Best Equestrian Camping near Moose Lake, MN

This was my first solo tent camping night in June 5, 2020. There were some horse flies when I parked but they didn't seem to hang out in the shade of my campsite. There was a very loud bird making calls until about 1am... Maybe a whip-poor-will. Otherwise a serene spot tucked back in the walk in site.

Directions to the walk in sites were a bit unclear when driving in but I eventually made it there.

This is Minnesota’s largest state park and has over 200 camp sites. But where we were, we were secluded from most people. Not from the mosquitos. You had to defend against them. But clean park. Would go back for sure.

Right on Lake Mille Lacs, one of Minnesota’s largest. Walking distance from the bakery and bar! Newer, updated facilities. Boat access. Lake side sites (if you book early enough). You can hit Mille Lacs State Park if you want to knock them both out on one trip! This park seems to attract a lot of long term campers, as I’m sure it’s pretty reasonable to stay at the lake all summer. We went mid-July I think and the trees were literally raining caterpillars… it was tough to want to hang out in our tree canopy-covered site. Sooo.. we ventured outside of the park more at this one.

There was a festival going on in a town west of here that had a couple rides and a really fun patio bar. If you do decide to venture out at night, ask the bartender for the limo driver’s number; he’s the city’s “uber”!

This park has a ton of camping available, particularly if you don't need electricity and have a smaller rig because then you can get into more of the campground loops. (There is electricity here, but there are many more sites without.) 

The sites in the Old Logging Campground were close together but many had vegetation between them offering some privacy. Site 207 was especially tucked in but it's a tight spot, so probably best for a van or tent. 

The park itself has a lot to offer being right on the St. Croix River, plus there are hiking trails, a paved bike path, a fire tower you can climb, an old CCC camp area you can tour, and more. Also, canoe and kayak rentals are available. And this is all within the state park boundary since, at 34,000 acres, the park is the largest in the Minnesota state park system. 

Some of the loops have old bathhouses that desperately need to be replaced, but they are in the process of doing so, which means some loops have great new bathrooms and showers. (If you stay in the upper 200s, sites, you'll have one of these new bathrooms right away, but more are being built.) Cell service was incredibly spotty on Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile. Depending on where you're at, you'll get a low signal, but often it was only enough for texting-- don't think about using the web or social media or getting any work done while you're here. 

Overall, we enjoyed our weekend at this park and would come back for another getaway if we had the chance and it wasn't a workday.

While I have seen parks and campsites with more privacy, there are so many trees (and many sites with a lake view) that it's worth a stay at Father Hennepin State Park in MN. Especially if you are rocking out with a pair of OOFOS flipflops!

CAMPGROUND REVIEW:

We've stayed at this campground a few times before, and it should seem obvious that since we keep coming back, it's not too shabby. Yes, I've seen campgrounds that have more privacy between spaces, but I don't think this place is every terribly crowded (at least not when we visit, in May). The leaves are just beginning to bud on the trees, so there is less coverage from your neighbors than in the heat of the summer, but since there are less campers, you can spread out a little bit. My only complaint, and this is the same of previous years here, is that the electric sites are so close to the tent sites that you can generally hear the generators and/or those that think that the wilderness is for loud music dance parties. Fortunately, this time, we were in our new teardrop camper and could shut out the tunes!

We were at site 7, which was the last one in this campground that sits and faces the lake. And while we've been to this site before, it's the first time we've been in our Teardrop Trailer at this park. Lucky for us, the ice was gone and the wind was pretty calm, so the icy chill wasn't too bad. Each site has a fire ring with a grate that swings back and forth, depending on if you want to chill by the flames, or grill off some burgers. The site we had was fairly level. and provided ample space to park our teardrop and our car without hanging out into the road. A picnic table rounded out the scene to provide a full on camping experience. And lovely night sounds of frogs that sang us to sleep!

There are well over a hundred sites, about 100 of them tent pads (no electric), and about 50 with electric. A few group campsites as well as 4 handicapped sites.There are 2 shower houses, 2 flush toilet buildings, vault toilets scattered around and water (in season, when it's turned on).

In Minnesota, reservations are required. We've found that if you make them in advance, and then decide to cancel the day of the reservation, there are cancellation fees and first night fees and blah blah blah. If, however, you decide to take your chances and book it the "day of", there are no online reservation fees and you can cancel without penalty if you decide to go elsewhere.

Drive in sites are approximately $23/night. Electric are about $34/night.

PRODUCT REVIEW:

Now, I have to admit, I'm an OOFOS junkie. Ever since I won a pair in my very firsts campground contest. That said, I'll never pass up the chance to review another pair! This time, I had the OOFOS Women's OOriginal Sandal. The last pair I had was a light color, and I loved the shoes, but they got dirty so quickly. Since these shoes are a type of foam, they scuff and dirty a little easier than other shoes, but the comfiness of them is off the chart, so they are totally worth having in other colors! This time, I chose black, to combat and dirt issues I might have while camping. If you can't see the dirt, it's not there, right?

OOFOS are recovery shoes, and I didn't know what that meant at first, but just wait until you put them on at the end of a hard day on your feet (long work day, long hike, etc). They literally massage the sole of your foot. I'm not joking. I can't believe how my feet feel when I change shoes. If I listen veeeeeery carefully, I can hear my feet smiling! They are sort of spongy and squishy, but not in a strange way. Like walking on marshmallows! (but not sticky). Seriously, they cushioning, higher arch and wide fashion of the shoe (yes, it's a little chunkier, not a huge fashion statement) make it stable and comfy. They hug your feet and don't slip off the way some other "slippy" flipflops can. And so lightweight! The price is a little more than I normally pay for shoes, but I'd absolutely invest in another pair if this one wears out. The bottom has some fun grippy texture that looks as if it might channel away water if you stepped in a puddle.

Quite frankly, as long as I have my OOFOS, I don't care what campground I'm staying at, but this one is good enough that I enjoy staying a little while, to look at the lake and enjoy the singing frogs!

For $17 a night you can't beat a state forest campgrounds. This is real camping for the kids. Get there early in the day because there are no reservations and it's first come first served.  The campground was clean and in better shape than any state park campgrounds I have been to.. The sites are spaced out and although it is a long drive in from the tar and gravel, it's worth the trip. A beautiful lake and lots of trails. There are many ATV trails on the way in, but the ATVs are not allowed in the campground. Most likely on busy weekends you were going to hear them in the distance. Mid week it was quiet and there was only three other people there and this remote campground.

We were here in Sept and back again at the end of Oct. Wonderful forests, pleasantly, quiet. Beautiful views along the Tamarack river. We like camping in state forest for the wild life experience. We seen Bear, Wolf, and plenty of Yote's. This is nature at it's finest. I will be back. Heads up! No hook up's. Vault bathrooms only.

Clean, fairly private sites. Easy to get in and out. Walk in sites available. Canoe outfitters in park during most of the summer. A great way to spend a weekend.

we spent a weekend at the park and had a. great time. Lots of trails for hiking. Cool buildings from the CCC era as well as some signs talking about camp life. There is also a 100' fire tower you can climb up and get an epic view. Campsites were nicely angeled for easy parking. Fire ring and table at each site. Nice modern bathrooms as well.

It’s very very secluded from the near by town

On days that the moonlight is not out bring flashlights because when the moon is not shining it’s pitch black

Keep in mind the driveway trail is not lit up but the showers are very clean and up to date And very clean they are fully stocked in hand soap & toilet paper the have sinks for washing ur utensils and pans and ect

We had a terrible experience last year trying to camp here, BUT it’s not the campgrounds fault!

Unfortunately we chose the peak of mosquitos season and camping next to slow moving water is a recipe for disaster. It was also a very hot weekend. We showed up and set up camp and within the first hour our dog was clearly stressed by all the bugs. He ended up hiding in the car and soon after his face swelled up and he got very sick. Within 3 hours of showing up we had to pack up and head home to get him safe and comfortable. Do not fret, our boy was okay and thankfully the family across from us (in an RV) has Benadryl for their dog they gave to us. We don’t travel or camp without proper bug spray and meds for our dog now so lessons were learned.

Long story short we would love to come back when the bugs aren’t as bad!

The site we had was isolated nicely and the ground was easy for a tent set up. There was some mosquitos, but the disappeared at night which was nice. The trail near by was nice, but driving into the park and finding a trail were better. The fire tower was also cool!

We camped with our in laws and 3 kids this past weekend at St. Croix state Park, we were in the riverview campground on site 36 (no hook ups). Sites were pretty open but small. There were HOARDS OF MOSQUITOS. We used 40% deet spray and fogged our campsite 3x over the 3 days so we could reduce the bites. The paved walking trails were nice. The swimming beach is a couple mile drive but the water was nice and cool. There is a playground but we didn't use it. We fished right off the shore and were catching very small catfish and river chub faster than we could set our reels which was great for the kids! There is kayak and canoe rental on the weekend. The showers and bathrooms were very clean.

This was a one night stop over on the way to Grand Portage and Isle Royale. It is a nicely maintained campground with lots of open space and nicely constructed rustic bath houses. Apparently, the bath houses are under renovation. The loop I was in had one of the new bathrooms and it was impressive….definitely an A rating. The site spacing is good but not a lot of landscaping for privacy. The mosquitoes were voracious! That has been my experience throughout MN. 

We also experienced the most intense and violent thunderstorm of my life. One lightning strike hit within 100 yards of our site. All of the campers were talking about it in the morning. My poor dog was a basket case and could not even eat her dinner. Their reservation system could not find St. Croix without the period.

Spent two nights at the campground. Night one was extreme heat and humidity and night two was extreme storms. Because of a large wind storm several years ago, there is very limited tree coverage in the campground. As a result, the sites get very little shade and protection from the hot summer sun, and the lack of vegetation means that sounds from around the campground can be heard throughout. Water fountain is centrally located and bathrooms are adequate. Shower facilities are mediocre, but do provide sufficient privacy, and were relatively clean. Lots of trains and hiking areas. Interesting nature center and convenient camp store.

Lots to do, hiking, boating, fishing, swimming, interpreter programs

The Riverview loop is 1 of 3 at St. Croix State Park. This loop is where 90% of the electric sites are, but it is also a very open campground. There is a modern restroom and shower, it is also located near a nature store.

Our scout troop camped for a weekend her. Our site was very spacious, and had close access to a well maintained outhouse and walking distance to indoor toilets and showers. The main disadvantage to this site was, no trees.

Our family went up and rented Guest House 1. The house was great! It had everything we needed in the kitchen, a grill out front, picnic tables, fire ring, plenty of sleeping for our extended family. However, the second we walked out the door, you had at least 5 ticks on you. If you spent any extended amount of time outside, there were 20+. It was terrible, as my sister was pregnant and didn't want to risk it and we had a 1, 2, and 4 year old. We spent a large part of the weekend searching each other like primates and picking bugs off. Since the weather wasn't the best, we didn't feel as bad missing out on being outside.

We DID have fun doing some of the activities like hunting for insects/animals in the pond with the ranger, hiking to the ranger tower, playing at the playground, and trying to catch butterflies with the ranger. That being said, we have had several conversations with others who have also said it was the worst tick experience they have ever had and will not choose to go back again.

My site unfortunately did not have a view of the river, but it was still nice and private!! This is one of my favorite state parks for last minute camping trips due to its proximity to home. I have stayed in each of the campgrounds here multiple times at different sites and don't really have a standout favorite site. Each campground is pretty similar (it's really more like separate loops of the same campground as opposed to actually separate campgrounds... so I wouldn’t worry too much about which one to pick! Multiple restrooms and showers throughout the campgrounds. Each site has a fire ring and picnic table, and wood can be purchased at the office. Cell service is fairly spotty here so come with podcasts or shows downloaded ahead of time! But if you don't, you can always run into Hinckley for some WIFI or cell service to download some things.

We had a great weekend here. There were a few trails that we walked and got to see several deer in the woods. This is a great lake for fishing and boating.

Stayed at Lakeview Campsite#1 9/30 and was visited by a skunk... next thing I know, he brought his girlfriend and the two of them scoured my site while I was trying to enjoy my campfire-- no amount of flashing my light got them to leave and I wasn't about to try to scare them off. They left when they felt like it... That's what I get for staying in their back yard, fair is fair. Heard a big animal move through camp around 3am(definitely didn't sound like a deer since it shuffled leaves and gravel so not sure what it was-- not gonna lie, I was scared AF). It was a great mix of car camping with great access to nature. Bathrooms were a short walk away and well tended. My only disappointment was the amount of microtrash all over the site.

This was a nice campground on the lake. Spots are not very private in the lakeside campground. Nice hiking trails and large beach. Cell phone coverage was good.

This site is great for solo or family trips because there is a lot to do: swim, playground, boating, fishing, walking. The site and restroom/shower were well kept. During the night there were some raccoons rustling around and this caused multiple campers to come over, but nobody was concerned for safety, more curious about what they were doing.

Perfect weather. Super quiet during the week.

It nice place to camping

Hiking was great, we saw an albino deer on the hiking club trail! Site was a bit tight for our travel trailer and a tight fit to back up on the pad. Recent rain had the campsites pretty muddy but the paved spaces were well maintained.