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.
"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.
TravelerWe spent a single night here at site 37. The site was great, the privacy was okay, and the campground itself was slightly above average.
Our site was huge. It could have easily accommodated an RV and a tent. There was a campfire ring and picnic table there like each site, but ours also had a tent pad and a very long parking spot. We were tent camping. This was the first tent pad I have ever been able to stake down without bending or breaking stakes and needing a mallet. The site was also close to a few of the trailheads. See pictures. Would recommend site 37 any day.
The privacy was nonexistent because there were no leaves on the trees yet. In the summer, that might change. There are trees between sites.
The campground itself was okay. The ranger and lady in the office when we stopped in were a little strange, but helpful. They were out of wood, but there is a DNR certified seller not a mile down the road- you can get more wood for cheaper there anyway. In MN, you need to get your firewood from the state park you are at or a certified seller in the same county to prevent the spread of tree pests and disease. The ranger can and will stop at your site and ask to see your seller card from the wood. The rest of the campground was nice. Many water spigots were still frozen, but there isn't much to be done about that. Overall, I would definitely recommend this campground!
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!
LegendCampground Design
I like that it's split into 4 small loops (1-11, 12-28, 29-38 and 39-59). There shouldn't be much traffic in any one loop. It's a very shady campground - lots of trees so it's quite dark at night with no stargazing from your site.
Our site #42 was right next to #40 and there's not much privacy between the 2 sites. There's a lot more distance and privacy between #42 and #44. In general, sites are fairly close together but there are some trees in between.
I thought we might be closer to the Mississippi River, but the campground is located above the river (called Pepin Lake at this wide point). You can hike down to the river; the steep descent makes the short hike more interesting. There are Lower and Upper Bluff trails as well as other short, connected trails throughout the park. (See photo of trail map.)
Tent Campers
There are 6 'cart in' sites, but they are about 1/2 mile away from the main campground and on the other side of the road. Park, put your gear in a cart, and walk about 1/4 mile to your site (C1 through C6).
Special rule for these sites: You have to pay $2 to use the showers at the main campground! Your camping rate is $15 instead of $23 for a non-electric site. If a cart in site doesn't appeal to you, the regular sites are good for tents; many have tent pads. There are also a couple backpacker sites.
Amenities
Picnic table and fire ring on each site. Some sites have a tent pad. The 'rule of 3' says you can have 3 'units' on a site - 2 tents + vehicle, RV + rent +vehicle,... - One restroom with flush toilets, sinks and showers (old but no temperature control) located near the road in front of the loop with sites 12-28. We were in the last loop on site 42, and there was a pit toilet that smelled okay but had lots of flies.
Some electric sites ($31) in the first 2 loops; the map (see photo) has an 'e' next to the site number and so does the post at the site.
Dump station that includes a potable water filling station. There are water spigots in the camping areas.
Trash dumpsters and recycle bins.
Extra fees
There's a $7 reservation fee for online or phone reservations, and the site posts indicate you need to 'reserve' the site before you set up camp. You avoid that fee by showing up without a reservation when the office is open, but I wouldn't do that on a Friday or Saturday in the summer. You can always get a sense of whether showing up without a reservation is feasible by checking availability online. It also looks like you avoid the fee if you reserve online on the day you stay.
$7 entry fee per day is standard in MN parks. A $35 pass is good for 12 months.
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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