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Established Camping

Turtle River State Park Campground

About

State Park

Welcome to Turtle River State Park Campground, nestled near Arvilla, ND. This place is a gem for those who appreciate a mix of nature and convenience. Open all year round, it offers a variety of accommodations including tent sites, RV spots, cabins, and even some glamping options.

One of the standout features here is the abundance of trails. Whether you're into short, leisurely hikes or just want to wander through the woods, you'll find plenty of paths to explore. The trails are relatively easy, making them perfect for families or those looking for a relaxed stroll. Keep an eye out for deer and squirrels; they're frequent visitors.

The campground is big rig friendly and offers electric hookups, which is a huge plus for RV campers. The bathrooms and showers are consistently praised for being clean and well-maintained. There's also a sanitary dump station available, making it convenient for longer stays.

Pets are welcome, and there's even a dog park where your furry friends can run off-leash. If you're into fishing, the river provides a good spot to cast a line. Just remember, no hunting is allowed, which keeps the area peaceful and safe for everyone.

For those who enjoy a bit of social activity, the campground hosts events like scavenger hunts and even a murder mystery game. It's a great way to meet fellow campers and add some fun to your stay.

One thing to note: WiFi is only available at the entrance station, so plan accordingly if you need to stay connected. But honestly, with all the natural beauty around, you might just forget about your devices altogether.

So pack your bags, bring your sense of adventure, and enjoy all that Turtle River State Park Campground has to offer.

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Location

Turtle River State Park Campground is located in North Dakota

Detail location of campground

Directions

Turtle River State Park is located 22 miles west of Grand Forks on Highway 2.

Address

3084 Park Avenue
Arvilla, ND 58214

Coordinates

47.9354119 N
97.48362655 W

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Access

  • Drive-In
    Park next to your site
  • Walk-In
    Park in a lot, walk to your site.
  • Hike-In
    Backcountry sites.

Stay Connected

  • WiFi
    Unknown
  • Verizon
    Unknown
  • AT&T
    Unknown
  • T-Mobile
    Unknown

Site Types

  • Tent Sites
  • RV Sites
  • Standard (Tent/RV)
  • Group
  • Cabins
  • Tent Cabin

Features

For Campers

  • Market
  • ADA Access
  • Trash
  • Picnic Table
  • Firewood Available
  • Phone Service
  • Reservable
  • WiFi
  • Showers
  • Drinking Water
  • Electric Hookups
  • Toilets
  • Alcohol
  • Pets
  • Fires

For Vehicles

  • Sanitary Dump
  • Water Hookups
  • Pull-Through Sites
  • 30 Amp Hookups
  • Big Rig Friendly

Reviews

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4.5

out of 5

20 Reviews

Reviewed Jul. 24, 2024

Beautiful with easy hikes

Lovely hiking, somewhat close campsites but good amount of tree/brush coverage separating them. Fantastic services (bath house, visitor center, etc).

Site63
Month of VisitAugust
  • Review photo of Turtle River State Park Campground by Ellery K., July 24, 2024
  • Review photo of Turtle River State Park Campground by Ellery K., July 24, 2024
Reviewed Apr. 20, 2024

Very early season camping

We spent 3 nights here and it was very cold and snowy but the bathroom was open and warm and clean and the campground has a ton of short but very nice hikes. Lots of deer and squirrels and I'm guessing really busy in the summer but was delightful to share all the trails with just wildlife.

Site8
Month of VisitMay
  • Review photo of Turtle River State Park Campground by Teresa T., April 20, 2024
Reviewed Aug. 27, 2022

Nice camping area

First time camping for the wife and I. We were very impressed with how clean the bathrooms were. Just wish there was more to do during the visit.

Month of VisitJune
  • Review photo of Turtle River State Park Campground by max J., August 27, 2022
  • Review photo of Turtle River State Park Campground by max J., August 27, 2022
  • Review photo of Turtle River State Park Campground by max J., August 27, 2022
Reviewed Sep. 12, 2021

Unique spot

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.

Site14
Month of VisitSeptember
  • Review photo of Turtle River State Park Campground by Cody L., September 12, 2021
  • Review photo of Turtle River State Park Campground by Cody L., September 12, 2021
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Reviewed Jul. 3, 2021

Turtle River

Lots of poison ivy. Campground should have a caution note on it for individuals with severe reaction. Overall it is a nice campground with a lot of trails and playground. Bathroom and shower facility is new and clean. A lot of drive through lots that are level with easy hook ups WiFi is only available at entrance station.

Site13
Month of VisitAugust
Reviewed Jun. 27, 2021

Poison Ivy Galore

Nice lil campground in a pretty, wooded forest but holy cow there's poison ivy everywhere! We have it popping up in the mowed area of our camp site even. Not a great area for little kids because of that, though they do have a nice little playground area and plenty of short walking trails. It'd be a good overnight rest stop on the way to or from Grand Forks, but not a destination in itself. A great note is that the camp hosts and rangers are plentiful, friendly, and helpful!

SiteSouth Campground #13
Month of VisitJuly
  • Review photo of Turtle River State Park Campground by Chelsea R., June 27, 2021
Reviewed Jun. 22, 2021

One of my favorites

This campground has it all. Lots of trails (relatively easy), pristine bathrooms, deer wandering through the sites, a murder mystery game, electric and water hookups, easy access.

Site25
Month of VisitJuly
  • Review photo of Turtle River State Park Campground by Sue G., June 22, 2021
  • Review photo of Turtle River State Park Campground by Sue G., June 22, 2021
  • Review photo of Turtle River State Park Campground by Sue G., June 22, 2021
Reviewed Oct. 11, 2020

October 2020

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.

  • Review photo of Turtle River State Park Campground by Chris A., October 11, 2020
  • Review photo of Turtle River State Park Campground by Chris A., October 11, 2020
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Reviewed Aug. 22, 2020

Nice campground

Stayed here on our family vacation to various state parks in ND. Although, this was a nice place, it was the bottom in our list of places we visited. No swim beach - we ended up going over to Larimore Dam rec area, which was awesome!! Had some geocaches, but TONS of poison ivy!!!! Even had sprouts if it in our mowed campsite! We were careful & nobody got it. Had a scavenger hunt while we were there, which was a nice way to explore a bit. Nice trails.

  • Review photo of Turtle River State Park Campground by Ason S., August 22, 2020
  • Review photo of Turtle River State Park Campground by Ason S., August 22, 2020
  • Review photo of Turtle River State Park Campground by Ason S., August 22, 2020
Reviewed Aug. 2, 2020

Event weekends can be crowded

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

  • Review photo of Turtle River State Park Campground by Janet R., August 2, 2020
  • Review photo of Turtle River State Park Campground by Janet R., August 2, 2020
  • Review photo of Turtle River State Park Campground by Janet R., August 2, 2020
  • (16) View All
Reviewed Jun. 4, 2020

Great park for basic camping.

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.

Reviewed Sep. 1, 2019

Primitive Site 88

My girls and I had a great day and night at TRSP. Tons of trails for biking and hiking. Some of the biking was too hilly for my 7 year old though. Our campsite was #88 which was a great spot. Nice and secluded along the river. I didn’t bring a cart though so we had to wall back and forth from the parking lot since it isn’t a full drive in site. There weren’t any carts available to bring your stuff to your site. I will know better next time. Very quiet overall but you could hear traffic at night on Hwy 2. There is also perfect trees for hanging your hammock. Will love to come back this winter for snowshoeing for sure and again for camping!

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  • Review photo of Turtle River State Park Campground by Jami M., September 1, 2019
  • Review photo of Turtle River State Park Campground by Jami M., September 1, 2019
Reviewed Sep. 1, 2019

Hikers Paradise!

Such a well maintained park! There are so many trails to explore. Great shelters all over the park as well as rental cabins.

  • Review photo of Turtle River State Park Campground by Jesse B., September 1, 2019
Reviewed Apr. 28, 2019

An Oasis in a Wasteland

This campground is gorgeous, and they have plenty of hiking trails all around the park. It is reasonably priced to camp here, and it is never crowded!

Month of VisitNovember
  • Review photo of Turtle River State Park Campground by Kacie B., April 28, 2019
  • Review photo of Turtle River State Park Campground by Kacie B., April 28, 2019
  • Review photo of Turtle River State Park Campground by Kacie B., April 28, 2019
  • (5) View All
Reviewed Oct. 26, 2018

Beautiful State Park

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.

Reviewed Jun. 23, 2018

Great place

Great state campground. friendly staff and super programs for the family by the naturalist. our family loves the place!

  • Review photo of Turtle River State Park Campground by Brad K., June 23, 2018
  • Review photo of Turtle River State Park Campground by Brad K., June 23, 2018
  • Review photo of Turtle River State Park Campground by Brad K., June 23, 2018
  • (6) View All
Reviewed Aug. 5, 2017

Turtle River

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.

Month of VisitMay
  • Review photo of Turtle River State Park Campground by Spencer F., August 5, 2017
  • Review photo of Turtle River State Park Campground by Spencer F., August 5, 2017
Reviewed Jul. 30, 2016

Picturesque area in northeastern ND along Turtle River

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.

Reviewed Jul. 19, 2016

Beautiful location

TRSP is a great location for families. Tons of hiking and biking trails. Cross country skiing and sledding in the winter. Beautiful scenery along the Turtle River.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Turtle River State Park Campground have RV hookups?

According to TheDyrt.com, Turtle River State Park Campground has 30 amp electric hookups and water hookups.

What is the max vehicle length at Turtle River State Park Campground?

Turtle River State Park Campground allows vehicles up to 40 feet.

Are fires allowed at Turtle River State Park Campground?

Yes, according to campers on TheDyrt.com, fires are allowed at Turtle River State Park Campground, although make sure to check current fire restrictions in the area.

Does Turtle River State Park Campground have wifi?

Yes, according to campers on TheDyrt.com, Turtle River State Park Campground does have wifi.