Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Monticello, MN

I never tire walking the dog park circle along the crow river! Great for birding and tons of beautiful trails!

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.

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!

First the negatives. No internet, medium phone signal. The campsites are too small and too crowded. The adults let their young kids drive their cold carts and atvs back and forth from the campground to the beach all day long. I counted one particular one make 34 trips in less than 6 hours. I used to golf and I occasionally used a cart but usually I walked. Kids and young parents are way too lazy now, because it's a small campground and short walk to the beach from the farthest site. I think they do it for 2 reasons, they are bored, and they can. There is only one road in and out so there is constant traffic, and the road is gravel so prepare to eat dust. The sites aren't paved or even gravel, you park on the grass. Now for the positives. Some sites have 50 amp, most just 30 amp or less. Water hookups at most. No full hookups or dump site. There is a beach and swim area on Skunk Creek. A playground by the bathroom and showers. That building is clean, showers are free. Lots of shade from all the trees. Mosquitoes are few, flies plentiful. It is a quiet park after 10pm, but although they say closed after 8pm there was traffic all night long. Ask for a site in the back to avoid headlights shining on you all night long. Rates are $40/night for the pull through site we had w50 amp service. It has a few seasonal sites, all located at the rear. There is a golf course right next door across the creek. That is where the office is located. The town is small, only a gas station and small grocery store, so bring what you need. A Subway and nice drive-in are close by. Oh, the water is in me/my dogs opinion not for drinking. I wouldn't suggest weekends here unless you're into hearing every conversation your neighbors have or want to sleep in. Maybe the week days are better? They do allow leashed pets.

This was our first time there & we are so glad we came. One of our kids & her husband live in Minneapolis, a sister & several nieces & nephews live close by. Covid held us back with visiting, but our daughter & husband & our grand puppy came to visit. Parking for visitors (or 2nd vehicle) is the bad part as they are all quite way from some/most of the sites. They are strict and no parking on the grass (understandable when you see the pictures in the office.) The park is very well maintained! It is pet friendly. Office sells firewood for use $7.00 for 12 pieces (split pieces) There are bathrooms thoughout, but the main one has a separate, awesome, private showers. The beaches are stellar, We took out kayaks while some of us sat on the dock. There are dedicated walking trails & bike trails that are really as long as you want to go! From the park, we rode the trail that goes under the road 19 and all the way around Lake Katrina (we took the left way around, less hills to go up for this 62 year old🤣) It is BEAUTIFUL with the leaves turning. We loved our stay. The only thing we may do differently next time is to get a site closer to a parking lot. At night, it is DARK! & visitors would have a hard time finding their way back to their car without being driven. We WILL be back!

We stayed 2 nights in site B5. It was a large back in site with plenty of room for our two very large dogs. The water wasn't turned on yet, but we were able to fill our fresh water tank with a hose from their laundromat. Each campsite has their own trash receptacle, which was great, but I wish the previous occupants had used it. I had to clean up exorbitant amounts of dog poop before I could even put our outdoor rug down. Then I spent the rest of the weekend picking up other dogs' poo all over our campsite so the campground staff didn't blame us for neglecting to clean up after our dogs.  We would be willing to try the campground again, but would probably chose a site further from one of the main roads into Mystic Lake Casino. We heard a lot of traffic coming and going well into the wee hours of the night.

Most of the sites here are lakefront. They have you park your vehicle behind a row of bushes to help keep the view clear for everybody. Anderson flower gardens are a short walk away. Sites come with a picnic table and fire pit. There are bathrooms and showers. There is also a fish cleaning shed. Campground is dog friendly and dogs must be leashed.

I was traveling Eastward through the upper Midwest and had a really hard time in this area finding a place to camp. I finally came across this place. There was some suggestion that there was some drive in sites that were not reservable, that is. They were first come first serve. But I was unaware or unable to find those. I ended up paying a fair amount of money for a full hookup site. The bathrooms were extremely modern and clean.

There were some really nice wide trails around the lake. I think those were basically designed for cross-country skiing in the winter. But they made a perfect opportunity for me to let the dog run off. Leash. Probably was not within the rules, but it was very quiet there and the dog didn't bother anybody with her running.

We decided on a whim to camp here for a few days during a long weekend off - we were excited to do a bit of exploring and spend some quality time together, and didn't want to stray too far from home. This campground is perfect! We backpacked in and even took our dog - she loved it!!! Great tenting spots and even better scenery!

No lake but a pool. More like an RV Park although they do have rustic sites. Nice facilities including 2 bathroom facilities, playground, volleyball court, dog walking area, baseball field, a lodge with games and a store, and a hall where they hold bingo and other events. Chris is super helpful and will do just about anything to help you! We’ve been going here for over 20years.

I’m going to begin with the biggest problem - I know not everyone is an animal lover but who goes camping and doesn’t expect to take their furry friend and family member? The no dogs allowed is a bit much but you will find many trails for walking/biking/hiking + an amazing swimming pond that is man-made & awesome for all ages!

For the proximity to the city and nearby highways, this was a good spot. Didn’t expect to see as many campers as I did, but all seemed to be friendly. I stayed here for one night and roads were totally fine for any vehicle. Most spots are like the pictures shown. There are a few spots that have great views or pull-through areas, and there are limited spots that are big-rig friendly. Saw lots of dogs, and mine had a blast, even had what seemed to be a stray husky quickly roll through camp around dusk. Something to keep on your mind. The road goes for a long ways, I parked near the front and closer to numbers, always like to be safer. Overall there was some shouting and yelling but for the location I was happy.

My family and I Had a very disappointing camping experience... I can’t even really call it camping. You are basically drove insane from the constant gawking eyes of judge mental neighbors. Campsites aren’t even spaced out to where you have ANY privacy. The campsites are on top of one another. You are less than ten feet from your neighbors. The spring... is not a spring.. the trail is a ditch that goes through the surrounding residential neighborhood.. each yard with its own barking dog. You’re on a residential steet and can see townhouses from your site. The pool was “broken” and was close to the size of a large jacuzzi more than anything. The fact that we had to pay for this experience was insulting. Don’t do it to yourself and spend your money else where please.

This is a small campground in the middle of Minnesota that plays host to the Minnesota Bluegrass & Old-Time Music Association' two annual festivals. There's a separate campground for traditional campers but there's various designated camping spots for the festivals.

These festivals are one of the most laid back, fun music festivals I've been to. You get to watch from the comfort of your own lawn chair while sitting under the trees. Can't beat it.