Best Tent Camping near Willmar, MN

Tent Camping Reviews near Willmar, MN

209 Reviews of 9 Willmar Campgrounds

• 

  Jen A.

  Guide

  Aug. 28, 2019

  Yellow Medicine River Campground — Upper Sioux Agency State Park - PERMANENTLY CLOSED

  Fun Camping in a Tipi

  We camped in a tipi here.  All we needed to bring were sleeping bags and sleeping pads. The kids loved being in a tipi and mom & dad loved that we didn't have to set up a tent. The deck kept us off the dirt, and we were warm all night.  What a fun and unforgettable experience.  We hiked the amazing trails throughout the park and even learned about the history of the area.

• 

  Renee H.

  Ranger

  May. 23, 2024

  Lac qui Parle Upper Campground — Lac qui Parle State Park

  Spacious and tranquil

  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).

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• 

  Tracy O.

  Guide

  Jun. 20, 2021

  Glacial Lakes State Park Campground

  Perfect for families

  Great family campground. Lots of shade cover. Oak ridge is perfect for larger rigs (<35 feet - anything bigger there are only 2 spots that will fit) (no electric or water). Clean vault toilets. Lots for kids to do. Canoeing, fishing, paddle boards. Great hiking trails. Loop for kids to bike on easily. Easy to get to.

  For those using the dump station it’s on a hill and tougher for bigger rigs to use. No flushing station. But water throughout park. Firewood at the station. Small number of electric sites in the first campground but sites are closed together and less privacy/shade. Bathhouse is in first campground.

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• 

  Allison K.

  Legend

  Aug. 1, 2019

  Yellow Medicine River Campground — Upper Sioux Agency State Park - PERMANENTLY CLOSED

  Amazing Tipi Camping!!!

  If you’re looking for some unique camping look no further than the Upper Sioux Agency State Park outside of Granite Falls Minnesota. This park is one of three parks in Minnesota that is home to Tipi camping. Yes I said Tipi!! And not even a Tipi that you need to supply one that’s already set up for you with the wood platform and everything perfect for you to have an amazing experience!

  We paid $55 a night and were able to stay at this awesome Tipi campsite. The only downside to the campsite that we stayed in was that it was right on the corner of the main road. Other than that we are absolutely in love with the campsite and the staff at the park. Each day the park rangers would come through and ask if you needed firewood charge you for it and bring it straight to your campsite. This is a pretty good option for buying firewood since the park office was a few miles away from the actual campsite.

  It was a really nice shower and bathroom facility along with vault toilets just off the main road. The campground is pretty open but still secluded enough for us to feel like we were there alone. There was a river close to the campsite so that we could fish if we wanted to. And just a short walk or drive or bike ride you could get to the picnic area right off the river and have a really nice day or evening. There were also backpack in camp sites that were really secluded and pretty large. The only problem to those was they were close to the river and the mosquitoes are pretty bad.

  This park also has equestrian camping and it’s really nice because it’s completely separate from the main campground.

  There wasn’t a whole lot to do around the Park in the nearby towns however there was some cute little antique and thrift shops which was right up our alley.

  We would definitely go back and stay in a tipi again!!! What a cool experience!!!

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• M

  Mike K.

  Traveler

  Dec. 23, 2020

  Birch Lake

  Quiet State Park No Hook-ups

  If you like quiet/off the beaten path sites, this one is awesome. Walk in sites as well as drive in. Great (but small) swimming beach, large lake with great fishing available. No hook ups and no dump station. Sites are spaced far enough apart to give you some privacy.

• 

  Nicole L.

  Guide

  Aug. 29, 2019

  Fort Ridgely State Park Campground

  Nice getaway

  We stayed at site 21 in late August of 2019. It’s obvious that the park had some heavy flooding earlier in the year. A lot of the waterfront sites became sandy. The sites are close together and not very many mature trees between sites. There isn’t any cell phone coverage at the campground but there is service around the historical site. Only restrooms are single stall vault toilets. No showers. However I think the horse campground has upgraded restrooms and showers but I never checked it out because it was so far away. Mosquitoes were bad, everyone came home covered in bites. Kids had a blast playing in the creek. There was also people out on their horses offering rides to kids and educating about horse ownership.

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• 

  Tori K.

  Legend

  Jan. 28, 2025

  Masonic West River Park

  Riverfront!!

  Amazing campsite! Sites are large and grassy! We had a lakeview site right off the paved walking/biking trail with room for a large tent and the pop-up camper. Fire ring and picnic table provided. A man drives through the campsite close to dusk to sell firewood as there is no traditional office. Bathrooms and showers are located near the dump station and dumpster. Be on the lookout for the code for the doors during your reservation process. We had missed it and had to ask a neighbor if they knew the codes so we could shower.

• 

  Sara E.

  Scout

  Sep. 5, 2017

  Yellow Medicine River Campground — Upper Sioux Agency State Park - PERMANENTLY CLOSED

  Baby's first camping trip!

  My husband and I wanted to try out camping with our five-month-old, so we stayed two nights in Upper Sioux Agency State Park at the Yellow Medicine River Campground. The campground was well-maintained, clean, potable water tasted good, the outhouse had toilet paper and hand sanitizer, and the sites/paths were mowed. Our site (#5) did not have any tree cover, so midday was HOT! It looked like all of the other sites had at least one tree, if not a small forest surrounding the site - so it was just our dumb luck to choose the one site without shade [via the DNR website]. The state park has over 18 miles of trails - - - most are grassy paths mowed along the Yellow Medicine River, through the prairie, or over the grasslands - none with noticeable elevation changes.

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• B

  Bruce F.

  Traveler

  Aug. 12, 2022

  Birch Lake

  Up outdoor close(and where the children are above average)

  Birch Lake is Lake Wobegon personified. Fish, swim, canoe, jet ski, you name it. The campsite is located in the Burch State Forest with tons of trees around each site. There’s a fire ring, picnic table and water well located within walking distance. Very friendly and knowledgeable camp host. If you like a more primitive campsite you will like this!