This is a really nice campground. The camper cabins are really nice. They have two rooms, a sleeping room and a front room. The sleeping room has 2 bunk beds (4 beds.) The front room has a mini fridge, coffeemaker, toaster, microwave, and a futon. The firepits are well taken care of. It is usually empty when you arrive. There is no.swim beach. The trails and playgrounds are really nice. The bathrooms are heated. The showers are pay showers.
Large sites. Great tubing and canoeing.
We called for an RV site but they don't allow pets.
Great park. We camped with our two kids on just an overnight on Labor Day weekend. Lots of kids at this park, sites were big (we are tent people) and shaded. Only 4 stars because there is no trail from the upper campground. We would definitely go back. No question.
Backpack site Buck Hill is right on the river, beautiful view to the east. Circled by flowers (goldenrod in the late summer), brush and trees. End of the path so zero foot traffic / passersby. Fine size for us but if you had two tents maybe tight. Fire ring and picnic table of course. No drinking water (we brought a bladder). It’s a great place to star gaze. There’s a teeny somewhat treacherous path to the river- no beach or anything (water was super low when we went) - Just can get your feet wet.
Down the path a little bit is an unenclosed toilet - not the best. The other direction down the path (only about 20 ft) is a smallish bear box.
You can harvest your own wood (at this time) and that was really great - bring a backpacking saw!
Only downside to the site— you can hear cars on both sides (river and opposite side of forest).
It was a 2.37 mile walk from the parking lot, mostly shaded.
Side note: we checked out Deer Creek site which is much closer to the car. It is a hike in / canoe site. It’s wayyy more spacious, and even has two separate clearings. Also has cool stairs down the to water, and a much more expansive view of the river. We will be staying there next time! We want to take a few days to canoe the whole length of the park, camping along the different sites. Next year! :)
Beautiful site in the winter for a winter camp-out. The ski hill help light our way to the campsite in the winter. The trail and sites were marked well for winter campers so for our night hike-in after a 2.5 hour drive north was a bit frustrating but that didn't take away from the experience. Nice site overall. The lights from the ski hill took away from the experience of being further out from the standard camp site but the hiking was beautiful, nice views along the trail and we hiked. I would recommend for someone who has gone winter camping before.
Used the walk in sites. Very quiet and private. Took my 4 year old son and he loved it. Truly felt like you where going off into the middle of no where, but was close to everything Incase something happened or my son had to tap out. Ended up being a great trip.
It’s rustic with charm. Friendly management that will surprise you with their willingness to make your experience the best it can be. Taylor’s Falls and St Croix Falls nearby. Great hiking in the hardwoods in the campground or along the scenic St Croix river.
The people are very friendly. There is a nice inflatable park for the kids. They will bring you up the river to float down and land on their nice sand beach. Will defiantly come again!!
Must have state park sticker. Located at the merger of the Sunrise River and the St Croix rivers. Great picnic area.
Spent a portion of the day at the park as the campground was closed. Right near the St Croix river and the park offers a great swimming beach and hiking trails. There is a golf course and ski hill as additional opportunities. Looking forward to the campground opening.
Great weekend! Most sites are very roomy some are little tight for the larger campers. Lots of activities to do and for the kids to do. Themed weekends throughout the season. Great bar and grill on property. Only complaint we had was the weekend we were there the bathroom's were not kept up. Were never cleaned, toilet paper was never refilled in the stalls. Ended up buying my own and having to take it with us to the rest room. Other issue which is hard to control unless babysitting constantly is both the pool area and the pond area have allot of people using it that do not have the required wrist bands on. Should be monitored more closely to prevent issues.
A good short drive into the north metro outskirts. Nice car camping location with a small fished out lake. Usually pretty crowded place. Has a boat launch and bathrooms. One of the better quick drive locations from the metro.
A small campground located in the northern suburbs of the twin cities. Allows for horseback riding and a wave pool and water slides within the park. Golfing as well. This is as basic as they come with little to no travel for many. One of my least liked campgrounds.
Great campground and when we went pretty empty. Amazing trails and great beach. Weather wasnt too good when we went but there was still so much we could do!
Really enjoyed staying here. Was our first camping adventure with kids. Bathrooms were nice along with an indoor area which was a nice diversion in a little rain.
Hiked from the campgrounds to Taylor’s falls area.
We love coming here as once you are inside the park it feels like you are out far but so close to home! We can come here for a quick hike or run or spend more time with the kids enjoying the trails. Never camped here but I’ve seen many people here!
Great campground, sites are spacious and spread out, electric hookups at all sites, swim pond is great for kids, and other amenities like an archery range and hiking trails are fantastic for kids.
I’ve camped here on several occasions and have not been disappointed. The group sites are walk ins only. No drive ins/pull through. They are spaced out enough for privacy. The individual sites are decent & drive in. The space between sites are far enough apart. There are a couple of double sites that will accommodate more than 6 people but less than 13. We’ve rented canoes in the past and have enjoyed it primary because of the sandbars, but have not done it recently so I’m not sure if that has changed or not. The mosquitos were bad in late June! Even with bug spray, candles thermacell, etc…we were still under massive attacked. I’ve always enjoyed coming here year after year, not so much because of the park (although it’s nice overall), but because this place holds lots of memories for me.
We had a terrible experience last year trying to camp here, BUT it’s not the campgrounds fault!
Unfortunately we chose the peak of mosquitos season and camping next to slow moving water is a recipe for disaster. It was also a very hot weekend. We showed up and set up camp and within the first hour our dog was clearly stressed by all the bugs. He ended up hiding in the car and soon after his face swelled up and he got very sick. Within 3 hours of showing up we had to pack up and head home to get him safe and comfortable. Do not fret, our boy was okay and thankfully the family across from us (in an RV) has Benadryl for their dog they gave to us. We don’t travel or camp without proper bug spray and meds for our dog now so lessons were learned.
Long story short we would love to come back when the bugs aren’t as bad!
Very cool exploring the rock cliffs along the river, including the glacially created “potholes”, otherworldly! Nice campground close to the water! We camped early in the season before the mosquitoes.
Fun to play in the water, go behind the waterfall and a good hike up 200 steps to view the falls from above! Beware in winter the hike down to the falls is a grueling one when icy and covered in snow.
This may be an ongoing issue but none of the fwater faucets or water pumps on the trails at Afton State Park are working. The good news is you can fill up on cold drinking water at the visitor center before trekking around the park's beautiful hiking trails!
Wild River was a great campground, and only about an hour drive from the Twin Cities. The sites were nicely shaded and roomy for our tent and screen tent.
There is ample hiking, however due to early spring rains, many of the trails near the St. Croix were flooded, which is pretty typical for the river in the spring. We would have liked a swimming beach for the kids, but they enjoyed exploring the trails, especially the trail with a lookout over the river.
The great thing about June is that the bugs weren't bad at all. We escaped early in the morning due to impending rain, but found a lovely brunch spot on the way back to the cities.