Best Tent Camping near Grafton, ND

Picturesque area in northeastern ND. Nice and close camping within northeast ND for those that don't want to venture far from Fargo-Grand Forks-Grafton stretch or far off the northern 29 route. TRSP is located 22 miles west of Grand Forks on Highway 2. Easy to find! Reasonable and affordable nightly rates for both primitive RV and tent sites. Electrical hookups available. Free showers! You'll find the landscape partly wooded, prairie grasses, and the beautiful Turtle River. We utilized the river to cool off in the water & sightseeing. We also brought bikes to utilize on the trails. Kid friendly camping. For those looking for camping close to home in eastern ND and you're not wanting the lake scene, highly recommend TRSP.

Modern camping which is for RV’s only have power and water at sites. But the tent sites are very big and restrooms are never far. Showers were spotless smelled great and HOT water. Well staffed and polite and take pride in their work. They have wood and Ice available at the center.

This is a nice campground, I’m sure it would be more enjoyable in the warmer seasons. Has everything you need to have a pleasurable stay except for laundry facilities. Full hook ups for the RV’er, tent camping, boat ramp with docks, playgrounds, restrooms with showers, personal garbage can picked up weekly, friendly staff, fire rings and bbq grills. All this comes with beautiful views that over look the reservoir and best of all open year around. For the cold weather campers the shower floors are heated! Can’t believe I got all this for $500 month plus $35 vehicle fee.

Turtle River State park has beautiful mature ash trees for a nice shady camp spot. There are numerous sites with water and electricity with central location shower houses. The camp sites are large, level and secluded.There are lovely wide trails for biking and hiking and a river runs through the park. There are also walk-in sites, cabins and open tenting sites.

This would be an interesting park for birders, and as some other reviewers have said it is like an oasis in the prairie, a forested enclave. The interpretive staff at the visitors center are enthusiastic, the river is good for fishing, and there are a lot of trails. It is a good get-away for folks who live in the Grand Forks area. Unfortunately, we were there on an event weekend—“Halloween in July” which meant the campsites were jam packed for the weekend with people eager to be costumed ghouls and do various tricks and treats. RVs were jam packed in, as were the tent sites, and even the hike-in campsites seemed crowded. It was also very buggy which is probably to be expected in a lowland with wetlands. One great appeal was a really great dog park! One if the nicest I’ve seen, and surprising that there would be one in a state park. For fans of winter recreation, this is apparently a hotspot for skiing and snowshoeing, and I can see coming back for that. But probably not for camping in the summer, possibly in the fall when less buggy and less crowded

I needed to scout what Turtle River looked like before I pull my travel trailer there in Spring. Here is what I found.

Nice flat pull through campgrounds. Easy electrical outlets with breakers. Water outlets are off for winter. Plenty of bathrooms Septic is drive through may be tricky to get in with large trailer. Gas stations are about 5 miles east of park. With Subway and Dairy Queen. Lots of big trees, cleared enough for campers, but watch for widow makers. Nice and playful dog park. Cabins are basic and look warn. Park Manager going to fix up next year. As all state parks, under staffed. 2020 was record high for campers in park. Beautiful however the lake in entrance will not be seen in campgrounds. Nice flat spaces for tent camping. Very clean. Well groomed. Fire pits BBQs everywhere. Plenty of places to explore. Lots of trails. Friendly staff. Dogs aloud in park as long as on lease except in the dog park of course. Lots of wildlife during certain times of year. No dangerous wildlife or reptiles. Fishing aloud certain time of year. No hunting = good Firewood at main entrance. No snack machines seen?

Very nice place all in all to visit for a week or weekend.

Like many small town community campgrounds, this has the basics and is adequate. The campground itself would not be a destination vacation spot, but is a decent place to stay if you have come to Pembina for some fishing on the Red River or to visit someone in town or to attend an area event. It could also be your end point if you are paddling the Red River Water Trail downstream from the town of Oslo: https://files.dnr.state.mn.us/maps/canoe\_routes/red\_river\_3.pdf

They are 12 RV sites with electric, water, dump station, and shower. There is usually a  boat dock and ramp, but it looks like it is currently pulled up on land and may have sustained some flood damage or something. There is a  fish-cleaning station, some shady tent sites, a picnic shelter, a playground, a hike you can do on the river dike, and an easy walk into town for a few cafes and conveniences. The one really nice attraction is the Pembina Historical Society museum a few blocks away, with a great overview of the cultural and natural history of the area, which will help you better understand why there is an old historic log cabin at the campground, and why that spot at the confluence of the Pembina River and the Red has been settled for centuries. If that interests you, you might want to start here and head west into the Rendezvous Trail (see scenic byway: https://www.ndtourism.com/articles/rendezvous-region-scenic-backway) towards the Pembina Gorge area https://rendezvousregion.com/

This is an “event” campground clearly designed for the convenience of county fair attendees, as it is wedged conveniently right in between the Kittson County Fairgrounds and the Warren City Park. However, the location and quality of the campground would make it pretty good for family camping at non-Fair times as well. There are lots of sites with hookups for RVs, though they are pretty close together. Tenting sites would be less crowded. The campground is right adjacent to a Fair arena and stables, so easy to stay close to your horse or whatever at rodeo time or Fair time. But also smack dab next to the beautiful Warren City Park, which is treed and shady, and is complete with nice swimming pool, beautiful playgrounds, well kept picnic shelters, an enjoyable disk golf course, etc. The town is nice and has several options for shopping, supplies, meals and more. I wouldnt necessarily come here as a destination vacation, but if coming to town for an event it is a great place to stay

looking to get away from the flat land of North Dakota? This park is where to be. Lots of great trails with some awesome views.

This is a small quiet state park in northeast North Dakota that offers a nature preserve with rare plants and birds in a cool bur oak-basswood  stand with spring fed fens around it. A nature trail with little footbridges carries you through. There is also a native prairie restoration, and historic exhibits about the different cultural groups who made their homes here from prehistoric times to today.  A nice little oasis! The campground is set on a pleasant little reservoir, as we are tent campers we loved that the tent area was in the so called "primitive" area  with only tents, with sites all along the shore and close to the nature preserve. It was a weeknight, and no one else was there so it was very peaceful! Fo folks who have campers or rvs, there are three well set up loops with hookups and all the amenities. We also appreciated that they have a dog park on site! I havent seen that in a state park before. The staff was really friendly and helpful. Due to covid restrictions there are more rules to follow and limited programming etc, but you can still swimm and fish and boat on your own. The only drawback is that you can hear road noise from trucks on the highway nearby which is noticeable at night.

Campground was set up a little funny but not hard to locate site once driving around about 3 minutes. Pretty wooded area in hell hole North Dakota. Will never be back here but did enjoy my stay at the hidden gem in a very very boring state.

I can't imagine camping here. I'm here before the campground is open and there's a striking amount of annual campers here. Most of the campers sit in the sun which I think would be hot in the summer. The park is cute The arboretum is nice there's some nice walks but overall I can't imagine sitting in the sun during the summer in North Dakota with high humidity and finding that pleasant. I did stay in the campground at the state park that has lots of shade I would recommend somebody stay there but come here if they want to go to the beach which is quite nice.

Not going to say anything that everybody else hasn't said in the reviews but I thought it was charming there's space between the campers and well there's no privacy there tends not to be in city campgrounds. Also it's right on the River trails so if you're a biker it's fun to do the loop that goes from both the North Dakota and the Minnesota side. The bike trails also connect you to the larger city and there's several other very charming parks and downtown neighborhoods or downtown houses to see. The walk-in sites near the river are quite nice I wouldn't come here if you wanted to be in a quiet state park but that's not the intent of the park and it's a good use of the green space. I'm fully self-contained so I didn't use the bathrooms I've heard their little bit older but there's water there's sewer there's electric sites their sites with electric only and then their sites for just camping also group sites.

Was a bit curious about staying at a place that, on the map, was between two towns on a river. This campground was really nice. If you did not want to cook, there are 4 restaurants within 3 blocks of your campsite. And a Cabelas within 4 blocks, so if you forget anything, it’s close by. There are also other stores and restaurants within 5 miles of this campsite.

The nearly full hookups were nice even though we were staying in a tent. The restrooms and showers were nice also.

My only complaint was two things: if the wind is out of the south or southwest, the smell from the Crystal Sugar plant was miserable. And the trains with their horns blaring at 4am was annoying.

Otherwise, I would stay there again, maybe with a camper or tent trailer to drown out the smell and excessive noise.

Park has electric and rv outlets throughout. It's located on a small river, in front of a golf course and behind a neighborhood. It has a pool open during summer, as well as showers and bathrooms. There is only one hook up for water. All and all it's a quaint little park if your rv camping. No tents allowed.

If you're looking for somewhere to park a big RV, this campground is modern, convenient, and nicely-equipped. There's no privacy or nature to be had, though. It's a grassy plain with straight rows of pull-throughs.

However, there are a handful of walk-in sites off to the side that looked quite nice. That's definitely the way to go if you'd like to pitch a tent and have a little peace and quiet.

One of the other reviews is very comprehensive to the activities so I'm not going to try to repeat that. The park is nice has lots of trees. There are two camping areas and a tent area each camping area has hookups. Both areas are very much in the sun so during high summer might be uncomfortably warm during the day. I agree with the other review there's lots and lots of things to do very close and it's centrally located to a state forest and the pembina gorge which will soon be a state park and a campground on its own but for today if you want to see it this is the closest place to be.

This is a community campground in the city park of a small farming town near the Canadian border. The park is clearly a source of pride for the town, as it is well kept with landscaping, beautiful gardens, great playground, picnic areas, disk golf, and campground with full hookups. It is several hours drive from our home town, and it isnt a place we would go to as a camping destination in and of itself, but we often take long trips up into Canada and if it is late when we are heading home then this is a good stopping point to overnight before going the last few hours drive home. There is also a great Scandanavian restaurant down the block with lots of local ethnic heritage recipes that is a big draw for the region. We have neighbors at home who are originally from this town, and the campground is good for family reunions and other special events. The surrounding area has a lot of moose, so one special event is the annual Moose festival which is worth attending. If you are into birdwatching this is a stop on the Pine to Prairie Birding Trail, just as the nearby Twin Lakes WMA nature preserve is a seasonal stop for migratory birds and waterfowl. The town is also along the “Dancing Waters Scenic Byway” , a scenic road that runs roughly parallel to the Canadian border and is known for views of the northern lights and for great views of the Milky Way in case you are interested in Dark Skies and astronomy.

Disadvantages: the campground is more oriented to RVs than tents; its on first-come first-served basis, which usually isnt a problem but could be on an event weekend; and, unfortunately, a train line with occasional trains does pass by the vicinity which creates some noise.

The campground doesnt seem to have its own website, but here is some info: its $12 a night for campsites, bathrooms available, hookups abailable. Call (218) 436-2178 at the city office if you have more questions. See community website for more info on the town, including the park: http://www.lakesnwoods.com/Karlstad.htm

Good: green, lots of trees, big dog park, adjacent city park and trail, cute town. Bad: hook-ups are awful—they are behind your RV spot, shared with the RV behind you; shared power pedestals so only one gets 50amp, whoever gets there first; the 20amp breaker was useless; sewer connections are 90° angle and 1/2” off ground so almost impossible to use sewer elbow and they have sewer flies; water is a pex tube coming out of the ground, shared, and had a unremovable fitting that did not allow me to connect my pressure regulator. Some sites have utilities on the COMPLETE OPPOSITE side of standard RV connections requiring two additional sewer hoses and extra power cord. Ridiculous.

I saw this from the freeway and thought I would stop and look. It's a sizable campground for people who work on the sugar beet in the fall but available the rest of the year. They're all full hookups you need to call the phone number to get a spot but it's well shaded and very few permanent campers here right now.

A handful of camp spots in a row and what looked to be a reasonable bathroom. For campers it was full service water sewer and electric. Need to contact the staff or the campground host to rent a spot look like the place was pretty empty when I was here. Really nice beach really nice access and fishing down below there's a two and a half mile pave trail in to Park River that you could walk or bike which I thought looked quite nice. Otherwise though that's the extent of the activities if you're not a Fisher person.