St. Paul is an ideal place for camping adventures of all kinds. St. Paul is filled with the activities, sights, and experiences to make everyone in your crew a happy camper. Find the best campgrounds near St. Paul, plus reviews and photos from other campers like you.
Tony’s Backyard
12 min away
Cleary Lake Regional Park
24 min away
"Backpacking to the top hill sites has gotten easier as the park has curved the new wide groomed and wood chipped trail to spiral around the hill instead of a straight climb."
"We did the backpack site so you hike in almost a mile and you go up on the ridge that's open in the middle but each site is heavily forested and some overlook the river."
$16 - $250 / night
"We bike from St. Paul to William O. It is a nice 40 mile ride mostly on paved or limestone trails. You are close to your neighbor here, but really enjoy it."
"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!"
$45 - $60 / night
"Tony's Backyard is new to the Dyrt and looking to share a camping spot with others. Check them out and share your experience on the Dyrt!"
$50 / night
"Beautiful park and its only 45 minutes from St. Paul."
"It's just a bit of a walk from the main campground and opposite of some very beautiful walk-in sites. The group campground has an open space to play games as well as wooded areas all around."
"This hike-in site is about a half-mile walk from the parking area, and the journey in is half the magic: winding wooded trails, wildflowers, and glimpses of the lake through the trees."
"Campsite included: 2 tent pads, a few areas to hammock, fire ring w/large grill, small bench, picnic table, bear box and latrine.
I don’t think I would change a thing about the campsite."
$16 / night
".🌲🐶 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."
$15 / night
"During 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"
"Do a 180 on the trail and she is happy to trot away from the trailer."
"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. "
"Great for birding and walking trails! One of my favorite places to go near home😁"
TravelerIt is a great place. We bike from St. Paul to William O. It is a nice 40 mile ride mostly on paved or limestone trails. You are close to your neighbor here, but really enjoy it.
GuideBeautiful park and its only 45 minutes from St. Paul.
TravelerLake 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.
GuideIf you’re looking for a peaceful escape where the only sounds are rustling leaves, birdsong, and frogs singing at dusk — Site B6 at Lake Maria State Park is the one.
This hike-in site is about a half-mile walk from the parking area, and the journey in is half the magic: winding wooded trails, wildflowers, and glimpses of the lake through the trees. Once you arrive, B6 feels like a secret woodland sanctuary — set up on a slight rise, tucked beneath a cathedral of towering oaks and maples.
The site is private, quiet, and wonderfully shaded, with just enough open sky for stargazing by the fire. The tent pad is level, and there’s a solid fire ring and picnic table. Vault toilets and water access aren’t too far, especially by backcountry standards.
What makes B6 stand out, though, is the vibe. It’s close enough to Lake Maria’s best hiking trails and just a short walk to the lake itself, where you can sit on a log and watch wood ducks paddle past and listen to the frogs in full chorus at night. We saw pileated woodpeckers, red squirrels, and a chorus of chorus frogs. Nature feels close here — in the best way.
Pro tip: Pack light and bring permethrin-treated clothes during bug season. And don’t forget a headlamp — the darkness here is wild and beautiful.
This site is perfect for anyone who wants a little solitude, a lot of nature, and a chance to slow down and breathe. We’ll absolutely be booking B6 again.
GuideThis is a solid state park offering. The sites are decently spaced with good tree cover. Noise seemed to travel between sites, I had some loud neighbors during the day but they settled down before quiet hours. The grass was easy to get tent stakes into. Bathrooms were your basic state park situation. Clean with warm showers so no complaints from me. The star gazing area was great! Intermittently had 1-2 bars of T-Mobile with LTE Internet. Wi-Fi is available at the park entrance.
LegendI booked this on a whim since we needed an overnight close to the State Fair. I loved the look of the "TENT ONLY" loop - you don't see this often - so it was a good fit. Seemed that the whole campground was booked up and I assumed, for a similar reason. The State Fair.
Booking was fairly easy through their website, and you can "hover" over the sites to see a photo of it. I chose the one I wanted and hoped it would be what we wanted it to be.
You DO need a park pass to stay at the campground.
We arrived after dark, but in the dark you could still tell it was lovely. I couldn't see any neighbor on the one side where there was a campsite (the other was a field...which is why I chose it). So we set up a tent, enjoyed the last of the evening and crawled into our bags.
In the morning, when I could see everything, I was thoroughly impressed by the space, the maintenance of the property, the size of the campsites. All of them were impressive and big! A few were only separated by swathes of grass, but most had enough trees you couldn't see your neighbor. And the fact that this loop (F LOOP) was "tent only" meant no generators! It was very quiet! There were port-o-potties (cleaned about every 3 days) and a centrally located water source (potable) that was in the middle of everything for easy access by everyone. The spaces seemed fairly level, lots of mature trees, fire rings at all of them (with cooking grates that flipped out of the way) and picnic tables at most (resin tables, not wood).
I took a quick look at the other loops. The tent/small trailer loop didn't appear to have electric either. And the RV loops obviously did. All were very nice! And there is a shower house (didn't go in) that was for all to use if you had a site.
We'd stay here again in a heartbeat.
**I've seen the other reviews here which seem to be based on the bugs. I know that bugs are part of camping, so I don't review based on that, but I'll add details, if needed. This one didn't have many, but it was raining, so I'm sure that factored in. When I camp, I come prepared and I try to focus on reviewing the campsite itself, not the bugs, which I can not control. I can, however, come prepared for them**
LegendGeneral: Smallish (38 sites plus four walk-in sites) Army Corps of Engineers campground. Some (see below) have electric hookups but no water or sewer hookups, however, there is a dump station.
Site Quality: All sites are gravel/dirt (except for the ADA-accessible site), and most are very generous in size. Our site (7) sloped down but leveled out with plenty of room for our campervan at the bottom. All sites are wooded with trees providing separation/privacy between sites. Completing the site are a metal picnic table, fire ring, and lantern hook.
Bath/Shower House: Sites 28-38 only have vault toilets (but you could trek to the other campground loop). Sites 1—27 have flush toilets and showers. They were very clean, and I especially appreciated the fact that they were cleaned daily before 6 am, a shout out to the camp host! The shower was great– warm water and great flow, although our friends (who arrived two days before we did) had cold showers when the campground was full.
Activities: Several short hiking trails. I give this campground 4 stars instead of 5 because Eau Galle Reservoir (Lake George) is about a 10-minute drive from the campground. Most Corps of Engineers campgrounds are located right on the water. There are no amenities (rentals, etc.) offered at the lake but it is small and beautiful, and we enjoyed a peaceful paddle. We saw a couple of people fishing on the lake and there is a small swimming area. At the campground, there was an interpretive center, but it was locked when we were there. There is also a nice, modern playground.
Aside from the plentiful bugs (in August), we enjoyed our two-night stay at this campground!
GuideThis was my first time camping EVER, and I wanted a balance of car camping ease with quiet wilderness. I stayed in the E loop. No electric sites, which cut down the number of big rig RVs, but there were plenty of small campers and trailers. To me, this means louder guests than tent campers. That said, people tended to quiet down by 9-10p. There was occasional noise during the day from crop dusters and motorized boat traffic on the St. Croix.
Site 87 had nice privacy — less between sites 87 and 89 and much more between 87 and 85 (see photos). Site 89 is a double site, so be prepared for a little more activity if someone books there. If I went again, I'd try to snag site 85. Large trees and vegetation between sites, especially on the outside loop. Plenty of space for hammocks. The site itself was level and very spacious. We had a five person tent and could have put up a bug house easily. The fire pit was clean and had a grate on top. Pit toilets were clean and had plenty of toilet paper, especially for the end of a holiday weekend. Bugs were minimal, but could have been because the weather was on the cooler side (50s-60s).
A couple random notes:
Firewood is $6/bundle. Self-pay available if the ranger station is closed. Bring exact change since you'll be paying by envelope.
The ranger station was open for window service, and they sold fire starters, soda, t-shirts, etc. Not sure when hours are exactly. They were open when I went around 3-4p Sunday and Monday to buy wood.
Cell reception for T-Mobile was minimal to non-existent.
TravelerBackpack site Buck Hill is right on the river, beautiful view to the east. Circled by flowers (goldenrod in the late summer), brush and trees. End of the path so zero foot traffic / passersby. Fine size for us but if you had two tents maybe tight. Fire ring and picnic table of course. No drinking water (we brought a bladder). It’s a great place to star gaze. There’s a teeny somewhat treacherous path to the river- no beach or anything (water was super low when we went) - Just can get your feet wet.
Down the path a little bit is an unenclosed toilet - not the best. The other direction down the path (only about 20 ft) is a smallish bear box.
You can harvest your own wood (at this time) and that was really great - bring a backpacking saw!
Only downside to the site— you can hear cars on both sides (river and opposite side of forest).
It was a 2.37 mile walk from the parking lot, mostly shaded.
Side note: we checked out Deer Creek site which is much closer to the car. It is a hike in / canoe site. It’s wayyy more spacious, and even has two separate clearings. Also has cool stairs down the to water, and a much more expansive view of the river. We will be staying there next time! We want to take a few days to canoe the whole length of the park, camping along the different sites. Next year! :)
Tent camping near St. Paul, Minnesota offers a variety of beautiful locations where nature lovers can enjoy the great outdoors. With options ranging from secluded sites to family-friendly parks, there's something for everyone.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near St. Paul, MN?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near St. Paul, MN is Afton State Park Campground with a 4.6-star rating from 36 reviews.
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TheDyrt.com has all 24 tent camping locations near St. Paul, MN, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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