Best RV Parks & Resorts near Fort Ransom, ND

The sites are on top of each other. No space between sites. Did have full hookups. Didn’t use facilities during covid times. Only stayed as a stop through but was expensive for what we used

This park is maintained and managed by the Barnes County Wildlife Club and North Dakota Game and Fish Department. Camping is free and allowed for a maximum of 10 consecutive days. There is plenty of open lawn within this park area which can definitely fit multiple tents and the parking lot/gravel driveway can accommodate travel trailers/RVs/Vans.

It is a well-maintained, simple, camping area offering a picnic table, fire ring/pit, built-in charcoal grill, waste receptacles and a vault toilet. (As of early October the county was able to erect a picnic shelter) There is also some informative signage covering the local history, and that of the the river and land. (Not as far back in time as it should though.)

The Sheyenne River runs along one side of this camp area - There is a kayak/canoe in/out access area here and access points for fishing along with a bridge. If you are filtering H20 yourself, you have access to flowing river water for drinking!

Quite isolated and quiet here, people may periodically stop by to fish, drop in a kayak, run their dogs or stretch their legs. Overall it’s a secluded and peaceful area. There are train tracks that run along the river in close proximity; they usually don't "toot" more than a time or two as they pass the crossing. I can't say how many in a night. 

There are plenty of areas to enjoy the sun, but also large, mature trees for plenty of shade as well. Pretty decent area to have access to camp at for FREE that feels like you're "beyond getting what you paid for!"

- Faust Park is also about 4 miles SW from the Mel Rieman Rec Area/Campgrounds (COE) which has a swimming area, playground, showers & bathroom facilities, drinking water, garbages, grills, and a bar/small grill/ice cream shop & water sports rentals on site. This is all very seasonal of course.

-Faust Park is located along a maintained gravel road, less than a ½ mile off of the River Road and about 6 miles outside of Valley City. There is a farmstead on the other side of the river/wooded area, otherwise no other nearby neighbors. It is also 6 or so miles up off of I-94 if folks approach it from that direction.

This rec area/campground is honestly a hidden gem (not trying to be cliché!) The area is very scenic and well kept, with a stream running throughout that feeds into a multi-use lake, unique and expansive campsites, groomed trails, multiple amenities and the laidback solitude and peace of the Midwest prairie/plains. If you choose to, it's easy to have enjoyable personal time and also not feel uneasy or isolated in your experience if you choose to adventure solo.

This campground is family friendly and also still very suitable for those solo stays. The campsites exist within many settings: wooded areas, more community-type settings, open prairies, and secluded nooks far away from the center of everything. Some of these sites are massive and some are quaint and tucked into the trees, down a wooded path. There have usually been multiple sites available when I've camped there towards the end of the week. 

Clausen Springs Campground is managed by the NDGF Department and Barnes County Park Board/Wildlife Federation; it is within the Clausen Springs Rec Area/Wildlife Management Area (545 acres.) This campground is about 20 miles out of Valley City, 17 miles off of I-94 and just a few miles off of ND HWY 1. (Very easy to locate, not a ton of gravel and not too far from a rural gas station/convenience store.)

The hiking trails are my favorite; they are well-maintained and interconnect with the North Country National Scenic Trail (NCT.) The lake provides swimming, fishing, and boat access for electric motored boats or kayaks/canoes. There is also a playground for the kids.

The RVs or TTs have access to electric hookups and dumpsites. We all have have access to rural drinking water, shower houses/bathrooms (very well-kept IMO,) picnic tables, and fire rings. Also present are a ball diamond and horseshoe pit. (There is also a historic aspect to this area and there are some pieces of interpretative information available.)

You are allowed an RV or Camper plus a tent ( or solely two tents) per site (max 8 people) $20/night for electric sites, $15/night for primitive. Also important to note that  sites 1-12, and 55 are reserve-able, all the rest are first come, first serve. There are 21 electrical sites and 57 primitive. 

 (I also realize I posted mainly photos of many of the sizeable, more open/exposed campsites; there are so many that are completely shaded and tucked into the trees as well! I will try to get photos in the future)

The website instructions say to take exit 292 off I 94 but our RV GPS and Google Maps showed exit 294, which is probably a new exit. Coming from the east, exit 294 was the better option, but either exit would work as they both will lead to the turn to take you down to Eggerts Landing plus other COE areas as identified on the signs. The campground(CG) area was easy to find and we got potable water at the dump station conveniently located as we entered the CG area. The RV sites here are all 30 AMP electric and we proceeded to back-in spot 20, which was easy to back into off the turn. Site 20 is plenty long and we really liked the privacy between sites due to the vegetation and trees. This CG has a lot of mature trees so satellite would not be an option for most sites. We got 2 bars on Verizon and 2 on T-Mobile. The sites in the front of the CG are more open where you could get a satellite signal. The sites at the far end of the CG are more private with little trails weaving around. There are no sites that are truly on the lake, but several have paths to the water. There are trash cans smartly placed around the CG plus water spigots and vault toilets. Towards the front of the back loop, there’s a shower house. There is also a fishing pier near the CG area entrance. There’s a camp host, but they were only working weekends when we were there in September. However, park rangers patrolled the CG. This COE is about 15 minutes north of Valley City where amenities can be found. Check out Babb's Coffee House in Jamestown. Great place to have lunch after visiting the tourist spots in Jamestown and the coffee is very good too. If you are looking for gifts made in North Dakota, check out the Dakota Store, also in Jamestown, which is a great place to shop. We enjoyed our 3-night stay during the midweek.

Stopped here on our way through North Dakota, perfect site with flushable bathrooms, good water and a beautiful sunrise.

Really cool place. Quiet. Beautiful view. A few misquitos, but not bad at the sites farther from lake. $15 per night. Most sites open even though its a thursday before July 4th. Plenty of room for larger RVs AND have privacy if you go to the non electric part of the park. Lots of separation at most sites. Stayed 1 night in van.

Great spot for hiking, biking, canoeing and riding your horse. Friendly staff and clean sites. No water or sewer hookups.

I'm not exactly sure I'm in the right place nor am I sure that this is actually a campground of some kind. It's definitely a fishing access it's a big open spot next to Island Lake which is a legit lake in North Dakota. It's very flat but there's equipment parked here and a sign that says this is fishing access so I think if you tried to camp here you'd end up with somebody knocking on your door. Last the GPS spot is not correct that takes you to a corner of a road and this spot does not match the directions so I'm going to go one more mile up and see if the directions actually take me to a campground and I'll post that as well.

Passing through ND in late October and needed a place to stay and this campground worked out well. The folks were accommodating. They don’t take credit cards though. The campground was clean and RV sites graveled and level. The water was turned off due to the recent freezing weather. The associated bar and grill were filled with locals. Bison herd and western novelist Louis L’Amour birthplace near by.

A good spot on the river sort of way out in farm country, a good amount of campers on Fri labor day weekend. Im sure any other day it would be empty. Quiet at night, light on bugs, great grass for tents. No water and didnt see a toilet. Prob not good for bigger RVs. Grab a sweet fresh yummy apple from the tree. Only gave it two stars because some of the hillbillies may be a bit creepy.

This is a year round multi-use state park along the forest-lined Sheyenne River and near the Sheyenne National Grasslands. There are miles of trails through all kinds of habititats from forest to prairie to riparian shores and the water trail. In winter there is great cross country skiing and snowshoeing and summer of course has camping, canoeing, hiking, and nature watching. This seems to be a big park for horse campers and they are well set up for that with corrals and designated horse campgrounds. There is a standard campground for car camping, campers and RVs with the usual amenities, then there is the so-called "primitive" campground which is for tents only, either in drive in tent campsites, or at walk-in tent sites that are very spacious and right on the river! Very nice. The "primitive" tent area has quiet rules including no use of generators, so we like that. The tent area did not have its own water source though, so you do have to walk across the river bridge to the main campground to get water. Also, while there were no problems about flooding on our trip, the sites are in a lowland area adjacent to the river floodplain so could be a concern at times of heavy rain. Other options, should you want to go for historic lodging or "glamping", there is the option to reserve a covered wagon or pioneer cabin to stay in, or a fully equipped really amazingly cool yurt with a loft that could host a large family or group. If you like hiking or canoeing or horseback riding or nature exploring, there are alot of good options here for the summer camper. Things are quieter right now as there as fewer campers due to  covid, they are also a little short staffed and the grounds look a tad bit rough around the edges and in need of a bit of maintanence. Also, the park was established on the grounds on an old fort which seems to have had some historic controversy, and the main park entrance sign was burned in a recent protest event so be aware of that when you are trying to find the park. And, while staying at the park, visit the exhibits in the visitor's center to learn more about the history of the area and the old fort so you can put all this into respectful context.