Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Starbuck, MN

Recommended!

We had a full hookups with 50 amp service. Our site was next to US-12 and had no noise issues. The Chippewa river flows next to the camp and the adjoining river bank is woodlands. We had no insect issues. There is a super dog park and grocery just east on US-12. Found great coffee and scones in Benson at Go Set Ready Coffee.

Our site had a great camp fire pit made from a half sphere about 40 inches in diameter. Looked like the bottom of a buoy or end of a 250 lbs propane tank. The proprietor is an arborist and sold us a large bundle of hard wood that made great smores.

We picked Benson because of its close location to Glacial Lake state park and the Glacial Ridge Trail. Just take MN-29 north.  The topology change in terrain from the farm lands around Benson to the rolling hills and lakes north on MN-29 is great. Continue on MN-29 to Starbuck for a sizable lake. Take some time and explore the back roads on and around the Glacial Ridge Trail. There are many hills, forests and lakes you can explore east up to New London. 

We had an encounter with a pair of swans on the side of the road next to a lake. These are large beautiful birds! We stopped in the car, kept our distance, watched from inside of the car and enjoyed them before the slipped back into the lake.

Really happy to be able to see some pictures of this lovely place, enjoying with family and pet is one of the most entertaining experience in life. Also have had a good time playing with the D2R items of my favourite video game. Will come back in this zone in the future.

No shade or shelter is provided. Right next to water but it will clog up your water filter if you're using one. We saw beavers swimming; They were not fearful of campers. Due to the grass, there were many ticks, pets should be treated for ticks ahead of time. We didn't stay overnight due to the amount of then. Parking was easy, hike in was very easy and clearly defined. It's a good spot for camping in the fall or spring.

Possibly bring your own shade. Note that you CANNOT hammock camp at Kettle Lake. Firewood will also be slightly harder to find here due to lack of trees. It would be smart to carry your own in (if possible).

We tent camped in the non electric sites in the Lower Campground. They were shady thank goodness, but not very flat or large. Your tent will be on rocks, not grass. 

When we were visiting, the shower house was closed due to Covid, so no review of that. The vault toilet was stocked with TP and fairly clean. The portapotty was near full and smelled awful. Didn’t look like it had been emptied all summer! Gross.

The lake was really high when we visited, which led to a useless campground fishing pier and a boat dock that you had to swim to to use. There was no beach, but there may have been if the water level was normal. Watch out for biting sunnies in the swim area and enormous snapping turtles stealing the fish off your hook at the fishing pier near the swim area.

We did go into Starbuck which is 5 miles away. Very impressive beach, groceries and a DQ all an easy drive away.

We stayed at the Oak Ridge campground in early fall. Campground was clean and quiet. Bathrooms were clean but cold (as to be expected when not heated.) Felt very secluded with many trail options for hiking. Hiking to Mt Tom was a nice easy hike to do with kids and a dog. The view was a nice bonus in the end.

I stayed here with a few friends in the winter when the park was doing their lantern-lit snowshoe trail. They have 1 site (electric) available in the winter. We had room for a truck bed camper and a pop-up clam ice fishing tent. A couple and their 2 dogs stayed in the truck camper and me and another friend stayed in the clam with an electric space heater going in addition to our 0 degree bags. It stayed pretty cozy! Fire ring and picnic table at the site. I believe the bathrooms and showers were closed for the season but cannot recall. Firewood is available at the office.

Lots of space between sites. There are not many trees so not much shade. Sites are gravel and relatively level, not much leveling required. Variety of sites, from group camping, primitive (no hookups), electric only, full hookups (water, electric, sewer) as well as cabins and tent only areas. Limited hiking trails connected to campground. Surrounded on two sides by farm fields and Lac Qui Parle Lake on another. There are two loops in the campground. One loop has view of the lake. Boat/canoe launch is in lower campground about 10 minutes from Upper Campground. Recycling and garbage dumpsters on site. Dump station near entrance. Verizon cell signal is poor. Pit toilets available. Bathhouse is centrally located, includes private showers. No laundry on site. Nearby attractions in Montevideo include Talking Waters Brewery/taproom, Jake’s pizza and Java River cafe (with outdoor seating, dog friendly).

A small park set in the middle of no where with a beautiful lake and an alright hiking trail. Nice little piece of Minnesota history there as well.

There are plenty of campsite in the lower area that are very close to the water and good for RV people who do not care for privacy (like camping on a golf course).  If you want privacy, go for the upper area which is completely forested with plenty of trees and brush between sites.  I was in site 17 and was totally pleased... With one exception.

I paid full price for this site.  But, the restrooms. showers, and water were shut off.  If I am paying full high season rates, I want full services!!!!!!  I appreciate there is no padlocked gate keeping people out in the off season.  But, if it easy to turn off the water, showers, and bathrooms, it should also be easy to create a reduced rate for reduced services.  Some other County, State, and Federal campgrounds charge nothing for no services off season camping.  What is Minnesota's problem?  Give people what they pay for!!!

This is purely a ripoff.  It left me with a very unpleasant memory of this area and Minnesota.

Games Lake County Park, near New London, Minnesota, is a great spot for camping. With tent, RV, and cabin options, it suits all campers. The park offers electric hookups, clean facilities, and friendly staff. FR Legends recommends this park for its peaceful atmosphere and great amenities. Located near Games Lake, it’s perfect for fishing, boating, and family fun. A playground, beach, and boat launch make it a great getaway. Open May to September, it’s ideal for outdoor adventures!

The trails in the park have nice rolling hills and offer a unique type of beauty. The campground is small, but offers some electric sites as well as some primitive sites. I do believe there were 2 or 3 cabins that I saw. Unsure if there is a group camp with this campground being so small as it is. Firewood is available at the check in/office building. There is a bathroom/shower building in the loop with the electric sites. The electric loop and primitive loops both have vault toilets. Each loop also has a few water stations to fill containers with potable water and each loop has a dumpster for disposing of waste. Not sure if there is a dump station for RVs as I typically use a tent when camping. Nice state park in Rural central Minnesota

Sibley State Park isn't the most amazing park in Minnesota, however it's still a very nice little campground! We came a little too early in spring so the trees weren't quite green yet, but I'm sure we will be back in the fall to see the beautiful colors from the tower lookout! I would definitely recommend going up the tower, it's pretty easy not allot of stairs and you have quite the view up there! Also nearby is the small town of New London, I would check it out! The Goat Ridge Brewery is fairly new and is definitely worth the stop!! They have a back patio right along the river near the dam with fire pits back there to enjoy your brews! They brew a pretty good root beer too for the kids!

Each site has a picnic table and some sites have a fire ring.  There are tent-only sites that have no hookups and there are semi-private sites for RVs with electric hookup only or sites that are closer together for RVs that have full hookups.

Call 218-747-2959 to book a site.  The campground has a lot of trees and most campsites are on grass.

There is also a motel and cabins on-site that you can book.  The motel rooms, cabins and new cabins (these are like smaller mobile homes) are all lakeside giving you nice views.  

The campground has paddle boards, paddle boats, kayaks and canoes that are available to guests at no extra charge, too.  You can rent a fishing boat or pontoon either by the day or the week.  There is a fish cleaning house on-site as well.  

This campground is in the heart of Minnesota's lake's country.

We camped here in July and it was a great experience, but apparently it is spectacular during the spring and fall migration seasons, because this area is a major stopover on the Red River/ Minnesota River flyway fir migrating birds and waterfowl. During migration, the thousands of birds convening on the headwater lakes of these two rivers makes it sound as though the lake itself is speaking up in its own voice, hence the french furtraders name of “Lac Qui Parle”. The state park here has two sections, a lower part in the forested lowlands on tbe west side, and an upper section on an open prairie bluff on the east side. We camped at the upper camprground, where the sites were open but nicely spaced from the neighbors. The sites were surrounded by blooming prairie and had an exquisite view over the lake, especially at dawn and sunrise. There are also several really nice park camper cabins if you would rather not camp out. The park has lots to explore but is also close to a huge national wildlife marsh refuge that is great for birdwatching and paddling. The park has good facilities eg water and restrooms etc, but is pretty far off the beaten path in terms of access to groceries and supplies, so stock up before arriving and come prepared. This location is close to some interesting Minnezota history sites, too, as well as being a great destination for natural history and outdoor recreation

This state park uniquely showcases an ecologic transition zone between hardwood forest, savannah, and prairie. There are also local history connections. As a bird watcher, I was very excited to see birds here that I dont usually see at home in northern Minnesota, and to learn a bit more about glaciation in this area and about prairie and savannah habitats. The park has self guided hikes, educational nature programs, and learning kits for birding and more that you can check out at the ranger station. The lakeshore is pretty, and the lakeside campground is green and leafy with mature trees but the campsites are very close together, and the beachfront and bath house are currently closed for renovation which puts a damper on waterfront activities. Away from the lake is another campground in the oak savanna section of the park, and this campground seems quieter with more spacious sites, although they are more open. The park’s camper cabins are located here and are in a very pretty setting tucked into a little hill, though a bit of a walk to the bathrooms and showerhouse. At both campgrounds there are nice ADA sites which are level, spacious and accessible, and also close to the bathrooms. I was at a conference in nearby Willmar, and this park is a good alternative for lodging if you need to be in the area. If you are really into learning more about prairies and local glacial geology, the nearby Prairie Environmental Learning Center is fantastic to visit, and lots of prairie pothole WMAs are also closeby for waterfowl watching

I am from a suburb of Twin Cities metro area in Minnesota and we wanted to go camping with my in-laws who have horses. We needed a park that was close and had equestrian camping so we decided to go to Lake Carlos State Park.

Lake Carlos State Park is roughly 2.5hours from the Twin Cities and is a beautiful getaway for a weekend trip. You can leave after work on a Friday and still have time to make it to the park, set up and still be able to cook dinner and enjoy a s’more or two.

We booked site H3 in the equestrian campground which was a VERY open site right off the main loop in the equestrian campground. It was very sunny and barely any shade for the horses. The site were in was electric and there were only three non-electric sites in the equestrian campground. The other sites were awesome for shade but were still super open to everyone.

There were great trails for hiking and horseback riding. They also allowed mountain biking on the trails.

The staff at the office were super friendly and they talked to us for about 15 minutes. Their store in the office was pretty great and they had everything from toys for the kids to s’mores stuff and stickers specific to the park. The firewood was pretty fast burning and cost 6$ a bundle so it was pretty spendy since we cook only over the fire.

The main campground was VERY busy and jammed packed. The sites were too close together and open for my comfort.

The beach was very dirty and there were army worms everywhere crawling on everything.

We took a little bike ride to the group camp which was an amazing area with a very nice shelter with electric.

All in all, this is a good park to go to if you are looking for a park close to the twin cities metro area.

Glacial Lakes is approximately two hours from my home, which makes it an ideal campground to make an impulse day trip if the weather is right. If you are coming from the Twin Cities you pass through a lot of countryside with the occasional house or small town. Despite it being a slightly shorter drive than the trip to Duluth from my house, it felt like eternity in comparison. It also felt very very unlike the Minnesota that I’m familiar with. 

It was a relief to get Lake Minnewaska, which is enormous and the little lake community gives you something to gape at. It also means that you are almost there- thank goodness. Glacial Lakes is relatively unknown considering its proximity to the twin cities, and the scale of its facilities definitely reflect that. 

The entrance station was closed when we were there, but it looked nice and it is on the newer side. The parking area at the end of the road is not expansive, so come early if you are doing a day trip on amazingly nice days. I didn’t see the the group campsite or the Lower Campground(or the cabins that are in it) because the road was closed off to it, so I can’t speak on the quality of those campsites, but I’m assuming that they are nice because there is actually a restroom/shower building there. 

I would not camp at the Oak Ridge Campground. The sites were rarely level and generally on top of each other with minimal privacy. There are also a handful of hike-in sites. Kettle Lake hike-in campsite is the iconic image of camping at this park thanks to the two little lakes that butt up right next to each other right at your campsite. I also wouldn’t camp here because there is no shade and I would cart-in, but NOT hike-in to a shadeless campsite. 

Reviews of this park also mention a lot of ticks, so keep that in mind. There is also horse camping! Minimal shade here too, but there were some young trees. The road to the horse camping is NOT wide enough for two vehicles to pass, so if you are coming here with your equine friends cross your fingers that you don’t encounter anyone on that road. 

We visited for the very first time on a nice day in March. The main parking area is in a wooded area, so you have to hike through quite a bit of hilly woods to get to the prairie section. This meant that there were a few treacherous icy and/or muddy spots despite the surrounding areas being snow-free. It also meant wading over a boardwalk that was covered in water that got higher on our way back from all the melting ice. 

The prairie part was definitely beautiful and I will definitely visit again when the spring flowers are in bloom or on a nice fall day when the grass changes color. I don’t think it will be a park that I frequent often though, mostly because of the never-ending drive. We did the High Peak Trail, which was a nice point with a strong wind that almost ripped my beanie off the day that we visited.

We had a great time camping with friends at this campground. Even though the sites are a bit small and very basic, there is a wonderful playground and a dock where the kids can fish. Wonderful beach nearby and boat docks available for your stay. We really enjoyed the close proximity to Dairy Queen which allowed us to get a fun treat each evening!

Nice campground. The water in the lake is nice and clear. The swimming area isn’t awesome, but I have seen much worse.

Our favorite part of this trip was renting stand up paddle boards. The lake water was crystal clear and glass like calm.

The weekend we camped it was scorching hot. Most of the hiking trails in the park were through the prairie grass. The High Peak Trail did have some lovely views though!