Yellow Medicine River Campground, near Granite Falls, Minnesota, is a unique spot that offers a memorable camping experience, especially if you're up for something a little different. Here, you can stay in a tipi, which many families have raved about, making it a fun option for those who want to skip the hassle of setting up a tent.

The campground is equipped with essential amenities like picnic tables and fire rings, perfect for evening gatherings. Visitors have enjoyed the clean facilities, including well-maintained bathrooms and vault toilets, ensuring comfort during your stay. One camper shared, “We camped in a tipi here... What a fun and unforgettable experience.” 

If you’re looking to stretch your legs, the park boasts over 18 miles of trails that wind through beautiful landscapes, offering great hiking opportunities. The nearby river is also a nice touch, providing options for fishing or just relaxing by the water. While the area is generally peaceful, some campers have noted that the sites are fairly open, so you might want to choose your spot wisely if privacy is a concern. 

With its unique accommodations and access to nature, Yellow Medicine River Campground is a solid choice for families and anyone looking to enjoy the great outdoors in a distinctive way.

THIS LAND WAS RETURNED TO THE NATIVE TRIBES.

These electric sites are all located in the Yellow Medicine Campground in an open area with good distance between sites. Most have 30 amp service but 2 sites have 50 amp service.

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

Granite Falls, MN is a great camping destination for adventurers of all types. There are tons of hikes and other fun activities to partake in, as well as sights to see and explore. Search nearby campsites and find top-rated spots from other campers.

Granite Falls

The Best Camping Near Granite Falls, Minnesota

Nice enough campsites, but no privacy.  Good hiking trails.

Nice river-side camping  

Sites were spaced out nicely. Several sites were in sunny areas, but there are some with full shade and privacy. The walk-in sites looked really nice if you're willing to carry your stuff in a little ways. We saw a ton of fireflies at night and there were a lot of little frogs hopping around. One even hopped into the tent when I didn't close it all the way. There were very few campers around, even in the middle of summer.

Variety of sites

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.

Baby's first camping trip!

While some of the park was closed due to errosion issues, the Minnesota river trail and the Hiking Club trail (terrace trail) made for a great Sunday hike.  We will likely make it out that way to hike other trails in the future  

Hiking on Sundays

Upper Sioux agency is a great park for camping. We stayed in the teppees which were amazing. We had two children with beds along with a queen size air-mattress on a raised platform. And another adult in the tepee with plenty of room in the middle. 

We went when the fireflys were out and at night the fields looked like they were glittering. 

It’s tepee time! 

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!!!

Amazing Tipi Camping!!!

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 &amp; 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.

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

Real photos from real campers