fire rings and a scattering of horse pens set in the woods. Very quaint! There was even a three stall covered horse stable (three sided). The campground also had a pit toilet and water pump for horses and people. Even if I didn't have a horse (and I don't), this would be a lovely place to drop a tent for the night. There were even horse trails to explore. Even though I didn't stay the night here, it was a great little find in the middle of the woods!
Cost for this spot was $16/night on the honor system at a drop box near the entrance.
Product Review:
As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I occasionally have the opportunity to test amazing products from incredible companies and this time, I had the pleasure of trying out Mountain House Beef Stew, but on top of the product testing, I had a culinary challenge! I was asked to create a new dish from this freeze dried meal, and my tastebuds were rewarded!
This beef stew is a medley of tummy pleasing comfort foods wrapped into a meal that's perfect for a blustery day. Beef, potatoes, carrots and peas with a gentle sprinkle of spices. Seriously yummy by itself as long as you have enough patience to give it the time it needs to absorb the hot water. These meals are fully cooked, but since they are freeze dried, they take time to re-hydrate, so add the water, zip up the special bag that allows you to "cook in the bag" and walk away. Set up your tent. Hang your hammock. Go to the bathroom. Just wait...and stir...and wait. And then YUM! Absolutely worth having a little patience.
But then there's more...
I turned mine into East Indian Couscous Stew.
I was asked to take this meal and turn it into something else to tempt the tastebuds, and I wanted to keep it simple so that it could be done on the trail. What better way to keep the body nourished than to keep the flavors interesting so you actually want to eat it? I found a simple recipe at home to make an East Indian Spice Blend and then added in some plain couscous. Here's how I modified the prepared meal.
Indian Spice Blend: (mix all together and put in a little shaker)
2T Curry powder
2T Cumin powder
2 t Turmeric powder
2 t Coriander
1 t Ginger powder
1/2 t Cardamom powder
1/2 t Cinnamon powder
Recipe: I opened the Beef Stew package and added 1/2 cup of plain couscous and 1 T of spice blend. Then I added about 4 oz of extra water (beyond what the package called for) to compensate for the re-hydration of the couscous. Then, follow the package directions and that's it. Voila! Tummy yummy goodness! I served it with tortillas to bulk up the meal a bit.
note I had a little trouble with the zipper on this bag. I don't know if it ripped, or if the cold outside made the zipper brittle, but I couldn't get it zipped back up for the required "sitting" time. So I kept spilling the water while trying to agitate the bag. No harm, just a little frustrating.
The package says it contains 2.5 servings, but I don't know any "half" people, so I'll say two servings, and I'll say that's probably two hungry women. Especially since the couscous adds more bulk to the meal. A very hungry man could probably eat this alone, but you'll need to make sure you can divide this up in one sitting, because extra leftovers won't keep well on the trail. But I've never been hiking or camping when I couldn't find a willing guinea pig needing free food!
Great little campground, hot, filling meal on a chilly, snowy day. Perfection!
Shell City Campground is in the Huntersville State Forest. If you want to camp in the woods, you want to be in the woods. Even if you are in a city. This camp is off the beaten path, without being "out of the way". Making your way there in any season without snow is certainly going to be easier, but even if there is a little snow, you'll be fine as long as you have all wheel drive. And it was really quiet! Such a pretty view!n I didn't get a chance to stay here (it's winter right now), but with only a small amount of snow on the ground, it made it easy to get a really good feel for how it might be.
Only a short distance off the main road, this isn't hard to find as long as you follow the signs. And don't get distracted by the "horse camp" sign like I did. Yes, there is a horse camp there, but if you drive just past the horse camp, you'll find a very clearly marked path to the regular tent camping sites. They are only a hop, skip and a jump apart, though, so they are easy to get to one from another.
This campground is accessible from the road if you are driving and the river if you are canoeing (and I suppose if you happen to be hiking in the area, it's easy to get to as well). If you came off the river, it's a very easy "in" from the water. Two entrances are available. One is a dirt landing that you ease into (boat landing style with a little, tiny lot for a car to pull into) and...you're there! The other comes up to about 6 wooden stairs, but nothing hard about it at all. If by car, the road winds down a tiny path and into the campsites. Easy breezy.
There is room for RVs, the sign says, and they are the same price as tents.
Tents are $14 (or you can put a camper on the site for the same price, but no hookups), or you can rent it as a "group site" for $28 (20 people max). Now I'm not sure what that means, but $28 seems awfully cheap to rent the entire place. It's not a giant campground, but there's plenty of room. All pads are within view of the river and there are plenty of trees (mainly pine) for hammocks. And the wind in the trees is divine! Ever so often you can hear a bit of road noise, but it's incredibly minimal. Especially if the wind is blowing.
There were several pit toilets. Very unusual to have more than one in a camp of this size, but nice, nonetheless! There was also a water pump for drinking water that was very easy to pump. The sites have picnic tables and fire pits too. The view of the river was my absolute favorite because it's at a bend in the river, so you can see both ways. This time of year, the ice was forming, but the water was still moving. It made for very pretty photos!
I can't wait to pitch a tent here in the spring!
This is a small rustic campground on Webster Lake. I arrived here on a Friday afternoon end of July, which should have been peak camping season, and the campground was half empty. Its a bit off the beaten path, the lake is not huge, and the campsites are simple so maybe the campground is not on many peoples radar. However, the lake is pretty and the fishing isnt bad, the lakeside campsites are fairly nice, and there are some interesting trails into the bogs around the lake. Supposedly it is most busy during fall hunting season, so for a quiet camping experience and wildlife wAtching it is probably best to come in mid to late summer. Early summer is also probably not the best time as the surrounding bogs are probably great mosquito breeding grounds!
This is a specialized public campground for trailriders and their horses. It is maintained as a recreational opportunity by the Natural Resources program of Beltrami County, within the Headwaters State Forest. Several area horse clubs assist in the maintanence of this campground, which is available on a first come first served basis to individuals and groups. Camping here is free, but donations are gladly accepted. The campground is uniquely set up to accommodate people, tents, vans, and horse trailers, every site having ample parking, picnic tables and fire rings, tent sites, and horse tie-up posts with grazing area. There are vault toilets and water available by pump. The campsites are well maintained and set by the picturesque Grant Creek, next to a trailhead for a maze of nearly fifty miles of trails for riding. This is a very nice camping experience for horseback riders, 4-H groups, families or riding clubs!
Camping near Mississippi River Headwaters - Leech Lake, Minnesota, offers a mix of beautiful scenery and outdoor activities. Whether you're looking to pitch a tent or park your RV, there are plenty of options to explore.
Camping near Mississippi River Headwaters - Leech Lake, Minnesota, has something for everyone, from families to solo adventurers. Just remember to pack your bug spray and enjoy the great outdoors!
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near Mississippi River Headwaters - Leech Lake?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Mississippi River Headwaters - Leech Lake is Webster Lake Campground with a 4-star rating from 2 reviews.
What is the best site to find equestrian camping near Mississippi River Headwaters - Leech Lake?
TheDyrt.com has all 6 equestrian camping locations near Mississippi River Headwaters - Leech Lake, with real photos and reviews from campers.
