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Best Tent Camping near Money Creek, MN

494 Reviews

Money Creek, Minnesota provides multiple tent camping options in southeastern Minnesota's bluff country where the Root River Trail offers convenient access to nature-focused camping. Houston Nature Center Campground features tent-only sites with picnic tables and fire pits at the western trailhead of the Root River State Bike Trail. Oak Ridge/Wet Bark Recreation Area in R.J.D. Memorial Hardwood State Forest offers more primitive tent camping with limited amenities and solitude, particularly during non-hunting seasons.

Sites throughout the area vary significantly in terrain and facilities. Houston Nature Center provides clean bathrooms and free showers with a $10-20 nightly camping fee depending on the season. Water access is available at most established tent campgrounds, though primitive forest sites like those in R.J.D. Memorial Hardwood State Forest lack drinking water sources. Many tent sites include fire rings and picnic tables, though availability varies by location. The walk-in sites at Houston Nature Center are level and well-maintained with good spacing between campsites for privacy.

Areas near the Root River Trail provide tent campers with convenient access to hiking, biking, and nature observation. A visitor commented, "Spacious, level, well kept, quiet. Best tent campground on the Root River Trail." The Houston Nature Center campground particularly attracts cyclists utilizing the Root River State Trail. Most tent sites in the region offer quiet surroundings with natural features like streams and bluffs enhancing the camping experience. The Reno Horse Campground area in R.J.D. Memorial Hardwood State Forest provides more secluded tent camping opportunities with hiking trails that lead to sandstone bluffs overlooking the forest and views of the Mississippi River. Late spring through fall offers the most reliable weather conditions for tent camping in this region.

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Best Tent Sites Near Money Creek, Minnesota (18)

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Recent Tent Camping Photos near Money Creek, MN

36 Photos of 18 Money Creek Campgrounds

Tent Camping Reviews near Money Creek, MN

494 Reviews of 18 Money Creek Campgrounds

  • James M.The Dyrt PRO User
    Jul. 26, 2022

    Camp John Schultz — Yellow River State Forest

    Nice back country state forest site

    Hiked into this Camp that includes 5 primitive sites: fire rings and benches. Lush dense forest with intermediate hiking including typical summer insects. Leave No Trace ethics include: minimizes fire impacts by gathering only dead, down, wood. Sounded by nature atop of hill hike near Fire tower ( only fire tower in Iowa), cell reception is found up here.

  • Tori K.The Dyrt PRO User
    Mar. 31, 2024

    Minneiska Campground — Whitewater State Park

    Nice state park

    Stayed here for a couple nights on a mini state park road trip. Nice place, like most of the MN state parks. Spotty cell service. Hiked a trail with lots of steps. Fire ring and picnic table are provided at each site. Restroom with showers also available in campground. Site was large and easy to back into and offered some tree cover for shade during certain times of the day. Was unable to hang hammock in specific site we stayed at, but some of the sites looked like they would be suitable.

  • GoWhereYouAreDraw N.The Dyrt PRO User
    May. 23, 2019

    Prairie Island City Campground

    Great introductory campground

    Prairie Island has all of you basic amenities without being too far from town. This campground isn’t for everybody -- if you’re looking for extreme adventure and wilderness, this is not the place for you. If you’re interested in getting into camping and not investing the money into all the gear or having direct river access, this is the place for you! They seriously rent it all. Paddleboards, kayaks, canoes, tents, sleeping bags, sleeping pads, and dutch ovens. The camp store sells all of the basics and fishing supplies. The shower house has flush toilets and pit toilets are located throughout the campground.

    Personally, this campground is not the type that I like to stay at but it is really great for the type that wants to get into camping or the camper trailer type. Unfortunately, not enough activities to do besides boating on the river.

  • Mary S.
    Aug. 19, 2018

    Big Paint Campground — Yellow River State Forest

    Small campground has nearby hiking and fishing

    This review is for Yellow River State Forest's Big Paint Campground which consists of sites 35 through 61. Big Paint is a couple miles from Little Paint, a larger campground with 70+ sites. There are two equestrian campgrounds (Creekside and Little Frontier with sites numbered 1 through 34) as well as hike in campgrounds for backpackers. A photo of an area map is included.

    Why did we choose Big Paint instead of Little Paint?

    It's smaller and that's just our personal preference. There were only 4 sites occupied early Friday afternoon and a few more were reserved. We liked site 35, the first site on the left as you enter. This site is like being in a garden with trees and flowers surrounding the site. It had rained and more rain was coming, so the gravel parking pad on #35 was appealing. Most of the sites are completely on the grass.

    Activities

    Stocked trout streams are an attraction for fishermen; see photo of stocking calendar. We enjoyed hiking despite the mosquitoes and humidity in August and were able to make a 5+ mile loop leaving from the campground. You can also hike from Little Paint, and there are equestrian trails. This would also be a good area for X-country skiing and snowmobiling. A photo of the trail map is included. Caution: hunting is allowed in the non-campground area of the state forest.

    Amenities

    Each site has a picnic table and fire ring. Other than that, you can dispose of your trash and use a vault toilet. There's water at the information center (and a camp host site) outside the campground about 100 yards to the left.

    Cost

    You're not getting much (and that's not a bad thing) so the $9 fee seems fair. Pay up front at the entrance station, or make a reservation online at last 2 days ahead of time (and pay a reservation fee). There are 7 non-reservable sites at Big Paint. I doubt that Big Paint fills up; just check the reservation site to see if they get crowded.

    https://iowastateparks.reserveamerica.com/camping/yellow-river-state-forest/r/campsiteSearch.do?search=site&page=siteresult&contractCode=IA&parkId=610130

  • ERolf P.
    Aug. 29, 2016

    Perrot State Park Campground

    Group Camping, Hiking, and Water Sports

    Wonderful time in Perrot State Park. Camped in the group campground, site A. Plenty of room for many tents, and nice level ground to pitch tents on. Huge fire ring for large group fires, and both a large grill on the fire ring, and freestanding charcoal grill. Lots of options for hiking and walking in the park with more than 13 miles of trails. We did a 5 mile hike up and over two of the more popular bluffs. We also did a two-three hour canoe/kayak trip and had a blast.

    There is not a swimming beach at the park, so if you're into that, you'll have to leave the park, but there is more than enough to do at Perrot State Park.

  • R
    Aug. 30, 2019

    Merrick State Park Campground

    Nice Walk-In site but bring your bug spray!

    Very nice walk-in site right on the river. LOTS of bugs to the point it was uncomfortable so make sure to bring bug spray. Tent pad, fire ring and picnic table available. Trees available that are good for those who hammock.

  • GoWhereYouAreDraw N.The Dyrt PRO User
    Sep. 14, 2018

    Houston Nature Center

    Great location!

    The Nature Center campsite is located at the trail head for the Root River State Bike Trail. Trail Head Park is a nice tent only campground with walk-in sites. A majority of the sites have picnic tables and fire pits. The Nature Center has clean bathrooms and free showers. They recommend donations for the use of the showers.

    $20 per night camping fee. You can pay inside the Nature Center or at the slot between the restroom mirrors. The sites are first come, first serve. Local firewood is available near the restrooms as well; take what you need and leave the center a donation.

    Trail Head Park has a 1 acre natural playground near the campsite. When I visited during the week, I only saw a small group of people using the playground. The playground has a zip line, tree house, small rock wall, and more. Inside the Nature Center, they have interactive and interesting displays. The highlight of this campground is the Root River State Bike Trail and the Owl Center in the town of Houston.

    I'd give the campsite 4/5 review. The location, the bluffs, the bike trail, and center get 5/5 review.

  • J
    Oct. 24, 2017

    Sylvan City Park

    Close to bike trail and downtown

    Stayed here in a tent while on a bicycle camping trip and it was adequate. It is located in a city park within a couple minutes walk of the downtown area. The bike trail crosses the south end of downtown so close to that too. This would not be a good place to camp if you'd like to be out in nature

    Biggest gripe is the slope of the tent sites. The majority of the tent sites are on an incline around a pond. There are also a lot of ducks that aren't very afraid of humans. None got into my gear though. There are fire rings at the tent sites. No picnic tables at the individual sites but there are some nearby in the park and there's also a covered picnic shelter. Hammocks would be difficult to impossible as the tent area is a strip of grass between pond and bluff, which has mostly brush or too whimpy of trees to hang from at the base. There are a couple huge oaks but none in pairs.

    Quarter showers and clean restrooms are available. $20/night/tent which seemed a bit steep to me considering how slanted the sites were and quarter showers. It is cheaper than the other places within immediate biking distance which were $25/night.

  • J
    Jun. 23, 2019

    Sparta Campground — Elroy-Sparta State Trail

    Good for light/bike camping

    This is a walk-in campground intended for very light camping, particularly for those biking the Elroy-Sparta or Lacrosse Trails, as it is right on the Elroy-Sparta trail and only a 10 minute bike ride into the town of Sparta. We are a family of 4 that camped from Friday through Sunday while we attended a swim meet in Sparta. We had site 3 (103 on the DNR campground map), which was about a 600 yard hike in from the parking lot, down a trail that can get quite muddy, especially during rain (which it did while we were breaking camp). Some of the sites are even further down the trail. The site was small, but we did manage to fit a 4-person tent, two 2-person tents, a screen-house, and 5 bikes. I was advised by our camp neighbor that their site was equally small. Water, trash, and bathroom access was great and clean. No noise from other campers, and there was even a boy scout troop on site while we were there. The most disappointing factor for me was the highway noise. I had read about that from another reviewer, and it was indeed bad, all weekend long. I had to wear noise-cancelling headphones to drown out the noise in order to sleep. So, it is a great site for someone biking in and/or carrying a very light load into the campsite and, I would say (only because of the highway noise), if there are no other camping options. I should mention that although there are no showers here, I saw that the Sparta Aquatic Center (10 minute bike ride) allows shower access for $3 (at time of this review). Also, the Sparta Family Restaurant is a great place to eat, having good food, service, and prices.

Guide to Money Creek

Tent camping near Money Creek, Minnesota offers a serene escape into nature, with a variety of well-reviewed campgrounds that cater to outdoor enthusiasts.

Tent campers appreciate these amenities

  • The Houston Nature Center features clean showers, toilets, and access to drinking water, making it a comfortable choice for tent campers.
  • At Shady Rest Acres, guests can enjoy a rustic experience with fire pits, firewood, and a welcoming atmosphere from the hosts.
  • The Aefintyr campground offers unique hike-in sites with cozy cabins and fire pits, perfect for those looking to immerse themselves in nature.

Tent campers like these nearby activities

Tips for tent camping near Money Creek

  • Make reservations ahead of time at the Houston Nature Center to secure a spot, especially during peak seasons.
  • Bring your own firewood to Shady Rest Acres as local firewood is available for donation, ensuring a cozy campfire experience.
  • For a peaceful retreat, consider the secluded sites at Schmidt Farm by Forestville, where you can enjoy the sounds of nature and starry nights.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular tent campsite near Money Creek, MN?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Money Creek, MN is Houston Nature Center with a 4.8-star rating from 5 reviews.

What is the best site to find tent camping near Money Creek, MN?

TheDyrt.com has all 18 tent camping locations near Money Creek, MN, with real photos and reviews from campers.

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