Best Equestrian Camping near New London, MN

Well staffed with nice people. Clean, well maintained. Nice beach area, but crowded. 81 campsite was nice because it was secluded, but close to the bathrooms. Short drive in to cute town of New London.

Sibley State Park isn't the most amazing park in Minnesota, however it's still a very nice little campground! We came a little too early in spring so the trees weren't quite green yet, but I'm sure we will be back in the fall to see the beautiful colors from the tower lookout! I would definitely recommend going up the tower, it's pretty easy not allot of stairs and you have quite the view up there! Also nearby is the small town of New London, I would check it out! The Goat Ridge Brewery is fairly new and is definitely worth the stop!! They have a back patio right along the river near the dam with fire pits back there to enjoy your brews! They brew a pretty good root beer too for the kids!

I've stayed in both campgrounds here. The campground closest to the lake isn't very private but the sites are spacious. Has a clean bathroom for showering. There are a lot of hiking and biking trails and you will see many different kinds of birds and wildlife. Lake Andrew is a big and clean lake with a swimming beach, canoe rentals, and a fishing pier. It's located close to the small town of new London which is fun to wander through. I would recommend the hike to mount Tom to check out that view!

I went early in the spring for camping at this park and ended up staying in the cabin – it was sort of a, I wanna get out of the city, let’s go camping, oh the campground is still closed sort of last minute trip. I can’t comment on the facilities, as the water wasn’t even back on for the season yet (March 30). The park has two campgrounds from what I saw; one with cabins and tent sites near the wilderness center and one on Andrew Lake. The lake was BEAUTIFUL at sunset. I drove all the way around and took pictures. Lots and lots of wildlife around at this one too! Fun little café in New London (Middle Fork) – delicious French toast and friendly service; seemed like a place the locals went!

We thoroughly enjoyed the hiking trails here. Plenty of space to socially distance. Equestrian camping area is nice and plenty of horse trails too. The biggest hit for me was the newly remodeled beach area on Lake Andrew. Plenty of space and a nice “fishing” pier to hang out at. They rent kayaks there too!!

Very nice quiet horse camp. Could use more horse trails, only about 12 miles worth of trails for horses.

Glacial Lakes is approximately two hours from my home, which makes it an ideal campground to make an impulse day trip if the weather is right. If you are coming from the Twin Cities you pass through a lot of countryside with the occasional house or small town. Despite it being a slightly shorter drive than the trip to Duluth from my house, it felt like eternity in comparison. It also felt very very unlike the Minnesota that I’m familiar with. 

It was a relief to get Lake Minnewaska, which is enormous and the little lake community gives you something to gape at. It also means that you are almost there- thank goodness. Glacial Lakes is relatively unknown considering its proximity to the twin cities, and the scale of its facilities definitely reflect that. 

The entrance station was closed when we were there, but it looked nice and it is on the newer side. The parking area at the end of the road is not expansive, so come early if you are doing a day trip on amazingly nice days. I didn’t see the the group campsite or the Lower Campground(or the cabins that are in it) because the road was closed off to it, so I can’t speak on the quality of those campsites, but I’m assuming that they are nice because there is actually a restroom/shower building there. 

I would not camp at the Oak Ridge Campground. The sites were rarely level and generally on top of each other with minimal privacy. There are also a handful of hike-in sites. Kettle Lake hike-in campsite is the iconic image of camping at this park thanks to the two little lakes that butt up right next to each other right at your campsite. I also wouldn’t camp here because there is no shade and I would cart-in, but NOT hike-in to a shadeless campsite. 

Reviews of this park also mention a lot of ticks, so keep that in mind. There is also horse camping! Minimal shade here too, but there were some young trees. The road to the horse camping is NOT wide enough for two vehicles to pass, so if you are coming here with your equine friends cross your fingers that you don’t encounter anyone on that road. 

We visited for the very first time on a nice day in March. The main parking area is in a wooded area, so you have to hike through quite a bit of hilly woods to get to the prairie section. This meant that there were a few treacherous icy and/or muddy spots despite the surrounding areas being snow-free. It also meant wading over a boardwalk that was covered in water that got higher on our way back from all the melting ice. 

The prairie part was definitely beautiful and I will definitely visit again when the spring flowers are in bloom or on a nice fall day when the grass changes color. I don’t think it will be a park that I frequent often though, mostly because of the never-ending drive. We did the High Peak Trail, which was a nice point with a strong wind that almost ripped my beanie off the day that we visited.

The trails in the park have nice rolling hills and offer a unique type of beauty. The campground is small, but offers some electric sites as well as some primitive sites. I do believe there were 2 or 3 cabins that I saw. Unsure if there is a group camp with this campground being so small as it is. Firewood is available at the check in/office building. There is a bathroom/shower building in the loop with the electric sites. The electric loop and primitive loops both have vault toilets. Each loop also has a few water stations to fill containers with potable water and each loop has a dumpster for disposing of waste. Not sure if there is a dump station for RVs as I typically use a tent when camping. Nice state park in Rural central Minnesota

This state park uniquely showcases an ecologic transition zone between hardwood forest, savannah, and prairie. There are also local history connections. As a bird watcher, I was very excited to see birds here that I dont usually see at home in northern Minnesota, and to learn a bit more about glaciation in this area and about prairie and savannah habitats. The park has self guided hikes, educational nature programs, and learning kits for birding and more that you can check out at the ranger station. The lakeshore is pretty, and the lakeside campground is green and leafy with mature trees but the campsites are very close together, and the beachfront and bath house are currently closed for renovation which puts a damper on waterfront activities. Away from the lake is another campground in the oak savanna section of the park, and this campground seems quieter with more spacious sites, although they are more open. The park’s camper cabins are located here and are in a very pretty setting tucked into a little hill, though a bit of a walk to the bathrooms and showerhouse. At both campgrounds there are nice ADA sites which are level, spacious and accessible, and also close to the bathrooms. I was at a conference in nearby Willmar, and this park is a good alternative for lodging if you need to be in the area. If you are really into learning more about prairies and local glacial geology, the nearby Prairie Environmental Learning Center is fantastic to visit, and lots of prairie pothole WMAs are also closeby for waterfowl watching

This park has everything from bike trails, hiking trails, look out tower at the top of Mount Tom, to swimming and fishing. Close to our home so we go often!

Not my favorite campground. Sites are very cramped

Fun spot not far from the Twin Cities. Campsites are nicely spaced and pretty secluded. Nice trails, beach, and beach rentals.

We stayed at the Oak Ridge campground in early fall. Campground was clean and quiet. Bathrooms were clean but cold (as to be expected when not heated.) Felt very secluded with many trail options for hiking. Hiking to Mt Tom was a nice easy hike to do with kids and a dog. The view was a nice bonus in the end.

This was a nice campground and great hiking.

Camped in site 81 in the Oak Ridge campground - this site was big enough for three tents, was nicely shaded and had great access to water and a bathroom w/shower. Was perfect for our group of 4. Saw a polite racoon that wandered into our campsite and then promptly left once we got it in our headlamps, we saw no evidence of its return once we turned in for the night.

Bugs at the camp site were minimal, a little heavier on the trail but nothing bug spray couldn't handle. Heard sites were very close at Lakeview so chose Oak Ride, but felt they were still pretty close and had many vehicles traveling on the one way drive from 10p until midnight. If you're a light sleeper or early to bed might be a challenge at this state park. 

It was a short walk to the interpretive center and the Mt Tom trail. Beautiful views of the oak savannahs from the Mt Tom overlook and the big blue stem was just starting to fill out in the surrounding prairies. Swimming at Lake Andrew was fantastic and the beach was full of people enjoying the lake. 

Overall a great park to spend a weekend at!

We had a site at the Oak Ridge campground. Each site was very enclosed by trees & it made it really cozy & private. We went down to the lake to see it, but didn’t go swimming so I have no opinion of it. The Lakeside campground looked nice too so I’ll have to try to reserve a spot on that side sometime in the future. We were only there one day so we didn’t explore a whole lot.

Swimming was great! Cute little store by the beach. Sites we’re pretty close together but it was still an enjoyable time!

We had a great site with plenty of room for my large family. The campground was clean and nice with plenty of area for the kids to explore. The strong wind off the lake made fishing from shore nearly impossible. Only one dock was in the water, but the kids loved the beach.

Nice campground. Bathrooms clean but dated. Beautiful swimming beach short walk from campground. Good hiking trails. Good biking trails nearby.

We tent camped at Sibley State Park from August 31 through September 3, 2022, in drive-in campsite #91 of the Oak Ridge campground. It was a last minute trip for us, right before the Labor Day weekend. We had the non-electric loop all to ourselves from Wednesday through midday Friday, and then the campground was a non-stop hub of activity as more campers arrived for the holiday weekend.

The park has two campgrounds. Oak Ridge is mostly wooded with some prairie sites and is more private. Lakeview is very open without privacy between campsites, but it has some mature trees for shade and is close to the beach and picnic area.

The reservation website mostly does not include tent pad dimensions, so we took a chance on a site not knowing whether our 10x14 tent would fit. Luckily, it did. Site #91 was spacious and wooded on three sides. We walked both campgrounds to check for non-electric sites that would accommodate our tent. If you have a large tent, consider these campsites: Oak Ridge 77, 78, 81, 83, 84, 87, 88, 90, 91, 93, and 94; Lakeview 46, 66, and 70.

The park is beautiful. There are lots of trails, a very nice beach and picnic area, and lots of wildflowers. We saw a lot of wildlife, including deer, raccoons, rabbits, squirrels, chipmunks, turkeys, song birds, butterflies, and frogs.

The high point in the park is Mt. Tom, and there is a trail to its peak. If you don’t want to do the hike, you can drive most of the way then walk a short, paved, moderately inclined path to the top. The view is lovely.

The biting bugs weren’t too bad during the day, but they were plentiful and aggressive in the evening. Remember your insect repellent!

Busy place but nice trails

Nice quiet little park. Not to far from home. Sites are nice and the restrooms and showers are close.

Nice beach for swimming. Shower and bathrooms available in the campground. Each site has a picnic table and fire ring. Firewood is available at the office for about $6 per bundle. There are 2 campgrounds in the park.

Every weekend have something different going on to do