Best Dog-Friendly Camping in North Dakota

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.

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.

Awesome views, swimming beach, fishing, hot showers and dog park

This campground has a lot of shady spots, a nice dog park and access to great hiking trails. The museum across the highway is also worth a visit. During the week everything was pretty quiet. They clean the bathrooms like three times a day.

I did not see a dog off leash unless at the dog park.

They don’t seem to have enough staff though. If you want to rent a kayak or if the rental bikes aren’t working, there isn’t anyone to help. The kayaks were all just sitting on the beach however, so you could help yourself.

Great campground and super clean, swimming beach,playground,dog park, fish cleaning station, and shower houses.

All the standard KOA amenities, but next to the highway. It’s like a trick stop with a pool. Locking bathrooms at a paid campground was a big turnoff. Decent pool and dog park tho.

Stayed at Washegum campground overnight and although the camping spots were very close together there's a lot of vegetation and trees separating the lots. Beautiful playground right behind us, and an amphitheater as well. There's multiple hiking trails, a dog park, swimming area, and picnic areas as well! Very kid and dog friendly, we will definitely be visiting again.

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.

Howard campground has giant, shaded, very private spots. We could barely see our neighbors. Our site had pasture land behind all the trees, and the sunsets were amazing.

We loved the dog park and mowed trails. Most of the park was immaculate. From the mowing of the grass to the cleaning of the shower house.

Our only 2 gripes were that 1) there are no dumpsters in Howard campground. You have to drive/walk your trash out to the dump station. And 2) the deep toilets weren’t cleaned. Poop appeared on the floor the second day of our stay. That poop remained for the entire week. Toilet paper was replenished and trashes were dumped, but the poop remained.

wonderful little stay for a wedding weekend at the campground event center. camped in primitive spot and we're pleasantly surprised by the large size of our spot. easy to pick a more private, or communal spot as you prefer. bath houses are kept clean and are rather nice. dog park is nothing more than a little fenced off piece of ground, but gets the job done and allows for off leash time. the event center is really nice with kitchen, bathrooms, outdoor seating, and playground. lots to do at this lake campground. staff was very helpful and accommodating with the event and camping.

there was smoke blown from the wild fires during our visit. made for some interesting sunrises and sunsets.

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.

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

Stayed one night, 10/15/22 on a road trip. Not as close to the 2 as I expected but it wasn’t a bad drive, even at dark. It was a 7$ fee to enter, and a separate online transaction for a campsite and they charged a processing fee. But seeing as many campsites are closed in October we were just happy to be there. Very large campsite. Driving around all the campsites had reserved tags hung on them, but online they were available and there were no people in any of the sites? We stayed in the Primitive camp, down to the water and off to the left. The camp was a little confusing to negotiate at night, but after a couple of missed roads we found a spot. Fire pit and picnic table. There seemed to be plenty of trees for wind protection and privacy. There was a fenced in DOG PARK, which was AWESOME! Lots of amenities for the in season camper, we still had access to the vault toilets, and water was available up by the camp store but we only knew that because we waited until the morning and asked the person running the camp store.

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

Best part is it’s free, there isn’t much traffic, plenty of room. Pets allowed. Someone might be here to greet you, but probably not.

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.

Great sites with beautiful trees and it’s a quiet relaxing place that is pet friendly. There are also a lot of history in the area from the Lewis and Clark days!

This is a great spot if you’re looking to stay in the park. It’s the only in-park campground. Convenient and just past the Medora entrance station.

There are no services however and this is almost borderline boondocking here. But it’s right off the river and pets are allowed. Bison walk through the campground often.