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Best Glamping near Owatonna, MN

128 Reviews

Rice Lake State Park, located just outside Owatonna, houses luxury canvas glamping accommodations nestled in a beautiful forested setting. The park's upscale tents feature comfortable bedding, electricity, and private outdoor spaces while maintaining a natural woodland experience. Sakatah Lake State Park Campground and Kieslers Clear Lake Campground also offer premium glamping options with amenities like climate control, quality linens, and rustic-chic furnishings. These boutique camping experiences provide the perfect balance of outdoor immersion and comfort, with several sites offering panoramic lake views and private fire pits. Most glamping accommodations include picnic tables, drinking water access, and proximity to modern bathroom facilities with hot showers. One visitor noted, "Beautiful forested area just outside Owatonna. Easy drive past beautiful farms to town."

The surrounding area boasts excellent opportunities for nature appreciation with hiking trails winding through hardwood forests and along peaceful lakeshores. Glampers can enjoy water activities on Rice Lake and Sakatah Lake, though swimming options are limited at some locations. Wildlife viewing is exceptional, with guests regularly spotting barred owls, sandhill cranes, eagles, and various songbirds. Bike enthusiasts appreciate the paved Sakatah Singing Hills Trail that runs from Faribault to Mankato for 39 miles through scenic countryside. According to a camper, "I was so amazed with all the sounds of birds in this park. I heard everything from eagles, Canadian geese and swans to woodpeckers and multiple song birds." Most glamping sites are available from April through October, with advance reservations recommended for these popular unique glamping experiences.

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Best Glamping Sites Near Owatonna, Minnesota (16)

    1. Rice Lake Campground — Rice Lake State Park

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

    "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!"

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

    2. Sakatah Lake State Park Campground

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

    "It was mid April so no water at the sites but had electric in ours. We were able to get potable water at the entrance. And firewood. Had great trails to walk and bike on. Sites are spaced out."

    "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."

    3. Kieslers Clear Lake Campground

    3 Reviews
    Waseca, MN
    13 miles
    Website
    +1 (507) 835-3179

    "Plenty for kids to do and the staff was great"

    "There was a pretty bad storm that came through and the staff was quick to clean up downed branches and help all the folks who got damage."

    4. White Fox — Myre-Big Island State Park

    22 Reviews
    Albert Lea, MN
    32 miles
    Website
    +1 (507) 379-3403

    "We arrived on a Sunday and stopped at the Park Welcome area. We got the last spot with electric for 3 nights. Nice staff! Ice was available."

    "We had an electric site. Very level and clean. Nice fire pit and located right next to the lake. Only downside was the site was electric only."

    5. Lake Byllesby Regional Park

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

    "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!"

    "All spots have a lake view and the beach is within walking distance. We love it here. It’s not to easy to get spots on the holiday weekends, but somehow we managed it"

    6. Oakwoods Trails Campground

    6 Reviews
    Austin, MN
    29 miles
    Website
    +1 (507) 437-6165

    "Bathroom and shower available. Each site has a fire pit and picnic table. Some sites suitable for hammock camping."

    "This sites are spread out enough that you have a little privacy and each site has a fire pit and picnic table. This area is actually part of the owners farm.

    Bonus, it’s dog friendly."

    7. Bray County Park

    5 Reviews
    Mankato, MN
    28 miles
    Website
    +1 (507) 243-3885

    "Even before we arrived, the camp host called me to see if I wanted to pay my bill before we came so I didn't have to bother coming to the office."

    "There was a vault toilet near by and full bathrooms a short walk away. The showers by the lake could use some updating but the bathrooms by the bigger loop are very nice and clean."

    8. KOA Kampgrounds of America

    4 Reviews
    Hayward, MN
    30 miles
    Website
    +1 (507) 373-5170

    "Check in was quick, spots were easy to pull into, the bathrooms were really clean, and it was surprisingly quiet despite the proximity to the highway. "

    "We stopped for the night driving between Black Hills and Chicago and the service was awesome. The hosts called to tell us about construction and give us alternative directions."

    9. Shades of Sherwood Campground

    1 Review
    Zumbrota, MN
    28 miles
    Website
    +1 (507) 732-5100

    "Great tent sites some along river lots of activities for children and adults tubing down the river, man-made lake with blowups, scooters, swimming poolAnd jumping pillow."

    10. Cleary Lake Regional Park

    7 Reviews
    Prior Lake, MN
    41 miles
    Website
    +1 (763) 694-7777

    $16 - $50 / night

    "I imagine in the middle of summer, it might feel slightly less secluded as there are 3 other sites relatively close by, one of which you have to walk through to get to this one, but in early September,"

    "Amazing bathroom/Showers. Quiet, lots of flies, good spot overall. The golfing nearby that seemed reasonably priced for those interested."

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Recent Glamping Photos near Owatonna, MN

4 Photos of 16 Owatonna Campgrounds

Glamping Reviews near Owatonna, MN

128 Reviews of 16 Owatonna Campgrounds

  • B
    Jun. 7, 2021

    Whitetail Woods Camper Cabins

    Great camper cabins for spring and fall

    Each cabin has four sleeping spots: 2 bunk beds, and the 2 couches convert to beds. There's a heater inside, but no AC, which makes these the most suitable during the spring and fall.

    There is a fire ring outside of each cabin, along with a table. No cooking is allowed inside the cabins, which can make things rough if the weather isn't cooperating. 

    We enjoy hiking around the trails, but we primarily go to decompress, lounge around, and play games, read, etc. There's WiFi available, but depending on which cabin you reserve signal will be took weak for real usage. Same for mobile data -- don't plan on cell service here.

    The bathroom facilities are nice. Outside water is shut off during some parts of the year, so bring your own drinking water if you are camping close to/during winter.

    Cabins are accessible for those who need special assistance, which is nice. The only caveat is I don't recall there being an automatic door opener to the cabins.

    While the cabins are close together, noise is not a factor once you're inside. 

    It's difficult to get reservations, so I recommend trying to start booking 120 days in advance, which is the farthest out you can reserve. For example, as of this review (early June), all weekends are booked for all cabins.

  • Mark N.The Dyrt PRO User
    Sep. 25, 2021

    Chester Woods Park

    Nice County Park

    Nice park for everyone’s type from tents, cabins and all size RV’s. Electric only at the camp sites but have water and dump station on site. Clean bathrooms and showers. Best value I’ve seen for fire wood. Has many walking trails that you can take your dog on and just a couple that you can’t.

  • Scott M.The Dyrt PRO User
    Dec. 22, 2022

    Whitetail Woods Camper Cabins

    Great Cold Weather Option

    Super simple camping cabins. They each have 4 spots and have contactless entry as you get sent a code to use. There is no cooking inside the cabin so you have to use the fire ring outside. Shower facilities are really nice and match the cabins. Plan ahead as these are hard to come by.

  • Brian K.
    May. 7, 2017

    Chester Woods Park

    Great weekend spot!

    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.

  • S
    Aug. 10, 2021

    White Fox — Myre-Big Island State Park

    Peaceful

    We arrived on a Sunday and stopped at the Park Welcome area. We got the last spot with electric for 3 nights. Nice staff! Ice was available.

    $34/night plus Minnesota State Park pass @ $8/day.😩

    Not super spacious but very comfortable distance between spaces. Well maintained dirt road in campground. Grassy and mowed. Nice big trees! Water spigots. Very nice individual, clean rooms for showers.

    Two separate campground loops in the White Fox area and another couple loops half mile down the road

    The lake is gorgeous but just a few places to get to the water. Saw a sign on the park door saying kayaks and canoes available to rent.

    Six miles of paved, but badly in need of care, is a bike path that meanders through thick forest and open grassy fields. Follows the lake and heads close to the town of Albert Lea.

    We saw a guy setting out electric scooters that were available to rent which looked like fun!

    Birds and deer abound.

    Walmart 2 miles away!

  • Julian B.
    Sep. 4, 2018

    White Fox — Myre-Big Island State Park

    Quiet Spot Near a Tranquil Lake

    Got to this campground late in the evening. Check in was a breeze and easy to find and pull into the site. We had an electric site. Very level and clean. Nice fire pit and located right next to the lake. Only downside was the site was electric only. No option for full hookup but water was located between the sites. Dump station was clean and modern and located close by.

  • GoWhereYouAreDraw N.The Dyrt PRO User
    May. 27, 2019

    Sakatah Lake State Park Campground

    There is plenty to do for the outdoor enthusiasts

    We biked the Sakatah Singing Hills Trail from Faribault, MN to Mankato, MN (39 miles). The whole trail was paved, which was really nice and runs through hardwoods forest. We camped in Sakatah State Park and then explored the City of Mankato. Sakatah Lake is a relatively calm lake and seems like a great place to kayak.

    They have 5 bike-in campsites near the trail. Other campsites include drive-in sites, electric sites, group sites, and camper cabins. The campsites are secluded just enough so that one feels like they are camping in the woods by themselves.  Unlike a lot of campgrounds, Sakatah State Park has its fire pits above ground. Very nice for keeping warm. Amenities at the campground include showers, flush toilets, vault toilets, dump stations.

  • Tracy O.
    May. 25, 2021

    Sakatah Lake State Park Campground

    Close drive to Minneopa!

    We stayed here while visiting Minneopa state park. The campground was nice. It was mid April so no water at the sites but had electric in ours. We were able to get potable water at the entrance. And firewood. Had great trails to walk and bike on. Sites are spaced out. Our 34’ trailer fit easily. Vault toilets on site. Bathrooms were closed (covid). The loops near the entrance had more shade. Spaces are large and accommodating!

  • Ken K.
    Aug. 7, 2022

    White Fox — Myre-Big Island State Park

    Stop over between other parks

    I've been using this as a night over stop before going on to the Black Hills or on my way back home. The first time I stayed the night over there it was a nightmare just because of this family or group of people showed up late and didn't comprehend quiet hours. So needless to say I had little to no sleep.

    The other times I've stayed there it was quiet and not too many people around. Kind of buggy but that's expected with the water and all the shade.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular glamping campsite near Owatonna, MN?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular glamping campground near Owatonna, MN is Rice Lake Campground — Rice Lake State Park with a 3.7-star rating from 13 reviews.

What is the best site to find glamping camping near Owatonna, MN?

TheDyrt.com has all 16 glamping camping locations near Owatonna, MN, with real photos and reviews from campers.

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