Best Equestrian Camping near Mountain Lake, MN

Recent Equestrian Reviews in Mountain Lake

22 Reviews of 7 Mountain Lake Campgrounds

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  Tom

  Ranger

  

  Jul. 30, 2024

  Fort Ridgely State Park Campground

  July and Beautiful! Gem of a Park!

  This is now my favorite MN State Park. Campground is VERY WELL MAINTAINED. BRAND NEW Bathroom/shower building with large ADA showers.

  I was there Tuesday through Saturday and I was THE ONLY CAMPER in the whole park Wednesday through Saturday!

  Drinking water is very good and many fountains and hydrants are located all throughout the park, even way out on the trails there are water fountains.

  Large stone pavilion for groups picnics.

  In JULY The Prairie Trails are stunning with all the wild flowers in full bloom. Many trails and nice overlooks too. I walked and hiked the trail over and over because of the beautiful flowers and trails.

  The MN State Historical Society could do a much better job at EDUCATING what really happened at the Fort and why. The signage is in need of repair and restoration. Make sure to read up about the fort before arriving so that you can appreciate the importance of the site you’re camping on.

  The horse campground is also very well maintained and has nice shower/bathroom building. No flys and people have been great at cleaning up manure and putting it in the compost pile.

  The creek through the campground is beautiful and the sound of water over the rock is great for sleeping. The creek is cool temperature even in July but kids have fun swimming and splashing. There are marked areas for crossing the creek which make great wading areas too.

• 

  Dean G.

  Traveler

  

  Sep. 18, 2023

  Brown County Park

  Brown County

  This place is HUGE. We were shocked at the size of the state park and how many many campsites there were. We were back on Taylor Ridge so we had a noticeable drive in/out anytime we went anywhere. Bathrooms were clean and maintained. Sites had ample space. Because it is all on the ridges of the park, there is a significant decline after the campsite “flat area”

• 

  Jenny K.

  Guide

  

  Jun. 12, 2023

  Fort Ridgely State Park Campground

  Walk-ins better for multiple nights

  I love checking out the state park walk-in camp sites. These sites are the first I've been at where you behave to hike up a steep hill. Totally worth it if you're staying for multiple nights. We only stayed one night, so lugging all our stuff up was not fun.

  The main campground is a bit crowded with not a ton of space between sites. We did think #37 was a good pick: spaced farther away and the river sounds drawn-out anyone else.

• 

  Ken F.

  Scout

  

  Oct. 15, 2021

  Fort Ridgely State Park Campground

  Great river!

  Campsite 37 is right on a bend in the river and has an amazing view! Most others along the river don’t have the view but you can still sleep to the sound of running water (until you wake to the same sound…). Best part: no cell reception there (but there’s an app to help you not get lost that doesn’t require cell reception.

• S

  Sharrie T.

  Guide

  

  Sep. 25, 2021

  Brown County Park

  Beautiful grounds on a river.

  Besides the beautiful grounds and reasonably price, it was nice because it wasn’t very crowded. But was only first come first served and not all the sites have electric.

• 

  Nick G.

  Guide

  

  Sep. 4, 2021

  Fort Ridgely State Park Campground

  Cool location with a history

  Plenty of sites. Not too cramped. Plenty of trails with beautiful views. Next to a nice trout stream.

• M

  Meredith J.

  Guide

  

  Jul. 28, 2021

  Fort Ridgely State Park Campground

  Wooded campsite by creek

  Beautiful wooded campsite on a creek. Great hike up to the lookout!

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  Tim

  Guide

  

  May. 30, 2021

  Fort Defiance State Park Campground

  A Hidden Gem in Iowa

  A hidden gem in Northwest Iowa. It is Memerial Day Weekend and on Friday night we had one other tent camper on Friday. None on Saturday. 

  The bathrooms are the old hole going down into a pit. They are very rustic. 

  There are plenty of trails in the park. The big creek that runs through the kiddos can play in. It is not deep but it’s water. There are some other small little creeks too.

  Around the camping area, the kids rode their bikes. We did ride around the roads as a family. 

  The camp site are dirt. 

  There are permanent fire rings and grills at each site. Only place to get firewood was at Hy-Vee. Our site had electricity with 50, 30,& 20 amps. 

  There is only one water spot in the campground. We drank the water and didn’t die. 

  There is a golf course next to the park that is fun. 

  My only real complaint would be there is a lot of people just driving through.

• J

  Jamison W.

  Guide

  

  May. 17, 2021

  Eagle Nest Park

  Small and tucked back

  Was a little difficult to find the first time but when we found it I loved it. Back in kinda private. Friendly people group came to celebrate July 4th but respectfully all left early and the nights were quiet. Lots of adventure hiking and wonderfully clean.

• J

  Jamison W.

  Guide

  

  May. 9, 2021

  Beaver Falls County Park

  Nice clean small park

  Good spot to stop for a short stay. Not much room for bigger rigs to get around but doable if dry.

• T

  Trudi

  Scout

  

  Apr. 29, 2021

  Beaver Falls County Park

  Great Camping 🏕️

  Off the beaten path..so lots of peace & quiet to enjoy..beautiful rustic camping spots throughout the park..picnic table & fIrepit at each spot & bathrooms nearby..can camp right next to the creek..fun fishing for kids..trails throughout the park for walking..horse camping avail also..beautiful place to relax and have some fun!

• S

  Sarah O.

  Guide

  

  Sep. 14, 2020

  Garvin County Park

  Beautiful park with nice hiking trails

  We stayed in the Upper Campground in the site closest to the equestrian campground. The kids loved being able to meet & visit with the horses. 

  The sites were a good size, but not much privacy or tree coverage in the area we stayed. There were a lot of trails to hike and a river/stream that they said you could wade/swim in, but we didn't go into it. 

  There were a lot of playgrounds, and one really huge one the kids wanted to play on, but with COVID-19 still going strong, we didn't use it.

• 

  Wally B.

  Guide

  

  Aug. 16, 2020

  Bright Lake Co Park

  Awesome Sunset!

  Really nice spot almost overlooking the lake (Through the trees), had fire ring, picnic tables and room for quite a lot of tents! For me and my family it was perfect!

• 

  Adrian D.

  Traveler

  

  Apr. 5, 2020

  Fort Defiance State Park Campground

  Great Hikes

  Fort Defiance is a forresty natural state park in Iowa. There is Electrical Hook ups a picnic Table and a charcoal Grill already at the camp site. The valley has a small river or a big creek, idk you tell me the difference, what you can cross over a few times on the trails. Depending on the time of day, generally in the morning you can cruise through at day break and find deer on the roads to watch out!

• 

  Nicole L.

  Guide

  

  Aug. 29, 2019

  Fort Ridgely State Park Campground

  Nice getaway

  We stayed at site 21 in late August of 2019. It’s obvious that the park had some heavy flooding earlier in the year. A lot of the waterfront sites became sandy. The sites are close together and not very many mature trees between sites. There isn’t any cell phone coverage at the campground but there is service around the historical site. Only restrooms are single stall vault toilets. No showers. However I think the horse campground has upgraded restrooms and showers but I never checked it out because it was so far away. Mosquitoes were bad, everyone came home covered in bites. Kids had a blast playing in the creek. There was also people out on their horses offering rides to kids and educating about horse ownership.

• L

  Liz H.

  Guide

  

  Jun. 30, 2019

  Fort Ridgely State Park Campground

  Lovely state park not far from the twin cities

  This park is only about 1 1/2 hours from shakopee. It’s a wonderful surprise to find this beautiful wooded river valley on the middle of farm fields. The non electric sites are very wooded and private. The electric sites are very open and offer little privacy. The shower facility is located in the chalet near the main office. Unlike most state parks, there is a $2 fee to shower. The trails are mostly wooded and offer a variety of difficulty. The historical fort site has lots of great information and signage around the excavations. There is a fee to enter the museum.

• 

  Sarah C.

  Traveler

  

  Jul. 30, 2018

  Fort Ridgely State Park Campground

  Cute little campground

  Decided last minute to try a State Park campground I’d never been to and picked Fort Ridgley. Glad I did. Based on the previous reviews I was a little nervous... not really a big RV kind of girl, myself.

  But I stayed in the little non-electric loop and couldn’t have been happier with the site. The sites were large enough to fit two tents and had plenty of trees to hook up the hammocks. The sites were clean and well maintained and the staff at the park were really nice!

  Unlike other state park campgrounds I have been to, this one does not have a bathroom/shower house. No flush toilets here. But the vault toilets were cleaned daily. But if you are the kind of camper Thant needs a shower or a flush toilet, this isn’t the park for you.

  ’One day a ranger came around an offered a wildlife edible “class” which I decided to go to - that was interesting! I learned a lot (thanks Scot) and it was fun to meet some of the other campers. I also learned that this is one of the oldest State Parks in MN.

  I did venture over to the RV loop and yes, very big sites that accomodate very big RVs, but if that’ is your kind of camping then make sure you get a site along the creek! They looked amazing.

  The hiking was easy - which was good for me on this trip. Nothing too high of a climb or rocky. Just a beautiful stroll in the woods.

  All in all I say this is a great campground!

• 

  Emma V.

  Scout

  

  Jun. 1, 2018

  Garvin County Park

  county park with state park amenities

  Beautiful park with great trails and amenities... showers, dump stations, shelters, playgrounds, pit toilets, and more

  Plenty of activities for the family... fishing, hiking n camping, swimming, tubing, disc golf, sledding, playgrounds, plus historic sites to explore

• 

  Charyle C.

  Guide

  

  May. 10, 2018

  Fort Ridgely State Park Campground

  Just another day? Well...

  I was here on August 20, 2017. It is the anniversary date of the Sioux Uprising (155 years)@ the Fort. I arrived close to evening and drove through the site. There was not another soul in site. The building on the hill was closed so, I figured I better just find my campsite for the night. Found a campsite and realized once again, no cell phone reception so as I headed back to pay my fee I notice a sign on the building stating cell service could be obtained up on the hill where I had stopped earlier. So, I paid my fee and went up on the hill made contact with people before I settled in for the night. The campground was nearly empty and very quiet. In the morning I went back up on the hill to the fort to see if maybe the building would be open. After all, this was an anniversary date of a significant event on the site. I spent a good hour to an hour and a half walking around the fort shooting pics and reading the storyboards. No one came to open the building, no sign of any activity. Then it dawned on me...we don't really want to remember how the Indians tried to rise up against the establishment and what are ancestors did to beat them back down and steal everything they valued.

  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Fort_Ridgely

• 

  Cody T.

  Traveler

  

  Jul. 24, 2017

  Fort Ridgely State Park Campground

  Ft. Ridgley horse camp

  We stayed at Ft. Ridgley horse camp. Very nice horse camp, with electric hookups, and water at every site. Bathrooms and showers right in horse camp, and a nice little creek about 50 ft behind our site, that our boys loved playing in!! Nice trails, I wish there were a few more miles, but over all very decent. We had a great time.

• 

  Amber S.

  Guide

  

  Mar. 20, 2017

  Fort Ridgely State Park Campground

  Nice Hiking, Camping Seems Very RV Heavy

  The hiking here is actually challenging and the open fields in lavender bloom are beautiful. There is also some nice history to the park so a great lesson for kids especially.

  The camping however is very exposed and close to each spot. Also when I went through the grounds it was crammed full of RVs. It honestly seems to have tons of access for RVs so if that is your flavor I would suggest this park.

• 

  Jason S.

  Guide

  

  Jun. 9, 2016

  Fort Ridgely State Park Campground

  Hidden Gem of a Park

  It's a great park in an area of Minnesota that is not well traveled. There's also a lot of history here with an interesting museum on the U.S.-Dakota Conflict of 1862.