Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Red Wing, MN

Red Wing is extra quaint, and worthy of at least a day trip if you live in the metro area. Frontenac state park technically isn’t in Red Wing, but you basically drive by the pretty prison(yes!) and you are almost there. Do yourself a favor and enter the park from the entrance closest to the river(if you look at a map you will see it’s the same road that just loops through) or when you are leaving the park take a left to drive through the same area. It is basically our very own Minnesota version of Stars Hollow from Gilmore Girls. There is also an impressive former convent, Villa Maria, that is currently an event center and will soon offer lodging.

A lot of people come to Frontenac as a picnic destination, my mom and stepdad have a tradition of going to Nelson creamery in Wisconsin and bringing cheese curds and having a picnic at the scenic overlook off of the parking lot. From the parking lot you have access to the bluffside trail that goes down to the river. Going down is easy, going back up is a challenge. I would say that if the thought of running a mile seems daunting, then you should consider taking another trail. We started our hike with the hiking club trail in reverse, and it was gorgeous and enjoyable in the fall. We probably would have avoided the bluffside component if we had started the trail going the correct way.

There is a selection of hike-in and drive-in camping. We went the last weekend in October for a last hoorah with the fall colors, and the only bathrooms open were the pit toilets which were ok. The drive-in sites are pretty crammed together, so my site recommendations are based on view of the river and separation from your neighbors. Best sites(photos/videos are provided as well): 5, 20, 36, 42, 50

Food tip: Eat at The Smokin’ Oak on your way into Red Wing. It is a hotel parking lot restaurant, but it is amazing.

Our site was rather odd as the electric and water post was on the opposite side of our camper. Our standard water hose and electrical cord wouldn’t reach so we ended up backing up the hill to get next to the water and filled our tank for the weekend. Thankfully a neighbor had a 30’ extension that we borrowed. The fire pits were located in very odd spots too - basically unusable unless you wanted to light your rig on fire. We really enjoyed the bike trail that was so close, paved and had lots of tree cover to keep us cool. Very nice ride to Red Wing right from our site! Would probably stay here again but would definitely ask for a different site. Great for biking!

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.