Best Equestrian Camping near Fargo, ND

I have a special love for this park so I maybe a bit biased. I have had great experiences here during every season. From great lakes to kayak and fish on, to trails that are beautiful to hike, snowshoe or cross country ski this park has something for everyone.

There is a main campground for those who want more of a community experience, campgrounds that have sites spaced out to provide more privacy, remote sites you can hike out to and even a horse campground (and trails marked for trail riding). They also have camper cabins and the main campground is open year round.

Ive stayed mostly in the knoll loop and always had a good experience. Trees and shrubs between sites adds a good amount of privacy for campers. There is a vault toilet in the center of the loop for campers to utilize.

Only located an hour from Fargo, ND and Pelican Rapids, MN is just a hop, skip and a jump away if you need to grab any forgotten supplies!

The one thing I will say is properly store your food. There are some overly active raccoon robbers around at this park.

We stayed 7 nights really wish we had booked a few weeks. Our site was #16. We had electric hook up, fill with water near the dump station. Our site was big and private on Grass lake facing west so we saw great sunsets sitting in our site. Our bump out was facing the water when we backed in so sitting at the dinette in the camper we had a great view of the lake. Our table & fire pit were behind the camper with a great view of the water & sunset. The small birds were amazing, the sound of the Loons and an occasional muskrat will swim by.  Every morning we had a Chipmunk warm itself up on a tree behind the camper when the sun hit that spot. The big Maple trees everywhere is nice very lush campground. When the sun set we kicked up a bonfire and took it all in. 

There are several docks on grass lake and a big dock on Beers lake you can fish from. We launched the Kayak at the boat ramp on Beers lake it's a nice ramp and not busy. We didn't get on Lake Lida it's much bigger and lots of go fast boats we prefer no wake. The bigger fish are on Lida.

There are 8 lakes in the park which 3 or 4 have easy water access to launch a canoe or Kayak. Each lake has different fish in it. Our favorite was Beers lake it had some calm coves in it, we caught some Crappies, pan fish & Bass on this lake. They say it also has Walleye and Northern Pike. Lots of beavers & muskrats swimming interesting to watch. There is a hike or boat in site on Beers lake it's nice. 

Grass lake has Pan fish, crappie, Northern Pike & more it's a smaller lake. Bass lake has trout, imagine that!

There is a 5 mile drive in the parks around some lakes that was nice we saw Swans with babies, Loons, and beavers. We loved this park. There are so many trails and so much to do.

There is a fish cleaning station, restrooms, boat ramps, canoe rentals, a swim beach and picnic area tat Lake Lida just a great place. We will go back & spend a few weeks next time were from Florida so it's a ways to go but will do it again. 

The ranger that would drive through in the evenings was very knowledgeable about the wildlife, the area & 2 other parks he works at.  Someone had 2 campers in one site he told them it wasn't allowed (I think we all know that) he made one book a spot & move. It was the only noise we heard was their dogs in that site when no one was there they barked the entire time. Glad he made the one camper move it got quiet again. We did have some people try to walk through our site we asked them not to. They had to walk between the camper & the truck I would think it was common sense. 

There is an Equestrian campground there and trails around the lakes to ride your horses on, a few water access spots for them to wet their hoofs. 

There is a town close by Pelican Rapids, the drive there is nice and it's a small town but a nice grocery store (Larry's), Liquor store, a drug store a few gift shops & good ice cream. 

I'm so happy we found this campground we will return.

Several rangers directed us here so we stopped in before we left Minnesota. The ranger was very helpful and set us up with a quiet campsite. The drive in was a few miles but it gave a view of the variety of ecosystems in the park. 

Site 33 is by itself on the access road to a small non-electric loop. This meant no distraction for my dog and let the bird song entertain us. There is a very long walk to a restroom but water is close by. The site is large and has enough room for two cars. This is a great site as long as you don’t mind the walk. 

We tried out hiking along one of the trails. The grass was long and we quickly found ticks crawling up our leg. More trimming of the trails would make hiking more pleasant. There are trails for horses and mountain bikes. Another draw is the lake. Bring your boat or rent one. There is even a place to clean your catch. 

The sites in the main loop have little privacy. That, coupled with the hiking trails, made this a not so high recommendation. It would go over higher with fishermen.

.Built 3 years ago, Jorgen’s Hollow is a new campground that is in the Sheyenne Grasslands. Half the sites are for people with horses and half are for those without. During my 2 night stay, most sites were empty. If it fills up, there is a campground just down the roads a piece. 

Sites are very different. Choose one in the shade or sun. Some have more space than others. There is a central hand pump for water. Vault restrooms are at each end. The North Country Trail goes right through camp. Hike (or ride your horse) it into the grasslands or the other way to join more trails. 

There is no fee to camp here until the fall of 2018. We couldn’t pass up 2 free nights in a quiet and remote setting. Getting up early and out onto the trail in the cool morning let us relax as the day warmed up. A midnight walk let all the stars strut their stuff.

Thrre are horses and riders who camp here so be aware they added some noises to keep my dog interested. You might consider bringing your own water - the water from the pump has particulates in it. This is also a “pack it in, pack it out place” for now. Bring your trash out with you.

This place is a beautiful find!

For our first time camping with a two year old and two dogs, the Knoll Loop campground at Maplewood State Park offered pleanty of privacy as well as access to some great hiking. Although our campground didn't have shower facilities, they were conveniently close at the next campground. We enjoyed the views while hiking along Beers Lake and eventually ventured over to South Lida for some swimming. I'm not sure if it was the whole lake or just that particular part but the water quality was surprisingly poor and it smelled a bit foul. Nonetheless, we had a great time and would recommend!