Escape into nature and disconnect from daily life with glamping near Knapp. The Dyrt can help find the best glamping in and around Knapp, WI. Glamping offers quick access to one or more of Knapp's most popular destinations.
Located on the St. Croix River, just 20 miles east of Saint Paul, Afton State Park is great for those looking for camping near Minneapolis and is 1600 acres of rolling prairies, oak woodlands, and limestone river canyons amid an ancient glacial landscape. The land for the park was acquired in 1967, but it took almost 15 years of planning revisions and compromises with local residents before the park finally opened in 1982. Little development has gone into Afton State Park in an effort to maintain its natural characteristics, and former farmland atop the bluffs are continuously being restored to their original state. This makes Afton an ideal destination for campers looking to experience the outdoors in a wilder setting.
Load up your backpack with all you’ll need for your stay, as camping at Afton State Park requires a hearty, 0.75-mile hike in from the parking area. The year-round campground offers 27 rustic sites with picnic tables and fire pits, with options for pitching your tent in either open or wooded areas. There is drinking water, a vault toilet and firewood is supplied within the camp area. There is also three boat-in campsites, and two group campsites that can accommodate up to 60 people each. If you’d rather not rough it, the park also offers four camping cabins and two yurts, some of which are wheelchair accessible. There are also several picnic areas and restrooms within the park. Campsite rates range from $15–$23/night; cabins range from $55–$70/night, and yurts $50–$65/night.
When you’re ready to explore, start at the park’s Nature Store where you can pick up information about the park’s flora and fauna, or join a nature walk. Then choose from more than 20 miles of hiking, biking, and equestrian trails, as well as a short barrier-free path. If you’re visiting in winter, many of these trails are open for snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. Bring your GPS and go on a geocaching treasure hunt, or bring your binoculars and go on safari for a variety of migratory birds, waterfowl, and wildlife, including deer, foxes and badgers. And little ones will love becoming Junior Park Naturalists and learning about bugs, birds, plants and other critters. If you’re looking for a real outdoor adventure, Afton State Park has what you’re looking for.
$38 / night
Reconnect with nature at this unforgettable escape. Located 7 miles South of Menomonie off of Hwy 25 and 1 mile North of Downsville. Whether you're looking to get away and relax amongst the trees, adventure on the trails, or hop into town to check out local restaurants and breweries you're in the right place. Located just one mile from the Red Cedar Bike Trail. If you enjoy camping and want the nature experience, but without the hassle, glamping is for you! Come visit us!
Things to do on our beautiful property:
- Hike and wander the marked trails leading to beautiful views of the Red Cedar River
- Relax around a bonfire in the provide fire rings
- Bike or walk the historic trail Red Cedar State Trail located 1 mile South on Hwy 25 in Downsville.
- Visit Scatterbrain Cafe for breakfast, lunch, and coffee (Downsville)
- Visit Dunn Pottery for one of a kind pottery gifts (Downsville)
$69 - $120 / night
Kruger Management Unit campground is adjacent to the Zumbro River Water Trail. The campsites are considered primitive, designed to furnish only the basic needs of the camper. Each has a cleared area, fire ring, and table. Vault toilets, garbage cans, and drinking water are available. All sites are on a first-come, first-served basis for a fee. Quiet hours are between 10:00 p.m.–8:00 a.m. (this includes no generator use). Please be considerate of others around you.
$14 / night
Leave your tent at home and cozy up in the dome or yurt tent both equipped outhouses, fire pits, and picnic tables. If you love stargazing, the dome will be perfect for you to fall asleep below the night sky surrounded a tall grass field. If you would rather spend your time in the shade of the forest, book the yurt for a great hangout whether you are barbequing or just lounging. The surrounding farmland is great for walks around the ranch, seeing wildlife, and petting farm animals. This farm is right down the road from Interstate State Park which is great for hiking, biking, water sports, fishing, and swimming. Bring your own food, sleeping bags, and mats. Firewood is available for purchase.
Scout
I have stayed multiple times in the hike in camp sites and also in the yurt! The hike in sites were beautiful with a view looking over the St. Croix River. It was a shaded site perfect for our hammocks, it was quiet and very secluded. The Yurt was very cool! Very comfortable beds and plenty of space for the 6 of us to stay and sleep. The fire pit and picnic table wasn't far from the yurt which made it nice to not have to walk too far since we camped in the winter. I highly suggest the expeeience of the yurt!
GuideMinnesota State Parks have just started to build Yurts for 3 campgrounds around the state; Afton, Cuyuna and Glendalough State Parks. These have some great amenities and are perfect for family camping, especially in Fall, Winter and Spring.
ScoutAfton is a gorgeous park. There's beautiful trails that take you through dense woods and prairie, and then you take a pretty decline to get to the St Croix River. It was foggy when we were there but still gorgeous. We also managed to get a yurt and it was so much fun. Comfy beds, room for 7 and it was clean and well built. This is a great park!
Ranger
Continuing my quest to visit as many Wisconsin state parks as possible. I stopped by here to check out the campsites for potential future camping and look over the park. When I found was a very well-maintained park, love the viewing area of the lake. Campsites looked good as well.
Guide
If you’ve been anywhere in Minnesota or Wisconsin, you know about all the trees! As other reviews mention, this campground has a large grassy area - that gives a 100% clear obstruction for Starlink. We work full time, so this was important for us. HOWEVER, the other half of the campground is within a super treed area, so we got to pick!
The bathrooms were sparkling clean. The showers were hot and the laundry was reasonably priced. Had I known how much we liked the area, we would’ve stayed longer. 10/10 would recommend.
GuideI'll start by saying that I like privacy and quiet and nature when I camp, otherwise I'd be staying in a hotel. But we were looking to get away for a weekend during the COVID times, and site 65E was the only powered site available for that weekend in all of the Wisconsin state parks, so we decided to go for it. If you're the social type with active young kids, that spot is perfect - it backs up to a large open field with cool playground equipment and has a trail to the field right next to the camper. You're also right next to the water faucet (plenty of people will stop to chat there) and across the street from the pit toilets. It's a VERY busy site. If I return, I'll pick site 107E, which is extremely private and far from everything. In general, the 100+ sites looked to be on the quiet, private side of the campground, although not all had power. Some of the unpowered sites. 69-79, had great lake views and were surprisingly spacious, although a hiking trail is between them and the lake. In late July, the loop starting with site 41 is absolutely teeming with ripe blackberries.
The shower houses have little notes on them apologizing for their state and saying they're scheduled for an overhaul soon because they're almost 50 years old. So definitely go in with low expectations. Few of the stalls for the flush toilets had working doors, and while the showers themselves worked ok, there were no hooks, shelves, or anywhere inside to place your belongings. My shower bag randomly has a suction cup and I optimistically tried to use it to stick to the pink tile wall, but even that didn't work. Such is life. Mirrors above the sinks were the polished metal type.
The pit toilets in the campsite have two stalls in each, so don't be surprised if you end up with a buddy.
The hiking trails around the park are great, nice long loops, and the ranger/park employee at the check-in area was very nice and knowledgable. We rented a kayak and paddled around the lake for a couple of hours - single and double kayaks as well as canoes are available for rent for the day. There was a rocky beach with so many signs up warning about different types of algae that we weren't sure if it was safe to swim or not, but definitely too gross to regardless. I didn't see anyone else in the water either.
If it's a clear night, the field with the playground equipment is a great place to sit and stargaze, as the park gets very dark at night. We were even able to catch a few meteors!
Legend
Ashley here with The Dyrt. We're so happy to have this property on our platform. With comfortable beds, firewood, firewood starters, and trails, this property has it all. Secluded but close to town. Book them today and leave them a review here!
TravelerNice spot to camp. Clean bathrooms and showers. Usually super busy in the summer and big family gatherings, but spots in the back are quiet
TravelerHave not camped here but drove through a couple times. No thanks. It's a county Park where the county obviously doesn't invest much $$ into. It is on a river though, where there is some kind of tubing set up.
ScoutGreat camp hosts, relaxed helpful and fun.
GuideOnly campground that had open availability at the last minute. Everyone was very friendly and campground was clean. Fire pit and picnic table included. They were flexible on the check out time. It is a great place to stay if you want to float down the Chippewa River, Loopy’s the bar in town will shuttle you to and from the campsite and drop you off with their tubes at the river! Fun weekend!
ScoutNice spot! Alot of room for the campsite. Full hook up, and firepit conveniently located . Nice walking path to the river. Staff was friendly, and the grounds were super clean!
ScoutGreat spot, less crowded
RangerThis is a former Renaissance Faire site that is being turned into a Campground RV Park. They were laying new foundations when we were there. Bathroom/ shower house was very nice & large with 2 entrances. Large playground. Close to a ball park. Tons of geocaching in the area.
ScoutPretty standard commercial campground -- open field with a few trees. Sites would have been very close together if they were all in use but many were empty during my visit. Walking path to an area that overlooks the Chippewa River was nice.
LegendNice campground
Traveler
No showers, but bathrooms which were closed due to COVID. You need to fill up on water before arriving, there are electric hookups. There is a boat launch into the Mississippi used by all sizes of boats. Stockholm is a cute little town, very short walk. $24 nt with hookup
GuideRight on lake peppin. Cramped spots with no privacy Camp post cruised around constantly hassling us about everything and made us feel unwelcome. Trains come by every 15-30 minutes just feet away from camp site.
TravelerRight on Lake Pepin
TravelerGreat park with lots of elevation.
GuideCamper Cabin (Eastern Bluebird)🏡🐦
Perfect little cabin nestled in the southern half of the park! Screened in porch, heated with electricity, and two double bunk beds!
ScoutFirst, terrific park. Lots of trails with a wide variety of landscapes. Prairie, forest, river, it’s got it all.
My campsite was perfect. The woods made it very secluded. It was close enough to water and bathrooms so it wasn’t bad if you planned. They do have firewood available however it is long slab wood, so you do need to cut it yourself. Hand hacksaws are provided, but we’re not great quality which made cutting the wood difficult.
These sites do require a hike from parking. Would strongly discourage big coolers or lots of weight.
GuideSite 27. This is a river landscape. Spiders and snakes..oh my. The parking lot is paved and has a dumpster. This is also where the nature center is. There are often music festivals and family events here. It is also next to Afton Ski resort. This park has a lot of beautiful prairie landscape with some temperate forest features. Wildflowers, shrubs, fungi, evergreens, and deciduous trees. Backpacking to the top hill sites has gotten easier as the park has curved the new wide groomed and wood chipped trail to spiral around the hill instead of a straight climb. There is a solar panel generated drinking water pump at the top and a honor system fire wood station. There is a bathroom, but not super close to this site. This site has a fire pit with grate and table but no bear box. This site does have a clear view to the trail and the site next to it, but it is set back a little bit. I can hear the joggers along the trail that wraps around the site. The sites are mapped out on a wide open prairie ground with some sites tucked back in the trees along the trail. There is not a water front view, but there is plenty of wildlife. The dear and flowers are beautiful. There is partial tree covering but we did bring a tarp for the rain.
ScoutGreat state park with lots of amenities. This was only my second camping trip, my first being the superior trail with an 8 mile hike in and no amenities. More fun in my opinion to search for your own firewood and really rough it, but it was to have water and wood available close to the site we were at (site 22) because we got in later and lost some daylight. The hike in was shorter and far less strenuous than my first trip, but note that it is uphill. If you’re carrying a heavy pack, expect to sweat a bit. Paved sidewalks into the park, wide dirt and rocky paths into the camp site which was nice given the amount of other day hikers (space to spread out). My boyfriend and I loved that our site was so secluded. There is also a lot of variety to the sites. The sites 1 through about 10 (if my memory doesn’t fail me) are fairly wooded. Our site had a nice balance of wooded area and open terrain/sky. We were lucky to get to see some beautiful fall colors.
A few notes: the wood provided is THICK. They must haul the logs in with a truck. Saws are provided at the wood site, but be prepared to take some time on it. We had a hand saw so we were able to pack our packs with some large pieces and do some sawing at our campsite as the sawing station was busy with families and other campers. Lots of bark available to get a good fire started. The wood is not covered so if it rains the night before you come in, be ready to deal with some damp wood.
Water station takes about 30 seconds to start up. There are also two bathrooms within the camp site that are what you expect them to be. Hand sanitizer and TP stocked.
Never saw a ranger while we were there. We loved the privacy. Lots of spiders. Comes with the terrain.
The site was perfect for our hammocks. They are super kind if you want to call ahead to get an idea of what your site looks like. It was also great to be able to see what other sites were occupied on the day we decided to make a reservation. There is a grill top on your fire pit (we packed our own grill top, could’ve left it at home).
Overall it was a great overnight trip. Close to our home so I’m sure we’ll be back for a quick trip next year.
TravelerBackpacking up the trail to the campgrounds was strenuous with a 45lb pack and 9 person tent (overkill but that’s what the kiddo wanted, so 🤷🏽♂️). Beautiful views on the way up, gorgeous views upon entry. Self-serve firewood was $6 for all you can cut/carry. The saws worked great and made quick work of the wood!
Right next to the self-serve firewood was the solar powered water pump, which had delicious water! We ran into many deer, saw plentiful stars and constellations. On our way out we stopped at the beach to take a breather, get our feet wet, and compose ourselves before the last leg of the trail to the parking lot.
Will definitely be returning to enjoy ourselves again!
GuideSites are nice and private, and the campground was quiet the whole time. The firewood available ($6) was dry and burned well, although you do have to cut it yourself. There are saws provided at the pile near the water spigot. The ranger was very friendly too. No doubt about it, it's not the easiest hike in but wasn't too bad. I don't suggest doing it on a 90 degree day like we did, but jumped in the river (1/2 mile or so from campground) right after which felt great! One of the bathrooms (the one near the water and woodpile) smelled SO STRONGLY of ammonia from the vault toilet that you could taste it and feel it when you took a breath inside of the bathroom! I have a very strong stomach and it was tough for me to be in the bathroom long enough to use it. Park was notified. I would stay here again, although I personally think that $27(20/night + 7/reservation fee) for one night of backpack camping is pretty steep. Pics are of the woodpile and site 22. Sites were clean and maintained.
TravelerThe eagles soar as you swim in the sandy, shallow warm river stream. What more could you want?
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular glamping campsite near Knapp, WI?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular glamping campground near Knapp, WI is Afton State Park Campground with a 4.6-star rating from 36 reviews.
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