Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Nerstrand, MN

Are you in need of a campground near Nerstrand, MN? Nerstrand is filled with the activities, sights, and experiences to make everyone in your crew a happy camper. You're sure to find the perfect campground for your Nerstrand camping trip.

Best Dog-Friendly Sites Near Nerstrand, Minnesota (81)

    1. Nerstrand Big Woods State Park Campground

    35 Reviews
    Nerstrand, MN
    2 miles
    Website
    +1 (507) 333-4840

    "To be on the safe side, incase we had issues, we decided to stay close to home so we decided to hit up a new park, Nerstrand Big Woods State Park just outside Northfield, Minnesota."

    "Nerstrand is nestled just outside Faribault MN. The town has a great downtown area on the river with places to eat and little shops."

    2. Lake Byllesby Regional Park

    11 Reviews
    Cannon Falls, MN
    13 miles
    Website
    +1 (507) 263-4447

    "Near lake and excellent bike path. Great brewery and winery close by."

    "Lakeside sites are close together, with W/E hookups, but they’re right in the lake with a wonderful view. The facilities are very clean and well-kept."

    3. Lake Byllesby Campground

    7 Reviews
    Cannon Falls, MN
    13 miles
    Website
    +1 (651) 480-7770

    $39 - $60 / night

    "We didn’t get to swim at the lake because it was shut down due to a chemical spill at the time, but we did walk over and check it out. The views are great! We stayed in a RV spot next to the lake."

    "Sites were so easy and the bike trails were awesome! Lots of nature paths too."

    4. Rice Lake Campground — Rice Lake State Park

    13 Reviews
    Owatonna, MN
    17 miles
    Website
    +1 (507) 455-5871

    "My only complaint was how close together the walk-in sites were."

    "Beautiful forested area just outside Owatonna. Easy drive past beautiful farms to town. Camp host told us mosquitoes were light this year; they seemed plentiful to me!"

    5. Cannon Falls Campground

    5 Reviews
    Cannon Falls, MN
    15 miles
    Website
    +1 (507) 263-3145

    "Close to the Twin Cities yet out in the country. Mostly grass sites. Beautiful pool. Susan and Brad are wonderful hosts and very accommodating. We took our grandkids and they had a blast!"

    "Nearby are bike trails, a winery, and a brewery."

    6. Sakatah Lake State Park Campground

    24 Reviews
    Waterville, MN
    25 miles
    Website
    +1 (507) 362-4438

    "Great park if you’re not looking to drive too far to enjoy a bit of nature. Wonderful hiking paths and biking paths.

    Our site was nice a secluded and right next to the trail heads."

    "Sites are wooded and shady but some are close to neighboring sites. Not too many mosquitos or flies for August in Minnesota! Sakatah Singing Hills paved trail runs through the park. "

    7. Lebanon Hills Regional Park

    42 Reviews
    Apple Valley, MN
    30 miles
    Website
    +1 (651) 480-7773

    $24 - $42 / night

    "Professional built mtn bike trails for adventure. Camping in Minnesota suburbs. Miles of hiking, horseback riding, cross country ski trails. . perfect for my family's weekend Stay-cation"

    "It has nice clean bathrooms and it's a great place to walk your pets, they do have 3 different areas to camp but we always use the full hook-ups

    The people at check-in are always so friendly, and very"

    8. Cannon River Wilderness Area

    2 Reviews
    Faribault, MN
    9 miles
    Website

    "We found a site tucked away from people which is what we like. We set up hammocks right next to the river."

    9. Roberds Lake Resort and Campground

    1 Review
    Faribault, MN
    13 miles
    Website
    +1 (507) 332-8978

    10. River View Campground

    7 Reviews
    Owatonna, MN
    22 miles
    Website
    +1 (507) 451-8050

    "Outside of this the children spent most of the weekend in the pool!"

    "Neighbors decided movie night was important with surround sound but over all I would stay here again.

    Lots of seasonal golf cart traffic and kids on bikes."

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Dog-Friendly Camping Reviews near Nerstrand, MN

589 Reviews of 81 Nerstrand Campgrounds


  • C Torey S.
    Apr. 17, 2019

    Lebanon Hills Regional Park

    Hiking, biking, camping & more

    Lebanon hills has everything for the family. Schultz Beach for summer fun. Professional built mtn bike trails for adventure. Camping in Minnesota suburbs. Miles of hiking, horseback riding, cross country ski trails. . perfect for my family's weekend Stay-cation

  • Peter R.
    Jun. 8, 2017

    Frontenac State Park Campground

    Beautiful Bluffs

    We decided to make a spontaneous camping trip one weekend and found ourselves at Frontenac. The cart-in site we were at was very spacious but wasn't as secluded as we would have hoped. We didn't feel claustrophobic by any means but we could see several other sites from ours. We went early in the year and maybe the summer growth solves that problem. Bathrooms nearby but no water available. It was also windy enough in the evening that we called it an early night but I think that was just a front movingly through and had less to do with the hill we were on.

    We went on a hike that showed off the wonderful bluffs along the Mississippi. As far as camping in Minnesota goes we prefer the options on the North Shore, but really enjoyed Frontenac and will be back to continue exploring.

  • Beth B.The Dyrt PRO User
    Jul. 4, 2025

    Dakotah Meadows RV Park

    Quiet and safe

    Small little campground next to large casino. We lucked out and were able to stay 2 nights without reservations….only had to move because they were fully booked for the 4th…large concert event happening across the street. You will need to call early in the day to talk to office staff…who are very friendly. If after hours and there are no spots, you can dry dock in large lot in front of office. There is fuel on site as well as RV wash station. Bath house and laundry and card controlled ($5 card deposit on check in)…well maintained facilities. Dog park available, watch a few spots in fence near bottom where fencing has risen up…little dogs could easily climb under. Very convenient for visiting Minneapolis…25/30 minutes from airport/Mall of America (Aquarium) and Security patrols regularly and there is shuttle if you want to visit casino. Pool at hotel is not included. Golf attraction is being completed next door so there was some construction traffic during day as expected.

  • Allison  K.
    Aug. 1, 2019

    Nerstrand Big Woods State Park Campground

    Enjoyment for every age!

    The winter was a long one last year and we were itching to take our new 30foot Jayco Eagle bunkhouse travel trailer out for its maiden voyage! We decided that my birthday weekend was the perfect opportunity to do just that. To be on the safe side, incase we had issues, we decided to stay close to home so we decided to hit up a new park, Nerstrand Big Woods State Park just outside Northfield, Minnesota. This park is only an hour from the twin cities and very convenient for a weekend getaway after work on friday.

    We stayed In campsite 27 which was an electric campsite that was pretty open to all the other campsites. Most of the campsites there were really open and you could see and other peoples campsites so if that’s not your style of camping I wouldn’t go to Nerstrand big Woods. There is also water hook up at the park in that site and some of the other sites but that wasn’t listed when we booked the site.

    The park office was just a short walk or a bike ride from the campsites and had a very nice gift shop and bathrooms there. There is also a really nice shower and bathroom building right next to the campground host site. Just off the campground was a really nice playground for the kids that utilized tree stumps and tree branches as the playground. There was a really large picnic area and picnic shelter also.

    Along with electric sites there’s also just tent sites without electric if that’s your style camping.

    Nerstrand Big Woods Is very well known for its beautiful waterfall that you can walk on and the trail leading to the waterfall was also a great hike.

    All in all I think Nerstrand Big Woods was a good choice for a weekend getaway for a little family of four. And it gave us a lot to do because in The little city of Northfield there was a lot of little shops and cute little restaurants to eat at the shop at. Northfield is also home to the Malt-o-meal Museum and production. My husband and I are big craft brewery fans And we’re pretty stoked to find out that there were three breweries around the park. We visited Tanzenwald and Chapel brewery and tried flights at each one. Out of the two we thought Tanzenwald was the best for staff friendliness and prices. Each flight we got a 4 5ounce pours were only 4$. There was also a restaurant at that brewery with really good cheese curds.

    We decided that Nerstrand Isn’t our favorite park but it’s a good option for us to be able to get away in short notice close to home with a lot of activities around for us to do.

  • Jennifer H.The Dyrt PRO User
    Oct. 26, 2023

    Tresure Island RV Park

    Crowded park, nice people

    We were here for a night to see a concert at the amphitheater and everyone was super friendly. It was easy to check in, and we were able to do laundry and shower which was great. It’s mostly gravel but they have some tent sites on the grass. They are dog friendly and have some grassy areas to walk your pets which was great.

  • MickandKarla W.The Dyrt PRO User
    Sep. 21, 2023

    Crystal Springs RV Resort

    Nice Campground

    As the campground(CG) is right off the interstate, it was easy to get to. Our check-in package was ready when we arrived at the little self-registration building at the entrance. We had requested site 40, where we had stayed two years ago, but they gave us back-in site 41 instead on the little lake. The utilities are in the middle of the site and worked well with water pressure near 45 psi. The sites are decently spaced for this type of CG. They have WiFi, but their info packet states it's not good enough for streaming but okay for email, etc. We got 3 bars on Verizon and used our MiFi since we were only here for two nights. The CG is right off I-35, so you do get some highway noise. This CG is very well kept, with mostly seasonal and permanent parties. We came in with two other 5th wheels and had no problem getting sites, but we did reserve well before our arrival. There was not a formal dog park, but there was plenty of area to walk your dog. We noted that this CG was featured in RV Life’s 2023 Discover The Best RV Parks& Resorts In Every State with this narrative:"This family-owned campground prides itself on cleanliness; there is an owner on-site around the clock to ensure it stays in top condition. The park is beautifully landscaped and has both pull-thru and back-in sites. All sites(some are waterfront) are level and offer full hookups and free Wi-Fi. There are onsite restrooms and laundry facilities that are kept sparkling clean. They also offer a lending library of books and movies. There is a large pond on the property that is perfect for fishing, kayaking, and other water sports, and there is a walking path that circles the pond." Check out the Spam Museum in Austin, MN. We thought the museum would be cheesy, but it was a nice facility and a great experience. The CG deserved this praise, and we again enjoyed our stay.

  • Ashley K.
    Jul. 18, 2018

    Nerstrand Big Woods State Park Campground

    Not too shabby

    Nerstrand is a good state park located outside of Fairbault, MN. Nerstrand is wet accommodating to camper with large, slightly wooded sites and nice bathroom facilities. Nertrand is lacking good secluded walking trails. Majority of trails come together into the main trail. The main trail doesn’t have much support especially when it is muddy. They do have a nice waterfall to visit but that is the main attraction.

  • Nick K.
    Jun. 29, 2019

    Nerstrand Big Woods State Park Campground

    The big woods secret

    Nerstrand is nestled just outside Faribault MN. The town has a great downtown area on the river with places to eat and little shops. Our kids especially loved the little ice cream and sub shop in downtown. And let’s be honest the adults loved it to.

    The campground is kind of open to each site. Our site looked directly into two other sites and the site was tore up due to a larger truck parking there before us. Which the park could not control.

    The walk from the campground to hidden falls if you take the back way down is very steep going down and coming back up. There is a separate trail that leads from the main parking area down to the falls which has stairs and is a much easier walk.

    Once you get to the falls your greeted by a waterfall that is approximately 14 feet high that you can easily walk across the creek and go under the falls.

    Flowers at the park are very beautiful with a kind that I can’t remember that only blooms within the park area and a few select areas outside.

    There is also an obstacle course made from tree logs that the kids loved. They built a plastic slide into the side of a hill and used logs as the steps to climb up.

    Bathrooms were very well maintained and they had several private showers with locking doors.

    Overall the camping experience was a great one at Nerstrand and we would love to go back with it’s close proximity to the twin cities.


Guide to Nerstrand

Discover the joy of camping with your furry friends near Nerstrand, Minnesota, where several campgrounds welcome pets and offer a range of amenities and activities for an enjoyable outdoor experience.

Tips for camping with dogs near Nerstrand

Dog-friendly activities while camping near Nerstrand

Pet owners appreciate the amenities

  • Campers at Shades of Sherwood Campground enjoy clean facilities and a variety of activities for both kids and pets, including tubing and swimming.
  • The friendly atmosphere at Roberds Lake Resort and Campground makes it a great spot for families traveling with pets, featuring a private beach and boat rentals.
  • With ample space and well-maintained grounds, Rice County McCullough Park is perfect for pet owners looking for a quiet getaway with plenty of room for their dogs to roam.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular dog-friendly campsite near Nerstrand, MN?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dog-friendly campground near Nerstrand, MN is Nerstrand Big Woods State Park Campground with a 4.4-star rating from 35 reviews.

What is the best site to find dog-friendly camping near Nerstrand, MN?

TheDyrt.com has all 81 dog-friendly camping locations near Nerstrand, MN, with real photos and reviews from campers.