Best Equestrian Camping near Nerstrand, MN

For a County Park, Lake Elmo has an impressive list of amenities. Before we even get to the campsite let's mention the filtered swimming pond. This man made pond is a sandy bottom and surrounded by a nice sand beach. Large built in umbrellas are available for sun coverage and there is a concession stand and bathrooms with showers. And yes, as I mentioned the water is filtered! No gross goose poop or green algae to deal with! Next to the swim pond is a giant playground with fun for the big and little kids. Other amenities include archery, horse trails, paved and grass trails, camper spots, rustic spots and hike in camping spots. In winter the xc ski trails are lit for evening skiing. Or let's be honest early afternoon. It is Minnesota and the suns down by 4 In the Winter! They also have a newer Nordic center that's open all year round and includes a locker room with showers. The hike in camp spot we chose was on a small lake so it had a nice breeze and made it easy to bring a kayak or paddleboard and hop right in. There is also a boat launch for your larger toys! The trails in the park are quite impressive for its size. We enjoyed a 5 mile loop off the Nordic center and right past the camp spot. A picnic table and fire pit as well as nice flat tent pad were provided. If you're coming in from out of town then you're just a 5 minute drive from Woodbury and all the amenities you'd ever need but the park feels miles away from it all.

Chester Woods is a county park just east of Rochester, MN. It has a campground and man-made lake (created when Bear Creek was dammed for a flood control project) with hiking trails, a horse trail, picnic shelters, a beach, and a playground. The campsites have nice, soft ground for tents, and electrical outlets are available. It can get noisy on the weekend, but the sites are nice along the edge of the campground.

The lake offers the opportunity to fish for panfish, catfish, and bass. There are a lot of submerged trees from before the Creek was dammed that provide good habitat in deep water, and there is also good shoreline structure and weed beds. There is a fish cleaning house next to the campground which has electric lighting, but no running water.

Nice clean campground very well maintained and free. Near Henderson, MN which is one of a kind small town well worth the visit for all. This is rustic with no hookups except very clean portapotty and hand lever water jack. Pick where to park in nice large grassy areas. A few areas are next to wild and deep ravines. Very nice large new play areas with slides for kids. Popular with a few horse trailers and riders on weekends because of COVID get to gather worries elsewhere. Friday morning before week end is best to get there in case of horse trailers to get nicer spot. Sometimes only a few campers are there. Call ahead to stay overnight so sheriff is aware. Not a lot of people know about it and is at end of long gravel road for peace and quiet. No problem for 5th wheels and tents both, pick your spot. Want to relax, chill out and visit your neighbors. This is worth the visit.

Lake Elmo County Park in Washington County Minnesota is a great park for families. There are a bunch of things to do including hiking, horseback riding, swimming in their filtered pond, boating and an insane playground. Our modern site 40 was in a great open location with a shaded edge. We had plenty of room to play, park the camper or set up tents. I can imagine in the heat of summer the lack of shade trees may be a hindrance to avoiding the noon day sun but there's always the amazing filtered swimming pond to go cool off in. Directly behind the site was a hiking trail that led us through woods, fields and prairie. The water source was just a couple campsites down but the bathrooms were a little farther so when coming with just tents you may want to search for a closer campsite. Overall clean and open.

Gulley that a large creek runs through surrounded by trees and large forested hills. The entire park is surrounded by farms, nearby are some really nice Minnesota small towns like Henderson and the somewhat larger St. Peter (but still small town). I hiked in about 1/2 a mile and camped in the trees but they also have some clearings closer to the entrance, with grills, where you could easily set up. $10 suggested donation. Trash bins located all over which is good , but the wind seems to blow debris around here and there, and irresponsible people leave their beer cans/water bottles strewn about, so pick them up if you find them like I did. Website and signage on location recommends to call the sheriff's office to let them know you're camping there which I did and they were nice enough, but it's probably not the end of the world if you don't. Overall this was a pleasant spot, especially being the only camper there, so hope you all enjoy! Places like this are what I love about The Dyrt, I don't think I would have found this otherwise.