Milaca is the perfect place for adventurous campers and RVers. Milaca is an adventure-filled destination for those who love the outdoorsy camper lifestyle. But it's also great for those who prefer to spend time near the city, exploring and sightseeing. Search nearby campsites and find top-rated spots from other campers.
$15 - $17 / night
"There are no reservations for the regular sites (although I do think they might take reservations for the equestrian and group sites)."
"Lots of close camp sites for larger groups near the entrance. The further back you go on the road, the more spread out sites get. There are a few walk-in sites that I absolutely love."
"Right on Lake Mille Lacs, one of Minnesota’s largest. Walking distance from the bakery and bar! Newer, updated facilities. Boat access. Lake side sites (if you book early enough)."
"Smaller sites and a little privacy in the lake campground. The ones next to the waters edge have a nice view and are more completely in the shade. The inner sites have more sun."
"This park is only about 50 minutes away from me, and for hiking/camping I only think it is worth a trip in the fall."
"I chose Lake Maria for a solo camping excursion because it was close to the Cities, but still offered the level of seclusion I wanted."
"Stayed in Petaga (drive in) spot #52."
"This is one campground in Minnesota that offers a handful of electric hookups for winter camping."
$40 - $75 / night
"Nice river nearby canoeing swimming pool fireplaces and little store for treats."
$35 / night
"This is a big park with a diversity of hiking, equestrian, and canoeing options. Since the park runs along the St. Croix, there are beautiful river-side walks to be had."
"Nice park, scenic trails, horses on the way in."
$21 / night
"Tent camp here once and a while, but finally got around to officially doing the hiking club trail."
"Nice trails along the Mississippi River, easy to walk, good signage on trails, and good information signs with history of each site along the trail.
Very Clean men’s bathroom."
$20 - $32 / night
"I was very happy with the trails and accommodations available to me, during my stay."
"It has a golf course, a restaurant is on the grounds, there is a stable with horses/ponies that you can take guided trail rides on, a water park(it is called The Beach, which was very confusing for us"
$25 / night
$15 / night
"So as a result the Riverbend group equestrian campground is now the parking lot for day visitors through at least August. "
"This is my all-time favorite park to bring my horse to, and it's her favorite trail too. Seriously, when we head back to our trailer she will stop and refuse to proceed."
LegendDuring these COVID times everyone wants to get out and about more, which means that the main parking lot for the park that used to be mostly designated for horse trailer parking is now overrun with family vehicles. So as a result the Riverbend group equestrian campground is now the parking lot for day visitors through at least August.
In normal times you can rent this group campsite for$70-$80 a night, which is ridiculously cheap considering that you can fit quite a bit of horse trailers on here. The information for this site states you can put 10 horse trailers on this lot, but I have definitely seen groups camp here with more. The barn stalls are available for use (unlike the Blue Stem horse site), otherwise there are overhead horse hitch lines.
This campground is nicely maintained and has nice mature trees that a lot of people set up hammocks in. The vault toilet near the barn is nice, there are no showers. Be aware that the road into this group site only is wide enough for one vehicle at a time, so far I’ve been lucky to not encounter another vehicle as I’m entering or leaving.
RangerWell, it snowed … in late March. I stayed in the campground in late March, 2025. This is a big park with a diversity of hiking, equestrian, and canoeing options. Since the park runs along the St. Croix, there are beautiful river-side walks to be had. There are also Oak Savanna trails. Several trails are for horses, but that isn’t my scene. I stayed in the campground for two nights. It was cold, rainy, and that turned into 5” of snow. Like many MN State Park campgrounds, you are close to your neighbors with no real private offerings. I stayed in site 66e. It was a typical site with nothing bad nor special about it. The hike to the former Dam site is the neatest thing about the park. I recommend reading the historical information at the site of the dam. Having been here once, I see no reason to come back.
LegendThis is my all-time favorite park to bring my horse to, and it's her favorite trail too. Seriously, when we head back to our trailer she will stop and refuse to proceed. Do a 180 on the trail and she is happy to trot away from the trailer. Horse camping is available in two locations in the park, even though once when I was there a family was camping in the parking with their horses. Apparently they got the cops called on them by some other park patrons who didn't believe that this was an option. At the time it was marked as a camping location on the map, but that may have changed.
The best place to be bug-free happens to be the sandy prairie trails, the wooded areas are nice but you may want to hustle out of there if you don't have enough bug protection. For non-horse riders some parts of the trail out in the open prairie might be a bit sandy. Also important to note- bikes are NOT allowed on the trails. Absolutely gorgeous in the fall. Pit toilets are available and there is water available at the entrance off of Park drive, not sure about the other locations.
GuideIf you’re the kind of camper who measures a site by how many tail wags it inspires, then Campsite 2 at Elm Creek Horse Camp is barking up the right tree.🌲🐶 Tucked away near the archery range(don’t worry—nobody’s aiming at your pup), this campsite offers a solid patch of peace where dogs can sniff, stretch, and settle in by the fire. The ground is mostly level—perfect for a tent and a sturdy dog bed—and the trails? Chef’s kiss. Plenty of new smells, shaded stretches, and squirrels for days. Now, to be clear—this is a horse camp first and foremost. So if your dog isn’t a fan of our four-hooved friends, you might want to steer clear. But if they’re cool with horses and know how to heel when a giant gelding struts by, they’ll be just fine. A few bones to pick: There’s not much privacy between sites, so if your dog’s a talker, your neighbors might get a serenade. And while$16 a night is totally reasonable, the$7.50 reservation fee nips at the budget a bit—especially if you’re staying more than a couple nights. Still, Campsite 2 hits all the right notes: trails close by, fire ring ready, and enough space for a tent, a camp chair, and a dog who thinks every stick is a gift from heaven.🦴 Would we come back? Absolutely. My dog already packed his leash! what
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GuideRight on Lake Mille Lacs, one of Minnesota’s largest. Walking distance from the bakery and bar! Newer, updated facilities. Boat access. Lake side sites (if you book early enough). You can hit Mille Lacs State Park if you want to knock them both out on one trip! This park seems to attract a lot of long term campers, as I’m sure it’s pretty reasonable to stay at the lake all summer. We went mid-July I think and the trees were literally raining caterpillars… it was tough to want to hang out in our tree canopy-covered site. Sooo.. we ventured outside of the park more at this one.
There was a festival going on in a town west of here that had a couple rides and a really fun patio bar. If you do decide to venture out at night, ask the bartender for the limo driver’s number; he’s the city’s “uber”!
LegendSmaller sites and a little privacy in the lake campground. The ones next to the waters edge have a nice view and are more completely in the shade. The inner sites have more sun. The beach is long and rocky but ample enough to swim in. It is a busy place because of its location close to the cities and other areas up there. The electric hook ups were well maintained. Bathrooms were nice and clean and vault toilets are scattered throughout the park. Trails are there to hike and walk. Water to swim and plenty of bike paths.
Maple grove is the more primitive site and lots more coverages between camp sites.
TravelerThis campground is on a first come, first serve basis. There are no reservations for the regular sites (although I do think they might take reservations for the equestrian and group sites).
I highly recommend the walk-in-sites for the most private tent camping experience. The walk from the car isn’t far, but the sites are off the road and in the pines. If you like to have your car at your site, you’ll find some sites with nice long driveways that can accommodate multiple cars, or even a truck with a boat/trailer. The beach is nice and private, but it’s a bit of a hike from the campsites. I’d recommend just hopping in the car and driving over if you’ve got young kids with you.
There is no store or firewood sold at the campground, so you’ll have to haul your own in from an approved vendor.
ScoutI was very happy with the trails and accommodations available to me, during my stay. There are park pavilions and a water park connected to the campsite, a gold course nearby, and shops, too - - but the actual campsite, bike/walking/horse trails make you forget all of that. The temperature was COLD the first night, but perfect the rest of the week. Absolutely loved the experience, and I will go again.
LegendThe park
Disclaimer: I did not actually camp here. There are two group campsites that are available, but considering that my friends aren’t big campers I wasn’t willing to pay $85 a night for a campsite (and I’m pretty sure these get booked up quickly on the weekends). I’ll talk more about the two group sites later.
I really liked this park, it felt like there was something available for everyone. When I first pulled in I checked out the single track trail area first and the parking lot was full of mountain bikers. This newly developed trail is 13.25 miles long, so a nice option close to the city for those who are inclined to adventurous biking. Different loops are available for varying skill levels.
There are two water access points- one for Lake Rebecca and one for the nearby Crow River. There are also boat rentals available, I’ll attach a pic of this season’s current rates. There are also two fishing docks located not too far from the main beach area. I didn’t get in the water so I have no idea how clean it is, but there were many happy swimmers. Keep in mind that there are no lifeguards on duty.
In addition to the single track unpaved trail there is also a horse trail and a paved trail that looks in good condition- I’m hoping to bring my horse to check out the former and my roller blades to check out the latter. This park has always been relatively nearby to where I have lived, but I have never actually been before my visit this weekend since other horse riders have always had cautionary tales about how bad the bugs are here. I am not sure how they are on the horse trails, but I set up my hammock in a wooded area and I didn’t think that the amount of mosquitos that approached me was anything note-worthy.
I haven’t been to the group campsites yet to scope them out, someday soon hopefully, but these are the descriptions that I was able to track down online. My one gripe about the Three Rivers park district is that finding information about the campgrounds isn't as straight forward as it should be.
Sarah Creek group campsite can accommodate 80 people and it has a barn and hitching posts. The amount of horses that it can support is unknown. There is a volleyball net, grill, fire ring, water pump and latrines (so I’m guessing rustic).
The South group campsite seems to be geared more towards mountain bikers since it has a garage-esque structure that I’m guessing you would store your bikes in. It can accommodate 50 people, has a grill, water pump latrines, fire ring, and horseshoe pit.
Weeknights are $70 and weekends/holidays are $85. This seems like a huge steal considering how many people these sites can accommodate!!!
Product Review
As a Dyrt ranger, I received a gift card to REI for participating in a recent campground review contest. I recently became obsessed with hammocks, and thanks to a BOGO from Trek Light I now have two. One of the hammocks I received was part of a bundle and came with ropes already, but the other didn’t. Before I bought a second pair of the same ropes I decided I wanted to see how well they worked before I spent another $20 on just basic ropes that aren’t terribly long.
I purchased a set of ENO Atlas hammock straps for $29.95 and they are well worth the $10 price difference. The ENO straps are 9 feet long each and together can hold up to 400 pounds. Instead of fiddling with tying knots and retying them to get the perfect adjustment, I can just move the hook on my hammock between the pre-stitched rings as necessary. The extra length and the quick adjustments are greatly appreciated by someone who is still new to hammocks and isn’t great at eyeballing things. ENO does have a set of longer straps that are each 13.5 feet long, but I figure that if I find myself in a situation where the trees are too far apart for these straps I can just attach my ropes to the Eno straps and take advantage of the double capacity feature of my hammock. So Far I’m really impressed with how easy these are to loop around the trees and adjust the tension of my hammock.
Horse camping in Minnesota offers a unique blend of outdoor adventure and equestrian enjoyment, with several campgrounds catering specifically to horse enthusiasts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near Milaca, MN?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Milaca, MN is Ann Lake with a 4.2-star rating from 22 reviews.
What is the best site to find equestrian camping near Milaca, MN?
TheDyrt.com has all 14 equestrian camping locations near Milaca, MN, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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