Best Tent Camping near Kensal, ND

Recent Tent Reviews near Kensal, North Dakota

89 Reviews of 3 Kensal Campgrounds

• L

  Laura J G.

  Traveler

  

  Jun. 20, 2022

  Cooperstown City Campground

  Very Cute little park

  We have a rooftop tent so the tent sites didn’t work for us. The rv site was all gravel and easy to navigate. The bathroom and showers were very nice and clean. There was a cute little playground and horseshoe pits. It’s also pet friendly!

• B

  Blanca M.

  Scout

  

  Jun. 25, 2024

  James River Bay Area Camping

  Simple, low key, primitive

  Good campsite, located in a huge field set pretty far off the river. It says there's room for 10 tents but really you could host a festival there. There's a couple picnic tables and fire pits and one trash can. There is no bathroom next to the tent sites. There is a pit toilet close by. When you reach the "Camp Rules" sign turn right for the camping and left for the pit toilet.

• 

  Dexter I.

  Legend

  

  Aug. 7, 2018

  Pelican Point Landing

  Poorly behaved campers

  Have to give this a low review from the experience we had while staying the night of July 6th. It was a full campground and might of been nice with the exception of several groups staying at the campground. Teens staying up till 3pm being loud and racing around on a golf cart. Intoxicated adults taking lap after lap around the campground in the back of a pickup yelling and swearing at campers that didn't wave back to them. Another group in the campground setting off fireworks until midnight. Zero attempts by camp host to quiet these individuals. Our group of Scouts were besides themselves and have no desire to ever camp in North Dakota again. Other wise this might have been a nice place to stay.

• 

  Lee F.

  Guide

  

  May. 28, 2023

  Jamestown Campground

  Close to highway

  Nice campground just off the highway. Although the tent sites looked nice, unless you have earplugs the highway noise will keep you awake. It's also pretty windy. Clean bathrooms and showers, really nice staff. We booked one of two rustic cabins for a steal at $35. Other than a very thin foam mattress, we had a great stay. There was a mini fridge in the cabin and the wonderful lady that checked us in loaned us a fan since it was a bit warm. Jamestown speedway dirt track has races every Saturday evening during the summer and we were able to catch the season opener in May. The world's largest buffalo is also nearby

• 

  Allison K.

  Scout

  

  Sep. 20, 2023

  Jamestown Campground

  Great Park with friendly staff

  We stayed at one of the tent campsites and stayed in the recommended spot by the staff. There was a fire ring for us, but we couldn’t use our own wood to prevent the spread of bugs or mold. They gave us free firewood and even brought it right up to our camp site for us. Amenities included clean bathrooms/showers, walking trails, playground. Staff/owners super friendly and helpful. Only downfall is the location is right next to the highway and a little noisy, but nothing we couldn’t sleep through. We would stay here again.

• M

  Mychaela

  Guide

  

  Oct. 8, 2023

  Mel Rieman Rec

  Beautiful site, with good amenities

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

• 

  Teresa T.

  Legend

  

  Apr. 7, 2024

  Prairie Haven Campground

  I'm not sure this is a camping area

  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.

• 

  Jo Outdoors

  Ranger

  

  Jun. 14, 2021

  Faust Park

  Primitive camping at Faust Park, Barnes County, N.D.

  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.

• 

  MickandKarla W.

  Legend

  

  Sep. 26, 2022

  Eggerts Landing

  Good Privacy Between Most Sites

  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.

• M

  Mayre J.

  Guide

  

  Aug. 31, 2024

  Faust Park

  Friendly spot to chill for a night

  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.

• M

  Mishawn M.

  Traveler

  

  May. 21, 2018

  West Ashtabula Crossing

  Confused but good

  We had paid for the campsite before we got there, and when we got there, there was no camp host and absolutely no one at the campground. We were confused because across the lake we could see at least 10 tents set up. I also thought $26 was a little steep to stay the night.

  The camp ground had many trees though, which i love. And it was very close to the boat ramp, we liked the camp ground, but i imagine if the campground were full that it would be very crowded. Also it had recently rained and the campsites down hill (closest to the lake) had puddles of water.

• S

  Sadie C.

  Traveler

  

  May. 5, 2022

  Moon Lake

  Peaceful spot

  Nice spot by a lake, with three stone fire rings and a couple picnic tables. We got the spot surrounded by trees on three sides which was nice, the rest are open. Tons of birds which make some noise but aren’t a bother. Someone’s farm dogs were sniffing around our tent and howling in the night. They hung around in the morning and were friendly but a little bit of a nuisance as we were cooking and packing up. The directions we followed took us on some pretty rocky roads, we took a different way out and it was a bit smoother. If you’re in a big car you should be fine but we were in a Corolla :) Way out we took: From 94- West: Left on 106th Ave to left on 40th street to left on 109th Ave

• 

  Jo Outdoors

  Ranger

  

  Jul. 1, 2021

  Parkhurst Campground - Pipestem

  Affordable Prairie Campground with Great Trail System & Water Access

  The first thing I think of when I think of Parkhurst Campground/Pipestem Lake rec area are the trails. This area encompasses about 140 acres and contains the 5.5 mile North Ridge Trail, 8 mile Pipestem Creek Trail, and equine trails. The first two are geared towards mountain biking, and hiking. Very pretty prairie hiking as well as lush, wooded tracts. There's easy access to these trails from the campgrounds and they are also very well maintained by the county. There are families who have ATVs with also, as there is some separate land they can have access too.

  Parkhurst's campgrounds are tidy and well-kept. There are also typically plenty of regulars camping there who are pretty happy to help if you have questions. This is an Army Corps of Engineers/ County ran campground within a rec area; it's located alongside the Pipestem Creek/Lake. There is a $10/night fee on an honor system, where upon arrival you select your campsite and then fill out a slip and submit your payment at the campground entrance. There are no reservations and it is first some first serve. (Every time we have stayed here there have been plenty of sites available, but I cannot speak for traditionally busy, holiday weekends)

  This is a primitive campground that has access to picnic tables, fire rings, vault toilets, waste receptacles, non-potable water, a dump station, shelters, boat docks and ramps, lake/reservoir beaches for swimming, as well as mountain biking, hiking and equine trails. If you needed water on the spot, there is is non-potable water access as well as river/lake water if you filter it yourself.  A neighboring farm which you'll drive by sells firewood, as well as several places within Jamestown. Since there is an equine trail there is of course an equine area with corrals, tether lines, and space for trailers.

  The sites here aren't labeled specifically, so you have to gauge your equipment, vehicles, and how much space you'd typically be taking up. It allows for some flexibility and I haven't seen groups overflowing. Parkhurst is quite expansive in that the northern most end starts at a bit higher elevation, and the southern-most end is a bit lower, and along the lakeside. This is a pretty open campground, across a large large area with dividing roads and trees throughout. Even though spots aren’t secluded typically, and there isn’t site division by trees, we still haven’t been forced to come into contact or interact with neighbors and the rest of the campground.(I mention this knowing that it is something some folks really take into consideration.) Though not a wooded campground, there is still a lot of shade, and the breezes really help with some bug control.

  Parkhurst is off of HWY 281 and about 5 miles from the outskirts of Jamestown, a quick and easy drive. When you are navigating to Parkhurst/Pipestem Reservoir area there is south end rec area entrance and then also the campground entrance on the north end, where you would come across the registration area as you head south. Pipestem creek/lake connects from the south to the James River/Jamestown Reservoir which is on the outside of Jamestown. (Plenty of options for groceries, gas, dining, hardware stores etc.)

  We really like staying here, whether in a tent or camper. The trails are addicting, personally! If you are camping with a couple groups, it's pretty easy to find neighboring/close campsites as well.

• 

  Lynn G.

  Ranger

  

  Jul. 1, 2017

  Pelican Point Landing

  Simple site in farmland

  Not far from the wildlife refuge and highway 94. Very simple campground, really only fishing here. This was a simple stayover for us and it worked for that...I wouldn’t recommend it as a destination unless you want to fish all day.

  Yay: full bait house and cafe, swimming (not the best swimming ever), cabin options too.

  Nay: it’s deep in farm country so doesn’t feel as much like a park, small sites

  Surprise: the sunrise over the lake made this memorable. No idea what "Toad Suck Ferry Pool" means lol.

• D

  Dan T.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 29, 2018

  Pelican Point Landing

  Quiet and Clean!!

  Quiet place with very friendly staff. Don’t forget the great eats from the Dak.

• M

  Mason

  Scout

  

  Aug. 2, 2022

  Pelican Point Landing

  Decent, not great

  Sayed in a 36 ft 5th wheel and had no issues getting it setup, although the ground was far from level, we managed. Went with 2 other families worh neighboring camp sites. Some sites have sewer hookups, most, including ours, did not. Our site was all sand/gravel but the rest seemed to be grass. Nice little bar/resturant on site with free wifi. Basically no cell service. Decent swimming with boat landing. Small playground for kids.

• R

  Raq

  Guide

  

  Jun. 14, 2022

  James River Bay Area Camping

  Good Boondocking

  Scenic lil boat launch not far from Jamestown. A few fire rings dispersed around the area. There was a water pump that looked to be broken. Vault toilet and a storage shed housing the picnic tables if you wanted to use one. The lake is beautiful. Got to watch storm pass thru while cows grazed on rolling hills across the water. Lovely.

• 

  Renee H.

  Scout

  

  Aug. 27, 2023

  Parkhurst Campground - Pipestem

  Parkhurst Campground

  Campground was nice and there is a nice trail. Warning this trail is used for cross country meets. Besides some porta potties being set up on the side of the campground there was no indication of this event happening until the buses started rolling in. There was no where for the buses or spectators to park besides the camping lots and participants and spectators used the campground bathrooms and walked onto sites being used by campers.

• 

  Jacob D.

  Guide

  

  Jan. 11, 2025

  Parkhurst Campground - Pipestem

  Great

  Nice place. Nobody here in the winter. $10 feet a night on the honor system. Facilities for RV’s. Outhouses for bathrooms. RV sites too

• 

  Teresa T.

  Legend

  

  Apr. 7, 2024

  Parkhurst Campground - Pipestem

  Nice spot with pretty views

  This is a nice enough campground with pretty views of the lake. It really is dry though with no water and pit toilets. You just pick a spot of grass and that's it. There are miles and miles of trails which is very cool and nice views of the water and overall, well maintained and for me, in April, it was quiet.

• 

  Stacy M.

  Guide

  

  Aug. 10, 2020

  Jamestown Dam/Lakeside Marina Campground

  Shaded and quiet

  Stayed a night here on a Wednesday and there were only 5 other people. Host said it was going to be full over the weekend. It was very quiet for us. Lots of shade trees. It is not technically “lakeside” but about a half mile walk across the highway to get to the lake. It is well kept. Playground was nice and our kiddos loved it. Would stay here again!

• 

  Ken D.

  Traveler

  

  Apr. 30, 2017

  Jamestown Dam/Lakeside Marina Campground

  Jamestown reservoir campground

  We spent 43 days here last summer. Well kept campground. Hosts are the nicest people you will meet and extremely helpful. You will have to change sites every 14 days if you are going to be staying a long time. Book early as it is a popular area. Full bathroom with showers. Hosts keep it clean but unfortunately some people are pigs.

• J

  JMH

  Traveler

  

  Sep. 29, 2021

  Jamestown Dam/Lakeside Marina Campground

  Jamestown

  Could not find. Phone not in order

• 

  Jess R.

  Scout

  

  Aug. 27, 2020

  Lakeside Campground

  Quiet shady campground

  We camped here on a weekday and had the whole place to ourselves. Quiet (other than distant freeway noise) well maintained, accommodating camp host. I imagine on weekend this place might be crowded with 50+ sites somewhat close together so might avoid... but was great on a Wed. Lots of trees and green space. Has water and electrical hook ups.

• J

  JMH

  Traveler

  

  Sep. 29, 2021

  Lakeside Campground

  Lakeside

  Great campground. Only a few other campers. Hot water was not working but they were working on it.

• 

  Teresa T.

  Legend

  

  Jun. 1, 2023

  Binford Park Campground

  Cute

  I didn't spend the night but stopped on my drive past. 3 little cabins which were reasonably priced, a handful of spots with hookups and a bathroom but no shower. Cute and would be a fine stop on a weekend trip through.

• 

  Keith L.

  Guide

  

  Oct. 30, 2021

  Clinton A. Brown Memorial Park

  Convenient stopover

  Technically closed for the season but, no one pressing the point.