Searching for the perfect place to pitch your tent near Pine City? Find the best information on tent camping near Pine City, including sites, reviews, and tips for getting the most out of your camping experience. Each tent site offers quick access to one or more of Pine City, Minnesota's most popular destinations.
$10 - $30 / night
A unique peninsula with over 1 mile lake frontage. Our vacation homes and campsites are well-spaced, red cedar trees give the resort its name.
On the Water Pets Welcome/Inquire WI-FI
Camping is available at Straight Lake State Park. There are 10 hike-in campsites at the park, with the distance to the sites ranging from a few hundred feet to 0.3 miles.
Campers need to practice carry-in/carry-out and should bring their own water. Glass containers are prohibited at Straight Lake. Supplies are available in the village of Luck.
Ogechie is the more rustic of the park’s two campgrounds. This scene showcases campsite #11, which is a double site with vehicle parking on two sides. This shaded site offers tent pads, fire rings, and picnic tables.
$23 - $46 / night
57, primitive, Leave No Trace campsites are located on the St. Croix River from Riverside Landing to Highway 8 at St. Croix Falls - Taylors Falls. All sites are free. No permit required. Camp only in designated sites marked with brown camping sign and metal fire ring. Sites are available first-come, first-served.
Governor Knowles State Forest offers nine primitive campsites along the hiking trails. Reservations are required and a free special camp registration permit can be obtained by emailing the forest headquarters at least 7 days prior to occupying the site.
Guide
I have stayed here twice once in one of the rental cabins, and second tent camping. The campground is very quiet and never seems to be to busy. The tent sites are a little to exposed for me (I prefer to be in the woods) but they were all clean along with the facilities too. The beach is wonderful along with the section of river and hiking areas. Definitely worth a trip
Scout
This was a great spot for our first time camping with our kids! We camped in a tent so booked a site on the river side (no hookups) but it was very spacious and was perfect for our group! Bathrooms seemed fairly decent. They weren’t too far away. I would definitely stay here again!
Legend
Nothing fancy here but a locally run campground that is clean and well kept. Not a lot of privacy but spaces can be big. Being right on the water is a bonus here but watch out for the mosquitos. There are both rv and tent sites available with the tent sites being in the back.
Traveler
Love this place.
Close to the Twin Cities, right on the Rum River.
Great tent sites right on the river.
Tubing! They have a bus that takes you into town float back to the campground, love it.
ScoutSome nice hiking and beautiful landscapes of wildflowers, grasses, and the river Typical state campground set up, not a ton of privacy but enough. Stayed 3 nights, tent camping. Biy certified firewood outside the park if you plan on using a lot. A nice weekend getaway close to the metro!
Legend
5/15/20-5/17/20
This campground is only a year old and offers 31 RV sites with full hookups 30- or 50-Amp Service (greywater dump at each site) and 19 wooded (some semi-private) tent sites. They have a beautiful bath and shower house (the shower takes quarters $1.25 for 10 minutes) and sell wood on site for $5 a bundle. It is just over the MN border and about a mile from the St Croix River. ATV trails are accessible from the campground.
Pardun’s also offers canoe and tube rentals in town and also at St. Croix State Park - which sounds wonderful on hot summer days. It’s not far from town which includes a grocery store and St Croix Casino. St Croix State Park is also about 20 minutes away in MN and a great place to explore with miles of hiking. I found the pricing very reasonable at $30 a night for RVs and $17 for tent sites. $1200 for seasonal. The owner came over to meet us and was very friendly.
We chose site tent site 17. Each site has a large fire ring and picnic table. This site had a few trees and was fairly open but it didn’t matter because there was only 1 other group camping in the tent area. It was very quiet and peaceful, very easy to social distance during the pandemic. If you are looking for a relaxing getaway to enjoy a fire and night under the stars, this is perfect little campground.
TravelerWe’ve stayed at Country Camping for years! Great variety of things to do for everyone. Group sites, tent sites, covered wagon sites! Floating on the Rum River, swimming pool with splash pad, little camp store, Golf cart rentals! Our grandkids love it too!
Legend
Be sure to check out Franconia sculpture garden if you're staying here and have the time! It's such a fun and quirky place. Some of us stayed at an RV site and some of us stayed at a tent site this trip 😁
Scout
Bent Trout Lake Campground is a beauty. They have tent camping with hookups at times. There is a great, well-maintained lake which in turn makes the beach just as nice as the lake itself. Pristine waters with great piece of property surrounding it. Friendly staff and win-win for family’s and others alike.
ScoutWe tent camped for two nights in site CC, which had a small quiet creek beside it. These primitive sites are down a small dirt road away from the main RV camping area and are nicely wooded, but you can still see neighboring sites. The staff were friendly and kind, the facilities were clean, and it was a convenient location.
GuideHave stayed here many times in all seasons. Not an over crowded park with lots of room to roam. Horses are welcome here with their own special campground area and miles of trails to ride. Hiking trails cover open grasslands, hardwood forest and valley waterways. Lots of wildlife and a great place for birders. Paved bike trails trailer and tent camping as well as camper cabins. Especially beautiful in autumn with the colorful leaves.
Traveler
I camped here in April and got a camping spot on the edge of the River Campground facing the woods. I loved this spot and it was plenty big for parking two cars, tent, hammock, chairs, you name it! It appears that most tent camping is on the outer edges and RV camping is in the middle. No one was noisy, wasn't a "party" campground which was great for peace and quiet. It was great being so close to the river trail. Great views and fresh air!
Guide
This was my first solo tent camping night in June 5, 2020. There were some horse flies when I parked but they didn't seem to hang out in the shade of my campsite. There was a very loud bird making calls until about 1am... Maybe a whip-poor-will. Otherwise a serene spot tucked back in the walk in site.
Directions to the walk in sites were a bit unclear when driving in but I eventually made it there.
ScoutAbsolutely love this campground! They have RV sites and tent sites a private lake with swimming area and fishing/boat/water toy area. There's a little store with all your basic supplies and where you can rent different boats and water things and a rec area with pool table and games. Lots of campground activities to bring everyone together. Their own private firework display the week of the 4th.
Guide
Stayed here as a layover en-route to Wisconsin. This park may be right off of the interstate, but it's quaint and the sites are roomy. They're also nicely vegetated so you get a sense of privacy. We stayed in the busy season (July) and even though most sites were full, once it hit the quiet hour, the whole campground went eerily quiet. Not far from the tent sites is Wolf Creek Falls, about a 1.2 mile hike (worth it!). The showers were clean and rangers were laid back and lenient with the camp fee.
GuideTent sites line the exterior of this campground while electric, RV sites are close by. While I was at a riverside spot, the amount of RVs across the road can really detract from the experience. People in RVs (this is a generalization made after many'a'night in campgrounds) tend to not recognize their voices penetrate tent walls with incredible ease -- many lack the personal experience that their voices are disruptive at midnight and should speak in hushed voices while their neighbors try to sleep. Not to mention, what's with the bright lights they shine on their exterior? Camp Hosts (who slept in an RV as well) were useless to manage quiet hour expectations. Bathrooms have a shower and while I did not use, seemed in good condition.
Legend
We had a last minute idea to go camping on Labor Day weekend, hopefully omewhere near St Croix Falls so we could visit Interstate State Park and explore the surrounding area. As luck would have it, there were no campsites avaialble at any of the local state parks on the Wisconsin side or Minnesota side of the river. So, we checked for other area campgrounds and discovered this gem of a private campground right on the shores of the Apple River. This is mostly a campground that rents seasonal sites to RV owners, and these are tucked away in the woods near the river with a real sense of privacy. But, for the casual camper, they also have a swath of sites located right ON the river, including sites with hookups if desired, or a separate lane of very large and very secluded tent sites also right on the river that I dare say are nicer than any of the tent sites at area state parks. The Apple River is really beautiful, and if we had brought our kayaks we could have plopped them right in the river from our campsites and had an amazing paddlle on this pristine tributary of the St Croix. (See attached photo for map of the Apple River upstream towards its various headwaters lakes. Further down the Apple River is a canyon and whitewater section for tubing or paddling:
https://www.stcroix360.com/2013/06/floating-the-apple-river-canyon/)
We were in site T3, which had an electric hookup used by friends who joined us in their van; there was also a water hookup which was handy even if we didnt hook up to it. There was a fair amount of space at our site, but If we were to come back again we would want a bit more space and privacy so we would absolutely go for one of the tent sites, any one of them would be great! The campground over all is clean and well maintained, a lot of retired folks as seasonal campers but also a lot of families with kids, and a nice family atmosphere. Given that is was Labor Day weekend and every site ended up being taken, you might expect it to be busy and loud, but it was pleasant and quiet, and the neighbors friendly, The bathrooms and showers were clean and well kept, and bleach water disinfectant was avaialble to wipe down surfaces if anyone had concenrs. There is a small pub with a patio attached to the campground office, but it was surprisingly quiet and low key. There is volleyball and more outdoor games adjacent, and this is all a bit set apart from the campground anyway. Along the river is a small beach, boat dock for canoes and kayaks and fishing, and a nice playground for kids. It is a good 20-minutes to half hour drive to Interstate State Park and the Falls towns, which has pluses and minuses. We also took the opportunity to try some hiking a little closer to the campground, and enjoyed the Stower Seven Lakes Trail on the old Soo Line : https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/parks/stower
Other outdoor activities and special places to visit in Polk County near the campground:
https://www.co.polk.wi.us/landinfowisdnrmaps
Really a lovely spot, and a nice surprise.
Traveler
Lake Ann Campground, located in the Sand Dunes State Forest north of Big Lake, MN is great for a weekend getaway with the family or a solo walk in trip. There are RV sites, tent sites, handicap accessible, walk in sites and group sites. Camping here is primitive with few amenities you get a fire ring and a picnic table, its great camping too be one with nature. There are several water spickets located around the campground along with outhouse type restrooms. There are no hookups or electric. Camping is on a first come first serve basis and you register at the kiosk located at the front of the campground acrid from the camp host site. There are several trails and Amaya something to do.
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.
Traveler
Great campground with all the amenities one might need, including showers, nice bathrooms, a park, a beach, trails. Right next to lakes and a nature preserve. Close enough to town in case you forget some things like we did. A county parking pass is required, they don't like people parking on the grass, and they have staff making rounds to enforce the shortest list of rules I've seen in the last couple of years. My only complaint is that the location of the porta-potties didn't match what the maps showed, so my seemingly perfect plan to be somewhat far from them failed and I ended up right next to one; it was clean and didn't smell, but we heard the door close every time. They have the campsites spaced out better than most other places I've camped and have trees and brush between the sites whenever possible. We tent camped and plan to bring our travel trailer next year. Definitely plan to stay here at least once a season.
Legend
This is a small county campground with 15 simple campsites geared towards tent camping, though 5 of the sites are equipped with electricity so folks with vans or small trailers might be comfortable here. The park is nicely wooded and there are basic facilities such as water and vault toilets. They are adjacent day use areas including a group picnic shelter and playground. This is a good spot for fishing, and canoeing or kayaking https://amerywi.gov/432/Canoeing-Kayaking and there are other activities in and around the nearby town of Amery.
I might not camp here as a destination vacation spot, but it might be a good stopover if on a weekend paddling trip. You could start at the DN Campground of vicinity further north https://thedyrt.com/camping/undefined/d-n-campground, then paddle a nice easy day trip to this campground, and then the next day paddle into the town of Amery and pull out there.
The camping is currently closed for the season, and will be have repairs and needed upgrades. It would be worth checking in spring 2021 to review the improvements!
Legend
We discovered this campground while researching the area, it is fairly new and not only not reviewed on the Dyrt but not listed on it yet either. If you are planning to explore the Kettle River and Banning State Park nearby, this is a good alternative to camping within the State Park itself. With easy access to both the Twin Cities metro area and Duluth, with desireable whitewater paddling and rockclimbing both available in the area, Banning State Park campground fills quickly especially in summer and on weekends, and the Banning RV Park is an excellent backup alternative for overflow demand. And, actually, it may be your go-to option even if campsites at Banning are available, because this RV campground is located only½ mile from the Banning State Park entrance, and because it is at a higher elevation further from the river it is remarkably less buggy which Banning State Park can be in springtime or after recent rains. This campground is quite large, geared towards RVs and trailers but also has dozens of tent sites and is currently adding more! There are also several nice new camper cabins available. We stayed in site 297, a very large double tent site with soft grass for tenting, big shady trees, picnic table and fire ring, with possibility for water and electric hookup but we didn’t use it. We had two families with 3 tents and two vehicles, plus bought firewood(which was delivered in generous quantities) and the total price was$48, which would have been the cost of the two campsites we would have needed if camping at the nearby state park. We were located near the campground pavilion, which included picnic tables, family bathrooms with showers, playground, activity center with craft classes etc, and laundry room. Remarkably, in addition to playgrounds for children in different places around the campground, there was a huge dog walking and play area that was grassy and beautifully clean—and, of special interest, included a complete“dog playground” with all the standards elements of a dog agility course! Very cool—and an expense and effort most places wouldn’t go to. The campground itself was very clean and well landscaped and maintained, however the bathrooms do get heavy use and, though nicely cleaned a few times during the day, are in need of attention in the evening. The campers are mostly family oriented so the campground itself is very quiet in the evenings—however, it is not far from nearby Highway 35, so there is a fair amount of road noise despite a barrier of pines planted as a buffer. I was a bit concerned that folks camping there were not too concerned about covid precautions, no one was wearing masks even when participating at close range to others during some of the campgrounds organized group activities, and there was lotion soap but no hand sanitizer in the bathrooms. You may want to bring your own. Overall, nicely maintained, reasonably priced, conveniently located, and less buggy than the nearby state park! We would camp here again if returning to the area.
Scout
My husband and I paid for one night at a non electric drive in tent site with the disabled discount it came to $11.50. When you first pull in to the park there we’re an average amount of annoying bugs, especially for an 85 to 90 degree, summer day in a highly vegetative, woodsy park. Staff was not present due to the COVID-19 but we submitted our cash payment and grabbed the site map and park guide and drove to the left to find our camp site. As we slowly whined down a gravel road the trees became more dense, our site seemed perfect for the two of us! Picnic table and fire pit centered and to our left a designated tent landing area, to the right was just enough space to park our Mercury Sable Sedan. They had shower and restroom facilities within a short walking distance from our site, that is when we started noticing the horseflies were making it known that we were “trespassing on their turf”. We entered the shower and restrooms to bugs, bugs, BUGS!! Nasty 🤢. Neither of us showered there. Walked back to set up our tent, horseflies nonstop attacked us. To not get bite we had to run around like chickens with our heads cut off! No joke. So when our tent was finally set up instead of enjoying marshmallows at our fire pit we watched Netflix on our tablet instead our tent. Next day taking the tent down was even worse hot 90 degree day, horseflies and no breeze.. So my husband and officially nicknamed this campground “Horsefly Hell”. And no we don’t recommend this one.
LegendFor whatever reason I always thought of William O’brien as more of a day trip park, but it actually has really nice campgrounds! There is the Riverway campground, which is more shaded and conveniently located next to the river trail(not paved, but flat and lots of people with strollers). I would avoid booking at this site if it has been a wet season, on a previous day visit the river trail was completely underwater so I’m assuming that several sites were as well.
If you book at the savanna campground you don’t have to worry so much about an overflowing river! This is also where the small rentable cabins are, and staying in one of them is definitely something I am interested in doing. This is also the campground that seemed to have an overwhelming amount of jumbo RVs since the pull-ins are pretty straight- especially the 79-96 loop. So be aware of that if you are a tent camper looking for peace and quiet and not generators. The last two loops are definitely the nicest as far as tent site quality- they are also non-electric so you don’t need to worry about RV noise.
I can’t speak on the bathrooms since the campground has portapotties set up.
Great sites at Riverway: 1, 5, 9, 13, 47, 49, 50, 53, 59
Great sites at Savanna: 82, 108, 114, 117, 118, 123, 125,
Guide
It was pretty empty the day we stayed. We think this campground will be great for groups that are looking to stay in their own sites but easily hangout together because there are multiple sites close to each other without too many trees/plants between them (in the tents campsite). The restroom was well kept. There are many trails, some by the river, to hike or bike. We went during a tick-heavy season so we had to get out the protection and removal tool.
Guide
My partner and I scheduled a 3 day / 2 night stay in a new Vintage Cruiser RV for $39.99, in exchange for attending a presentation on private membership.
We checked in Wednesday evening, and the nicest staff I've ever met helped us acclimate to RV living. We are new to this game. They patiently described how to utilize the grey and black water tanks, as well as encouraged us to check-out the canoes, row boats, bikes, horseshoes, ladder golf and many other entertainment items - for FREE!
The map provided was accurate which made locating the cruiser a breeze. There were further instructions inside as well. The RV was immaculate. Provided for our use were all linens (a public very clean bath and shower was just across the road), dish soap, dish towels, paper towels, flat wear, plates, bowls, mugs and pans.
The campground has a couple of ponds, as well as access to Ham Lake where the watercraft is launched. There is a petting arena with goats, ponies, and a llama who gave my partner the stink eye, but fell in love with me rubbing the fence and giving me all googly eyes!
The clubhouse sells bundled wood, ice, snacks, cold drinks, ice cream and provides 24-hour fresh coffee. There is also a small resupply area, and gift shop.
There are pull-through sites, back ups, 50 and 30 amp hook ups, and tent sites, covered pavilions, picnic tables and fire pits.
The campground itself seems remote, secluded and peaceful, however, you are conveniently located to two well-stocked convenience stores, as well as Wal-Mart about 15 minutes away. It's also only about 45 minutes from the Minnesota Twin Cities.
One note: We visited in August and needed gallons of bug spray.
We very much enjoyed our get away!
LegendThis is a state park on the Wisconsin side of the St Croix River, which is mirrored by a comparable but smaller state park in Minnesota on the wrst side of the river, both being part of the wild and scenic St Croix National Waterway. Although the campsites themselves are pretty run of the mill, the setting is spectacular in terms of breathtaking scenery, and myriad outdoor activities from rock climbing in the river gorge, paddling the river, hiking miles of trails, and learning geology at the Ice Age geology visitors center. If you are tenting camping, the south loop is great, and if you pick campsite 65 or 67 you will have direct access to the river which is peaceful and good for paddle opportunities. There are picnic areas with swimming along the river which is nice for group gatherings, and one is designated for folks with pets. Some of the rugged hiking trails along the bluffs and cliffs go right along the edge with minimal guard rails or walls, so keep a close eye on kids and pets because going over the edge is a possibility so utmost caution is advised.
Tent camping near Pine City, Minnesota offers a blend of scenic beauty and outdoor adventure, perfect for nature enthusiasts looking to escape the hustle and bustle.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Pine City, MN?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Pine City, MN is Robinson Park Camping with a 3.4-star rating from 5 reviews.
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