Best Campgrounds near Waterville, MN

Campgrounds near Waterville, Minnesota provide a mix of established camping facilities with varying amenities and access to outdoor recreation. Sakatah Lake State Park Campground offers tent, RV, cabin, and glamping options in a wooded setting alongside Sakatah Lake, while Kamp Dels provides family-oriented camping with extensive recreational amenities including a swimming pool, water recreation area, and mini golf. Several private and public campgrounds in the area accommodate different camping styles, from basic tent sites to full-hookup RV locations with modern conveniences. The region includes multiple access points to the Sakatah Singing Hills State Trail, a paved route connecting Faribault to Mankato through hardwood forests.

The camping season for most facilities runs from April through October, with limited year-round options. Reservations are strongly recommended, particularly for electric sites and weekend stays during summer months. Many campgrounds in the area feature both primitive and developed sites with varying levels of privacy. Water levels and quality in Sakatah Lake can be affected by seasonal conditions, with some visitors noting algae issues in late summer. Road access throughout the region is generally good, with paved roads leading to most established campgrounds. A visitor commented, "Sakatah Lake is quite shallow so late season is at risk of algae bloom - the lake was pea soup green when we got there at the end of August, so go early in the season if you want to get on the water."

Campers report high satisfaction with sites at state parks due to their relative privacy and natural surroundings. The paved Sakatah Singing Hills Trail provides excellent biking opportunities directly accessible from several camping areas. Several visitors mentioned enjoying bird watching and wildlife observation as highlights of their camping experience. While family-oriented private campgrounds like Kamp Dels receive praise for their many activities and amenities, some reviews note that sites can be crowded and close together. Reviews indicate that tent campers particularly appreciate the secluded, wooded sites at Sakatah Lake State Park, though RV users should be cautious about site size and maneuverability. A review noted, "Very nice park if your RV is not too big. I put our 38 foot 5th wheel in a site but you better be on your game here. Lots of shade and big trees."

Best Camping Sites Near Waterville, Minnesota (82)

    1. Sakatah Lake State Park Campground

    24 Reviews
    Waterville, MN
    2 miles
    Website
    +1 (507) 362-4438

    "Great park if you’re not looking to drive too far to enjoy a bit of nature. Wonderful hiking paths and biking paths. Our site was nice a secluded and right next to the trail heads."

    "Sites are wooded and shady but some are close to neighboring sites. Not too many mosquitos or flies for August in Minnesota! Sakatah Singing Hills paved trail runs through the park. "

    2. Kamp Dels

    12 Reviews
    Waterville, MN
    0 miles
    Website

    "We reserved a spot right next to the pool area. It was a tight fit to back the camper it, but I was able to do it. They have cement pads for a patio area and a fire ring."

    "The one drawback, in my opinion, is that the lake it is right next to doesn’t have a beach for swimming. That was a little disappointing for me."

    3. Nerstrand Big Woods State Park Campground

    35 Reviews
    Nerstrand, MN
    24 miles
    Website
    +1 (507) 333-4840

    "This is a Nice campground middle of Minnesota. Surprising place in the middle of farm country. Very nice campground and lots of walking trails. Great for leaf peeping."

    "To be on the safe side, incase we had issues, we decided to stay close to home so we decided to hit up a new park, Nerstrand Big Woods State Park just outside Northfield, Minnesota."

    4. Bray County Park

    5 Reviews
    Mankato, MN
    11 miles
    Website
    +1 (507) 243-3885

    "Sites in the back loop away from the lake are big, but not much for shade yet. Sites by the lake looked nice. Beach is nice and clean."

    "There was a vault toilet near by and full bathrooms a short walk away. The showers by the lake could use some updating but the bathrooms by the bigger loop are very nice and clean."

    5. Red Fox Campground — Minneopa State Park

    33 Reviews
    Skyline, MN
    26 miles
    Website
    +1 (507) 386-3910

    $24 - $34 / night

    "The other direction is the BISON DRIVE. Yes, you can actually drive amongst bison if the road is open."

    "We arrived there around sundown, and set up camp in the spot we reserved. The view was absolutely beautiful over the hills, with the forest giving us cover from the bright sun rays in the a.m."

    6. Kieslers Clear Lake Campground

    3 Reviews
    Waseca, MN
    11 miles
    Website
    +1 (507) 835-3179

    7. Rice County McCullough Park

    1 Review
    Montgomery, MN
    13 miles
    Website

    $25 / night

    "Two boat/fishing docks, playground, pavilion, and hiking trails for things to do. Price is very reasonable for water and electric hookup. Just be prepared for the bugs!"

    8. River View Campground

    7 Reviews
    Owatonna, MN
    20 miles
    Website
    +1 (507) 451-8050

    "Outside of this the children spent most of the weekend in the pool!"

    "Neighbors decided movie night was important with surround sound but over all I would stay here again. Lots of seasonal golf cart traffic and kids on bikes."

    9. Sakatah Trail Campground

    1 Review
    Mankato, MN
    12 miles
    Website
    +1 (507) 243-3886

    "Lovely trails.
    Unfortunately the camp sites are very close together, so your experience may be greatly influenced by who is next to you. The first night we had neighbors who were up until 2AM."

    10. Roberds Lake Resort and Campground

    1 Review
    Faribault, MN
    14 miles
    Website
    +1 (507) 332-8978
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Recent Reviews near Waterville, MN

436 Reviews of 82 Waterville Campgrounds


  • Meghan B.The Dyrt PRO User
    Oct. 22, 2025

    Riverside Park and Municipal Campground

    Riverside Park - Mill Pond

    This is a very nice city park with electric sites, tent sites, and restrooms with showers. Website says it's open until the end of October this year. The website is where you can reserve online or get the phone number to call during office hours M-F. We phoned and it was an easy process, $30/night for an electric site. That said, there's no instructions in the park that I could see that directs you on how to pay... so I can see that confusing to people just pulling up. With it being off-season and mid-week, there wasn't anyone around to enforce reservations... so I'm assuming the two vehicle dwellers that pulled in late and left early didn't pay. Overall, the place felt safe (it's right behind the police station) and cell service was great. The city did great making this campground feel like it's not right in the middle of a city. Two trains did go through and blast their horns at 2AM, so bring ear plugs if you're a light sleeper.

  • Lance L.
    Oct. 15, 2025

    Cleary Lake Regional Park

    Large campground with plentyy of activities!

    They have two lots for RV and travel trailer use although the first lot only has two spaces and the second one has a total of five. The five space spot has no water or electric hook up but was a great place for me to test out my new solar set up. Word to the wise, gates ACTUALLY close at 10pm, there's no way to contact anyone and I had to walk about a mile in parked outside the gate 😅. The White Pine lot (5 spaces) has a central bathroom/shower building. The park was jam packed Friday/Saturday but a ghosts town the remains sun/mon/tue I stayed.

  • Joel S.The Dyrt PRO User
    Oct. 12, 2025

    Lake Byllesby Regional Park

    Very nice campground

    This is a good campground. Very well kept. Fishing from shore and there is a boat launch. Nice playground for kids. Sites are fairly close. Many have no privacy from others, but some do. No water at the sites and pit toilets are the biggest weaknesses. Nice paths for walking and biking.

  • Maria D.
    Sep. 28, 2025

    Flandrau State Park

    Rustic Site

    We stayed at the rustic campsites and weren’t impressed. The sites felt very exposed and were directly under black walnut trees, which were noisy and uncomfortable when the nuts dropped—especially in the fall. Definitely clear the walnuts before setting up a tent. The rustic bathrooms were poor, and the nicer running water bathrooms required a drive to reach.

    The regular (non-rustic) sites were even more crowded, packed with RVs and lacking privacy. On top of that, planes flew overhead constantly from about 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.—so loud and frequent it felt like a flight school was nearby. Mosquitoes were also heavy, likely from the large marsh in the park.

    The nearby town of New Ulm was very charming, but overall, I wouldn’t camp here again.

  • DThe Dyrt PRO User
    Sep. 26, 2025

    Lebanon Hills Regional Park

    Not a bad stay

    Sites are a little close with little to no privacy in most. Fun little trails nearby for an afternoon walk. Reservation system is weird and the sites are much bigger than they say. All rv sites are the listed length plus 16’ for your tow vehicle, which you need to call to find out.

  • rThe Dyrt PRO User
    Sep. 22, 2025

    Flandrau State Park

    easy, safe, private and beautiful

    i didn't expect this pretty town and state park to emerge from the surrounding small farm towns i'd been driving through. i'm the only one at the "rustic campground", $7 to camp, and really beautiful. the only thing rustic is no hookups for an RV tho they have a campground for that too.

  • GThe Dyrt PRO User
    Sep. 14, 2025

    Crystal Springs RV Resort

    Has a resort feel to it

    Spent one night passing through Ellendale Minnesota. Our reservation paperwork was waiting for us at the gatehouse with directions to our back-in site 11. A close walk to the laundry, showers and restroom pavilion was terrific. I can’t remember but I believe this was the best campground for low road noise of our entire trip!

  • PThe Dyrt PRO User
    Sep. 14, 2025

    Zumbrota Covered Bridge Park

    Scenic

    Pros: great paved walking and bike trail; leads to state bike trail; MN only covered bridge; huge park playground; disc golf course; along branch of the river; easy walk into town; friendly camp host; very quiet Cons: few site pads, you just drive onto grass where you see electric/water posts and fire ring; restroom with 1 toilet and 1 shower were dirty (husband said it looks like it hadn’t been cleaned in a month) I concur on woman’s as well but there was toilet paper (happy) but no hand soap or paper towels; garbage in women’s shower


Guide to Waterville

Camping sites near Waterville, Minnesota span across the Cannon River Valley where elevations range from 1,000 to 1,100 feet above sea level. The area experiences humid continental climate with warm summers and cold winters, creating a camping season that typically runs mid-April through mid-October. Most campgrounds in the region sit on glacially-formed terrain characterized by rolling hills, hardwood forests, and numerous lakes.

What to do

Bike the Sakatah Singing Hills Trail: This 39-mile paved trail connects Faribault to Mankato, passing directly through Waterville with multiple access points. At Sakatah Trail Campground, campers can access the trail system directly. "Lovely trails," notes one reviewer who also mentioned the "nice facilities" and "clean bathrooms."

Wildlife observation: The wetland areas near Waterville provide excellent bird watching opportunities, particularly in spring and fall migration periods. At Sakatah Lake State Park Campground, visitors report exceptional wildlife encounters. "I was so amazed with all the sounds of birds in this park. I heard Everything from Eagles, Canadian Geese and Swans to Woodpeckers and multiple song birds. I wish I could distinguish between them. Also the frogs and toads were adding their voices too," reports Shelly S.

Water recreation: Several campgrounds offer fishing, kayaking and boating access. Bray County Park provides lake access with a clean beach. "Sites by the lake looked nice. Beach is nice and clean," according to Josh B. The park is located on Madison Lake, approximately 15 minutes from Waterville.

What campers like

Private, wooded sites: Campers consistently praise the natural setting of sites at several area campgrounds. "This was my third time camping at this campground and I love it more and more every time. It's next to a lake so we can easily bring our kayaks with," writes Kayla O. about Nerstrand Big Woods State Park Campground.

Family activities: Resort-style campgrounds offer structured recreation for families. "This is a fun campground for young kids. It has a lot of things to do to keep them going all day. Clean bathrooms are a plus too," states Erick R. about River View Campground in Owatonna.

Clean facilities: Many campgrounds maintain well-kept bathrooms and shower facilities. At Bray County Park, campers note the improvements: "The bathhouse near site 33 is super clean, with auto flush toilets and auto faucets." Another camper mentioned, "The showers by the lake could use some updating but the bathrooms by the bigger loop are very nice and clean."

What you should know

Seasonal water conditions: Lake quality varies significantly through the season. At Red Fox Campground, a camper noted: "Our site was a perfect tent-in site (site 15), as it was far enough away from the highway and other sites, so noise was minimal. The bugs were actually tolerable, which was an added bonus. Downsides were that the drinking water had consumption warnings, the modern restrooms were closed, and the lake isn't swimmable."

Reservation requirements: Most campgrounds fill quickly, particularly on summer weekends and holidays. One camper advised: "As most State parks in MN you better get your reservation in early if you want a site with electric. If your good without, it's a great park."

Bug preparation: Mosquitoes can be intense, especially in wooded areas near water. A visitor to Bray County Park mentioned mosquitoes were "BAD but it was the only thing I didn't like." Another camper advised visiting state parks "before June or after July due to the mosquitos."

Tips for camping with families

Water recreation options: Swimming pools and water features are available at some private campgrounds. At Kamp Dels, families appreciate the range of water activities: "So many activities including a water recreation area, petting zoo, shuffleboard, mini golf, pool, toddler water park, multiple playgrounds, basketball and more. The only drawback is they REALLY pack you on like sardines and the roads are really narrow."

Camping site selection: Some campgrounds offer varying levels of privacy and amenities. "Sites in the back loop away from the lake are big, but not much for shade yet," notes a camper about Bray County Park, which offers both waterfront and more spacious inland sites.

Proximity to amenities: Consider how close amenities are to your campsite if traveling with small children. One camper suggested: "We would chose a different spot within the campground probably closer to the pool and activities" when referring to their experience at Kamp Dels.

Tips from RVers

Site maneuverability: Many area campgrounds have tight roads and tree coverage. One RVer at Nerstrand Big Woods State Park noted: "There's some sites that are tricky to back a trailer into, which would have been helped by some maintenance - there were LOTS of branches that needed to be trimmed back."

Site leveling: Site conditions vary widely across campgrounds in the area. At River View Campground, a camper mentioned: "Sites are nice and pretty level," while at another facility, someone reported their site was "very unlevel gravel and mud."

Campground access: Some facilities restrict vehicle entry during certain hours. A camper at Bray County Park warned: "Biggest problem with the campground is gates in and out lock every night at 10pm and don't open again until 8am. So our first night we got locked out and had to sleep in the vehicle."

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular campground near Waterville, MN?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular campground near Waterville, MN is Sakatah Lake State Park Campground with a 4.2-star rating from 24 reviews.