Best RV Parks & Resorts near Roseau, MN

This is a community campground in the city park of a small farming town near the Canadian border. The park is clearly a source of pride for the town, as it is well kept with landscaping, beautiful gardens, great playground, picnic areas, disk golf, and campground with full hookups. It is several hours drive from our home town, and it isnt a place we would go to as a camping destination in and of itself, but we often take long trips up into Canada and if it is late when we are heading home then this is a good stopping point to overnight before going the last few hours drive home. There is also a great Scandanavian restaurant down the block with lots of local ethnic heritage recipes that is a big draw for the region. We have neighbors at home who are originally from this town, and the campground is good for family reunions and other special events. The surrounding area has a lot of moose, so one special event is the annual Moose festival which is worth attending. If you are into birdwatching this is a stop on the Pine to Prairie Birding Trail, just as the nearby Twin Lakes WMA nature preserve is a seasonal stop for migratory birds and waterfowl. The town is also along the “Dancing Waters Scenic Byway” , a scenic road that runs roughly parallel to the Canadian border and is known for views of the northern lights and for great views of the Milky Way in case you are interested in Dark Skies and astronomy.

Disadvantages: the campground is more oriented to RVs than tents; its on first-come first-served basis, which usually isnt a problem but could be on an event weekend; and, unfortunately, a train line with occasional trains does pass by the vicinity which creates some noise.

The campground doesnt seem to have its own website, but here is some info: its $12 a night for campsites, bathrooms available, hookups abailable. Call (218) 436-2178 at the city office if you have more questions. See community website for more info on the town, including the park: http://www.lakesnwoods.com/Karlstad.htm

The campground is located on city of Warroad property near the Warroad River and Lake of the Woods. An outdoor city pool with a natural sand bottom is adjacent to the campground for an unique swimming experience or enjoy the sand beach playground by the river/lake. Majority of campground is occupied by campers, many that are parked for the season. There are 3 areas of the campground 1: partial sun and partial trees 2: full sun all grass 3: full tree coverage. You'll find bath houses, electric and water hookups, fish cleaning houses. Public boat landing. Picnic towers overlook the campground, river, and lake. Warroad is a small town and attracts the serious to avid sportsmen to northern Minnesota for good fishing and that "Up North" experience. Nearby bars, grocery store, drug store, coffee, restaurants, and gas stations all located within Warroad city limits. The Seven Clans Casino (no alcohol served or allowed at casino) is directly across the river, however, easily accessible by car within minutes.

Compared to other Minnesota State Parks, Zippel Bay is a bit more rustic. There are no electrical hookups, and showers are a significant drive from campground. The bathrooms are outhouse style with no running water. The campsites were not quite as secluded as we typically like, but it was quiet, and the views along the lake-shore are well worth the trip.

Nice little campgrounds. Our favorite part was checking out the Old Mill & settler’s cabin. Unfortunately, the bridge & swimming pond were closed. Electric & water hook ups on the inner loop. LOTS of mosquitos when we visited - bring bug spray & extra bug spray! Great little self serve firewood spot in the campsite. Kept clean. Trails were neat, but we spent minimal time on them due to the bugs. Playground is a swing set.

The drive in upper Minnesota is always amazing and to get here you have to climb to the northern parts of Minnesota but it is totally worth it.

The campground is pretty well maintained considering it is a state park and minnesota has thousands. The roads are not all paved but the ones that’s aren’t are in good condition.

Loop A is non electric and has some campers with solar panels and generators. Loop b has electric. The campsites are adequate but nothing amazing and the pine forest allows you to see your neighbors. The flies and mosquitos are pretty numerous so you have to be ware.

The campground has a decent boat dock and canoes can be rented. The picnic and beach are are huge and very perfect for a hot summers day.

The real secret of this campground are the walk-in sites and cabin B. Super secluded with views of the lake! When I come back I’ll be in the walk in sites for sure!

Campground Review

This was the first time our family stayed at Angler's Campground in Zippel Bay State Park on Lake of the Woods. https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/park.html?id=spk00284#homepage The Zipple Bay State Park is home to 5 separate campgrounds. We made the decision to camp at Anglers Campground for the reasons of the campground is the closest to the marinia, and it has bigger site sizes to accommodate our larger RV/Boat size, although the campground had mostly tents in it the week we stayed. We took a hike to the other campgrounds (about 1/2 mile between them) and observed that Ridge and Birch Campgrounds can accommodate both tents and smaller pop up style campers, Lady Slipper Campground has more primitive and smaller sites that would accommodate a small to medium size tent, and The Group Camp (there is only one) has plenty of room for many tents and campers with room to spare. Anglers Campground has the largest sites with plenty of room for an RV, Screen tent, Boat trailer, with room to spare. All sites in all campgrounds do not have electric/water/dumps. There are fresh water pumps in all campgrounds and mowed trails to the vault toilets that are clean, there are also metal garbage cans and recycling bins for plastic and glass. There is a dump station and 2 enclosed showers in the Ridge/Birch campgrounds loop. There are signs that clearly mark which direction to go.

The marina and boat ramp area was approximately 1 & 1/2 miles from our campsite, and this area also had 2 very clean vault toilets along with a fish cleaning building, and picnic area. There is a marina where you can also moor your boat for the day, and ample parking spots. NOTE: The handicap accessible ramp/dock/fishing pier was closed due to ice damage from the previous winter with no sign of it being fixed at this time. The boat ramp was easy to use, but we noticed it was very crowded early mornings. Lake of the Woods is considered the Walleye Capital of the World, and we had an incredible week of catching our dinners!!

Product Review

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get products to test from time to time. We took our Mountain House Biscuits and Gravy for a product review.https://www.mountainhouse.com/m/product/biscuits-gravy.html The website at Mountain House is very easy to navigate, and they have a pop up window discount offer when you enter their site. When I received the package I was surprised at how light weight the product was, and was excited by their description of Buttermilk Biscuits and Gravy with Pork Patty Crumbles. We are a big breakfast family, and I was curious to see if this was a good fit for us.

I gave the task of preparing the Mountain House Biscuits and Gravy to my 14 year old son Hunter. We read the easy to follow directions on the back of the package, and followed them to the letter. (We did not use less water to make thicker gravy) Hunter measured the boiling water into the package, stirred the mixture well, and sealed it up with no problems at all, and then all we had to do was wait 9 minutes. We opened the package (it was hot, but nothing we had to use a hot pad or glove for) and noted that it smelled like the biscuits just came out of a hot oven. We did note the mixture needed to be stirred again, and there was no need to add additional water (the gravy was perfect consistency not to thick or thin) and then each served up the recommended serving size and enjoyed the delicious hot breakfast. The flavors were bright with the sausage coming through nicely with no need for additional seasonings at all. We were all full with our serving size, and stayed content after a full day of hiking.

Being we have never tried freeze dried food before this was a wonderful first experience, and for sure won't be our last!! The lightweight package is going to go well for any trip, and the easy prep makes it a breeze to make anywhere. Our family is looking forward to purchasing other meals from Mountain House, and with the extra long expiration date we can stock up. You won't be disappointed using these meals!!

The walk-in sites here are so good I almost don't want to spill the secret. There's just two sites, far from the main campsite and everything else, and spaced decently far apart from each other. They're nestled in quiet pine groves on a ridge overlooking the lake. The lake is electric motors only, so it's peaceful all the time. The sites are spacious and flat, and there are excellent hammock possibilities.

A few things to know: it's a bit of a walk from the parking spaces, at least a quarter mile, but there was a single cart provided when we were there. There are no bear boxes, so you're on your own for protecting your food from critters. And while the sites are on the lake, there's not great water access. The lakeshore is down a slightly treacherous slope from the sites, and the reeds and sediment along shore would make it a nuisance to gather drinking water. You're probably better off filling up at the main campground and carting your water in. I doubt it would be great swimming from shore either, though I'm sure you could make it work if you were determined.

This is a gorgeous park with lots of birds and wildlife. The lake is beautiful and the campsites are all shady and well maintained. The sites vary a lot in size, but most are level and relatively private. There's a shower house and pit toilets that are very nice. The boat launch and beach are awesome.

However. Have you seen the movie 300? Or any other movie where a small force faces an unthinkably massive foe? Well, that's you and the mosquitoes here, and I regret to inform you that you are the Spartans. You are vastly outnumbered and though you may fight bravely, you will not win this battle. Seriously, there were so many mosquitoes that people were walking around in June in full sweatsuits with netted hats. We were here two nights and went through two entire bottles of bug spray. These things laugh at citronella candles and want you and your whole family dead and drained of blood. If you can hold them off, this park is well worth it. But don't come here thinking you'll just be an efficient swatter and get by.

This state park is really nicely located for those that wanna get away to the north. Northern Minnesota has a lot to offer for wildlife and fishing. Zipper bay is pretty easy to get too and has a lot do from hikes, canoeing, kayaking, boating and fishing. You can easily get to garden island by boat for a wilderness adventure or you can just stay in the campground. Bugs are too bad till July so it is good to come sooner. Loads of birds to see.

Campgrounds are simple the one closest to the boat dock was pretty full when we checked it out. Very closely packed and generators can be hear almost everywhere. Best to get a site near the back and have it back into the forest as they are a bit bigger. Put toilets are found centrally with water pump and trash bins.

Campsites secluded bathrooms were closed when we visited so only vault toilets were open. Mosquitos in this whole are were thick definitely plan on bringing A LOT of bug spray if going in the summer.

Sites were well spaced, quiet, newer vault toilets. Ticks were bad as well as flys and bees, be prepared

Stayed here for a night during the week and the sites a little further from the main bathroom are VERY private. Stayed in site 9 which had one good set of trees for hanging a hammock. There was a picnic table and fire ring and I couldn’t see any other sites. Took a quick walk along the lake and it was gorgeous. Will definitely bring my kayak next time. It’d you’re looking for a private site, close to a vault toilet with a lot of trees 7 looked like a good one. Flush toilets and showers available, vault toilets as well for the sites further from the main bathroom. Drinking water available. Weak cell service. Overall a lovely park.

Our campsite was very spacious and I was impressed with how tidy the entire park was! The trail was nice and shady with nice interpretive signage. Bathrooms were very clean! They have a beach and lots of rentals to take out on the lake. Quiet hours were well abided by.

We stayed here in a camper cabin in late fall.  We were the only people in the park.  The ranger was wonderful when we called to reserve the cabin.  He made sure we had a few bundles of wood to cook dinner on in our cabin and he made sure that the cabin was open and ready for us.  We hiked in the park and saw how beautiful the scenery is.  Northern MN is amazing!

While the park is honestly just so-so when it comes to hiking, the cart-in site is one of the best I have ever been to.

A short and easy cart trip to just stunning lakeside sites. The site was totally private and not visible from our parking spot. It was buggy though, so be warned into late August the bugs were thick!