Best RV Parks & Resorts near Saint Croix National Scenic River

We booked our stay at the RV Resort so we wouldn't have to drive two and a half hours back and forth during the two day Grand RockTember Music Festival. *Please note when there's an event, book early!! This RV Resort has 271 RV/Camping full hook up sites that include a picnic table and fire pit. The sites are very close together with little to no privacy, but it did a fine job as we were there for the concert. Guest Services were super friendly when we checked in, and they give you a pass card to enter & exit the Resort. There is 24 hour security, and shuttle bus service to the casino, although we enjoyed the 1/2 mile walk to the amphitheater. All the sites are back in only, and are a tight squeeze for bigger rigs. They enforced the quite hours well, and we got a good nights sleep. There's a heated outdoor pool, and small convince store in the guest services building. They have a pet walking area, and kennels if you want to spend time at the casino. The bathhouse offered private toilet stalls and showers, and we squeaky clean!!! If you like to golf, don't miss the 18 hole Grand National Golf Course next door. We enjoyed our stay, and will be back again.

So this campground is great if your wanting to work on your camper leveling skills.  You know you have a collapsible shovel tucked away somewhere, here's your chance!  

Bonus, you'll get to park super close to your fellow neighbors.  At least two of the campsites had a tubby, shirtless dude knocking back a Natural Light Ice, waving as we drove in.  Friendly? Maybe, but we just turned around and drove right back out.  Not my scene.  Strange that this backwood campground isn't more spread out.  They have another campground on a lake, just across the road...but that is usually full of seasonal campers. 

They do have a few positive features that might make this appealing to some: Full hook-up, power, water, easy reservations, firewood on-site, seasonal rates, and they let a few people build a decks.

The deluxe site are the same price as standard but they are further back on the property and have the most extreme sloping issues.  If you need to spend the night, get a standard site, lots 4-9 are level-ish, and you'll have quick exit ready to go if you need to make a break for it.

The wood river winds it’s way through this parks south and east campsites, with a lock and dam at the west end making a nice sound of moving water if you can get a campsite near it. ( most of these sites are taken by seasonal campers ) The city park-Memory lake park is adjacent to the park, and their is a local brewery along memory park too, with a large patio and open fire pit as well! All of this within very close walking distance of the park. Nice hiking trail just 4 miles west on hwy 70 on the st croix River. The trail on the north side of hwy 70 is really nice with high cliffs over the st croix River. It’s a 5 mile hike to the end and back to your car. All that for 30 bucks with full hook-ups sounds like winner winner chicken dinner to me!

This is a beautiful state park along the Kettle River, famous for its rock formations, the whitewater Kettle River, and beautiful oak-ash forests. You can camp at the park campground in the woods, or at several secluded paddle-in canoe campsites on the river. There are miles of trails to hike, including along the river and to a waterfall, all kinds of paddling and rafting possibilities(bring your own, or join a trip sponsored by a local outfitter), or go bouldering amongst the interesting rock formations. The problem for campers at this location is that the number of campsites available is exceeded by demand for them, especially in summer and on weekends. Reserve early if you would like to stay here! The campsites are of good size, nicely shaded, and convenient for both tent camping and RV or trailer camping, however there are two real drawbacks: the campground is pretty far from park activities you might like to do, so you may have to drive to trailheads, picnic areas, or boat launch, or else be willing to make a long hike. And because of proximity to metro areas, there is competion in the parking areas from folks who are just there for day trips, so an amazing number of cars end up parked up and down the main state park road. The other drawback is that the campground is kind of in a lowland forest with a muddy substrate, that stays pretty wet and buggy even when it has been a while since the last rain. A plus is that you have access to top-rated whitewater for river activities, and a park trail also leads outside of the state park to a premier rockclimbing destination in Robinson County Park on the south border of the state park. Folks come afrom all over the Midwest for the rock climbing and the whitewater, so scoring a campsite within Banning State Park is helpful if you want to access these stellar recreational opportunities.