Best Tent Camping near Minot, ND

I love this campground, it was like a breath of fresh air after getting lost in northeast north dakota and not seeing a soul for hours and sleeping on the side of the highway, driving up to Roughrider was like seeing an oasis in the desert. It is the nicest campsite we have been to in a while, $15/ night for primitive tent camping and pets allowed on leashes. The showers got hot INSTANTLY. We were welcomed so warmly after freezing in the car all night. 1000/10.

While there were very few tent sites available, we had our choice of sites as we were the only tent campers. Bathrooms were great, the trails around the lake were great and the food at the marina was OK. This park is surrounded by beautiful lakes and fields of wheat. Shower was great.

We followed our GPS to the campground (CG). There were no signs for this CG off of US-2/US-52 at the turn. Check-in was quick and we proceeded to a very tight pull through site 95 with FHUs. What we were initially concerned about was threading our truck and 5th wheel through two trees that make this a pull through. Other reviewers had labeled this site a“back out.” We also saw that to dump our rear black tank we would need more than 25’ of sewer hose and, unfortunately, we needed to dump for this overnighter. We couldn’t maneuver the rig to get our black tank connectors more in the center. If we pulled up any further we wouldn't have been able to get our bedroom slide out because of the two trees. We went back up to the office and expressed our concerns and asked for another site. One of the office workers got rude with us and said the only other site available was 93. We made an attempt to get into this site but there was a sewer system obstacle that presented an issue getting into the site along with how far forward the rig right next to us was parked. Back at the office, we said we'd just take our original site and make it work. The worker let us know her co-worker told us to pull in the wrong way and we could clear the sewer obstacle. We weren't comfortable trying to make the tight turn with the way the other rig was parked in the next site. The other person at the office also said they have a dump station where we could dump. As we had reserved a FHU site, we were not happy with this option. We went ahead and pulled back into site 95 and set up. When we hooked up water we found that the water hose 2-way splitter we shared with the site next to us would not open all the way. Not wanting to deal with the office anymore, we filled our freshwater tank and used our water pump. We got 3 bars on Verizon. This CG has a lot of site options from crammed together to nicely spaced with good yards. There are also tent sites. Along with the different site configurations, there are full timers, transient workers, seasonal, and short stay. In the row we were in, you are definitely stacked in there and you are door to door with another rig. If you decide to stay here try to avoid row 90-96 as they are very tight, you share utilities, and you are door to door with your neighbor. Needless to say, we will not be back.

We stayed 3 nights in early September, Fri-Sun. I was a bit surprised at how few people were there - 2 or 3 long campers and we were the only tent campers. It was nice for privacy but felt a little eerie at times. That being said it was nicely maintained and I have to mention the bathrooms are replenished and cleaned daily and fully stocked with CHARMIN ULTRA toilet paper which is an absolute luxury at a simple campground lol. The showers are also pretty nice and the facility is heated. So appreciated. It has a little pavilion, a playground, “beach”, a couple cute bridges, a big grassy field for stargazing or throwing the ball around, a disc golf course, and of course you’re right on the river which is cool. Swimming is allowed at your own risk. I’m giving it five stars mostly for how well kept the bathrooms were, but it did feel a little desolate at times. I get it’s the end of camping season though and it was a little cold at night so that’s probably why. There are a few stray cats and dogs wandering about at times. We are good sleepers and this didn’t bother us much but there are heavily trafficked train tracks a couple hundred yards away from the campground so if you are a light sleeper or are bothered by trains this might not be the place for you. Umm all in all it’s a cute and peaceful little park that made a nice home for a few nights. It’s patrolled by police throughout the day too. We’d probably stay there again if we ever happen to go to Minot. Oh! There’s a decent North Dakota style winery (sweet fruit wines) a couple miles down the road with a lovely view and even some hikes. Worth a visit - Pointe of View. Ok, done now I promise.

This is our first visit here, North Dakota does a great job with their state parks campgrounds. Our 3rd SP visited on this trip ( Lake Metigoshe & Sully Creek were the others).

Huge, well spaced campsites. Pretty much in immaculate condition. The park was busy, hardly any vacant spots but still very quiet. Plenty of folks had their boats, & plenty of room to park them. Very scenic area.

We've been to plenty of state parks across the USA. Looks like North Dakota might have the best ones.

This is my favorite campground in North Dakota ! Always clean and neat. The waters are beautiful. National fish hatchery nearby, along with the Garrison dam. Breath taking views from the Elbowwoods loop!

After advice from friends, we decided to test this place out since it is near Minot. We stayed Sunday through Tuesday, which was very peaceful for a small campground. I couldn't imagine this place on an actual weekend since there are no "reserved" camper spots, you can pull up and park anywhere. 

I was forewarned about the toilets, there are 2 and only get dumped twice a year (beginning & end), good thing we have a camper. LOL!

I wanted to go swim but there was so much algae in the water after you wade out that I'd be afraid to get caught in them. Plus, the baby crawdads clinging to my legs made me think twice about going any deeper than my knees.

This is a very well kept campground with clean bathrooms and showers, well maintained tent, camper, and RV sites, and excellent mountain biking and hiking trails. It also has lake front camping sites for both tents and campers. There are multiple swimming beaches on property, playgrounds, an ice cream and general store, and boat rentals available. Very enjoyable camping experience.

I've been camping at this campground since I was a kid, and it's always been wonderful. It has something for everyone. A boat marina, a swimming beach, tent-only sites, primitive grounds, water and electrical sites, hiking trails, playgrounds, clean shower facilities and flushing toilets! Not to mention the outstanding views of Lake Sakakawea!

I really enjoyed my stay at this campground. I had a large tent and brought my dog. I chose to stay with electricity and water since I had my pup. I had a very clear view of the water and the place was very clean. The sites were spaced out well enough where my neighbors weren't too close to me and I hardly heard any of them throughout the day or night. I stay for 4 days and had a wonderful experience. Highly recommend.

Oddly enough, this place is not bad at all for a short overnight visit or if just want to visit The Magic City for a few days.
We stayed 1 overnight.
There are a bunch of sites, but understand, the dealership does use many for parking their RV inventory. We did not have a reservation so I can’t say if we had had a reservation, how many sites would be offered. As our visit was on a Sunday, Labor Day weekend arrival, there were 3 back-in sites available in the short term area - all sites in the Park are $50/night with FHU and septic. The short term sites were 60’ and more. For us there were only 1 site with 30/50 amp and 2 with 30amp that were still available.
The bathroom and showers and the laundry room were absolutely spotlessly clean and roomy.

Great service, full hook ups, and kids/pet friendly. If you’re camping in the area it is the best place BY FAR!!!

I will definitely be returning here on my next trip through the area. The only issue that I had was the noise from the construction across the river.