Best Cabin Camping near Nelson, WI

This is one of my favorite campgrounds in Southern Minnesota! It is only 1 1/2 hours away from the TwinCities which makes it an ideal getaway. The campsites are wooded and have enough distance between them that noise is minimal. I especially love the view of Lake Pepin and the nice little swimming beach. On our last stay, we were able to watch eagles from our campsite, which was amazing. They have recently added 3 small cabins to rent which would be a nice alternative to tent camping. If you do plan a camping trip to Hok-Si-La and you're driving in from the Twin Cities, be sure to take Wisconsin Highway 35 through Maiden Rock, Stockholm, Pepin, and other small towns. You can loop back into Minnesota through Wabasha. This adds about an extra half hour to your drive but it is definitely worth it!

Camper 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!

Aefintyr has it all!

A beautiful cabin, hike-in glamping or bring your own gear.

I was able to stay in the cabin for a couple nights with two friends. The cabin was cozy even during winter. The space was perfect for us. 

I also brought my own gear and camped up on the bluff. It was so fun to socialize in the shared space around the fire and play games. 

If you are up in the bluff, be sure to wear good shoes for the hike up. 

I love that each site has it's own fire pit with fire wood.

The Whitewater area is so beautiful, I enjoy hiking in the area.

Looking forward to going back!

We were visiting our daughter in nearby Winona, MN. This place is also close to La Crosse WI. We stayed here three nights. We had very loose plans and called for a tent spot six months before our reservations. I was impressed Sandy, from front office, remembered me and our conversation. We upgraded to a cabin because rain and cold nights were expected. The cabin was the one for 4 people. The bed was really comfortable! There was a queen and a set of bunk beds. The cabin is small. Besides the bed there was one chair, a table, and a heater. No bathroom. The heater didn't work and it was replaced promptly. Cute little porch with a swing seat. It was all we needed so it was fine. The bathrooms were exceptionally clean. Hubby and son had a good hot shower, mine took awhile to heat up and stay heated. Laundry room was clean. There was a rec room with a pool table and pinball machines. There's a pool there but it was empty when we got there. Too cold to swim anyway. A large shelter area has a gas grill we were able to use. The two 4-person cabins are right by the entry way. You are far enough from the highway that traffic noise is not a problem. The main tent/RV area is behind the office. The sites are close together. The bigger cabin has a half bath and is in this area but a bit secluded.There's a playground for kids near the tent area. There is a creek that runs through the campground and you have the great Mississippi river on the other side of the highway. I really can't say enough though about the customer service of this place. Sandy was very accommodating to our changing needs. Even let us use the dump station a day early. I would stay here again. There aren't a lot of options in Winona and this was the least expensive and friendly!

I enjoy this park year round whether it be staying in the group cabins during the colder months (an incredibly fun stay with snow), or day hiking in the meadows or up the ridge in the summer. Never camped in the campground but I've heard good things. My father and I go flyfishing here in the summer and he has a great time. He thinks they have some of the best spots near Minneapolis.

Such a quaint town and park!

We spent one night here and booked it for our wedding venue as well! The lake view was spectacular and the park manager, Joanne was so humble! Joanne lives on the grounds so it made for easy access to any answers we needed while camping. We were looking for an outdoor space surrounded by tall trees for our 2020 ceremony and this site hit the sweet spot! There are a number of grassy campsites as well as dirt sites. Bunk cabins are available as well! We stayed right on the edge of the lake and absolutely loved it. So serene!🙌🏾May is the perfect time to go if you’re looking for some peace and quiet away from other campers. This campsite also doesn’t allow cars or generators on any of the camping spots, so be sure to keep that in mind!

Can’t wait to go back!

Great spot in the Root River Valley. They offer lots of extras including tube rental and transport, bike rentals, bingo and live music. Our site was right long the river where we saw turtles, bald eagles and lots of other wildlife.  Facilities were clean and well-maintained. Not a lot of trees between sites but still far enough apart for privacy.

This campground has it all. Situated right along the Root River next to the bike trail. They offer kayak, canoe and tube rentals and shuttles. They also have bike rentals.

This facility is clean and very well kept. Even the shower rooms are very nice and sanitary.

This is by far my favorite camping spot. I would recommend this place to any and everyone. Family orientated and pet friendly.

We enjoyed our stay at Champions as a getaway weekend. The food from the bar was amazing as an option, the kids stuff was busy at all times (showing us with older children) how happy the kids were. Our teenagers were still engaged in the activity of camping. We brought their bikes along which was fun to hit the bike trails at midway. We did find out the campground charters a canoe trip so if we had planned better we will do that next time. Great family time to get away. Very down to earth community business.

We stayed on one of the group sites, G6 on the Tour De Pepin weekend. The campground was very full that weekend but the group sites are spacious and well spaced out, (if you can I would recommend G4 or G5 right on the lake for group sites) you definitely don't feel like you are on top of each other or another group. Near the group sites there is also a set of vault toilets.

The campground is very green and luscious, full of beautiful trees, plants and wildlife, we heard bullfrogs, owls, woodpeckers and more (there are also train tracks near by so a couple trains too). This campground is a tent only campground with a couple cabins as well, which adds to it's secluded feel.

There is great lake access for swimming and a shower houses (bring your quarters though, showers cost 50 cents for 3 minutes). The only down side is that you cannot leave any cars near your campsite, you can drive in to drop off or pick up your gear but otherwise vehicles are parked in the main parking lot outside of the gate, which is not a big deal but from the group sites it is a trek to the lot and to the beach.

I would definitely stay here again, the lake is incredible.

excellent place to escape and explore the Root River. Had almost entire campground to ourselves. Long weekend of camping. biking and kayaking along the scenic Root River. Wonderful camp store and kayak rentals with shuttle.

This is an amazing campground. The Root River goes right alongside most of the campsites which creates a really peaceful space. The grounds are super clean including the showers and porta-potties that are available for campers. Best of all, the staff are AMAZING and so friendly and helpful. There’s a great bike trail that weaves in and out of cute small towns and the campgrounds also offer canoe, kayak, and tubing rentals to go down the river.

We had a reservation on the North Shore, but switched it to Whitewater when we saw the ice and snowstorms in the forecast.

Our site was large and easy to back into, all sites have a picnic table and fire ring. We had no cell service at our site, but 2 bars plus WIFI outside the visitor center. A water spigot was there, too, since the water and bathhouse are off/closed for the winter season. Firewood is available for $8 per bundle, you can pay by QR code if you have enough service. Or you can grab wood and pay in person at the other end of the park - a small shop is there near picnic areas and trailheads.

The wood was small pieces of mill offcuts, but it burned better that we expected, enough to warm up and to cook. It started drizzling, so we didn’t sit out by an evening fire. We think our bundle was oak. In any case, it was good, dry hardwood. It exceeded our first disappointing impression.

We had great weather our first day and saw few other people on the trails. It got colder and rainy and most of the campers left.

Overall, this was a great spot to get away into the fresh air. We’ll be back another time for fishing.

Most of the campground is permanent campers. Many have added porches and landscaping to sites. Most of the permanent people are friendly and welcoming to overnight visitors. The feel of the campground is it centralized around the bar and the kids entertainment was just to babysit. The pool was overrun by kids so adults weren’t swimming. The campground hires immigrants to run all of the activities so because of the COVID-19 they were short staffed. Laser tag, zip line and the crafts were all closed. The zip line area and beach were not taken care of at all! Very over grown with weeds. We tried hiking around the river shore to find the beach but never found it. That area probably hasn’t been cared for in 5-10 years. The mosquitos were bad, they would come out in huge waves and sometimes we couldn’t stand being out of the camper. The roads were very dusty and since they rent out golf carts there is always traffic. It would’ve been nice for them to wet down roads occasionally to limit dust in the air. Many of the staff was friendly and frequently drove thru asking how the weekend was going which was nice. However one morning the owner drove thru and was very rude and strict. She threatened to take away our rented golf cart because our licensed 17 year old driver looked to young to drive. She was listed as a driver on all of the rental paperwork.

Overall it wasn’t a horrible weekend. The kids had fun swimming, we got out as a family to enjoy a weekend away from home. It just won’t be a campground that we return to.

2/22/20-2/23/20. BP11

Less than an hour from the cities, this is a perfect little camping getaway. If you are looking for a nice backpacking experience, Afton has this and more. We pulled a sled and hiked 1.4 miles to our campsite. The hike was very challenging and uphill. The campsites are nicely spaced and diverse. Some are more wooded and others in the open prairie. We selected campsite 11 as it had some nice trees and was down a ridge, very private. There is a vault toilet, solar well water (year-round) and a wood pile available right at the campground (pay later) - these amenities were closest to campsite 10 and 11.

The state park is gorgeous. There are rolling hills throughout and some of the hikes can be deemed as “difficult”. We opted to get off the beaten trail and snowshoed in the woods, following deer tracks. This is one nice thing about winter hikes as you are allowed to leave the trail. We went up and down ravines and got in a beautiful hike and workout. They offer xcountry skiing, snowshoeing and hiking in the winter. We hiked 19 miles in 2 days.

We camped here 2 years ago in the spring and really enjoyed campsite 1 and 2. They are wooded and private. Campsite 2 has a few great hammock spots. We snowshoed around and really enjoyed campsite 18 as well, as it overlooks the river. They also have a beach and swimming in the summer on the St Croix. Afton really has it all. I HIGHLY recommend this state park.

we had so much fun playing on the river and exploring the park! Everything is right there and the river is so pretty! Despite the rain we had a great time! Because of the rain we went to the eagle center near Wisconsin. A must see if your looking for something indoors!

Tons of activities at this campground! They have inflatable rafts, a game room, a pool, boat dock, permanent and non sites, sand pit for kids, pounce pad, basketball court and playground; it has more than enough to keep everyone busy!

This place is priced around the same as other places you might camp around Wisconsin and I believe is privately owned. The facilities are kept clean...there are always staff running around picking up or cleaning. WiFi was not free.

A great location along the St. Croix River, easily accessible from the Twin Cities or from West-Central Wisconsin.  The sites offer some privacy with most being laid out to benefit RV's and only a few tent-only sites.

This is a great park if you have a boat of any kind as you can launch from within the park in order to enjoy time on the St. Croix River.  We spent time both on the river and on the hiking trails within the park.

Many families come here for day trips as well since it was once a corporate retreat and, as such has open (lightly tree-covered grassland) with picnic tables.  Once the day-use people leave, it is a pretty quiet campground with most of the campers having younger children.  You might encounter some groups who come to spend a day on the water before returning to the campground later at night, but most campers are respectful of others and it's rarely very noisy.

This campground is a bit more spendy than state parks and regional campgrounds, but the security and family friendly atmosphere make it worth the extra cash. Stay in the N sites, they are a little more private, and a few offer great views of Lake Pepin. N1 is a prime site. If you’re staying with friends or have a large family, the group sites G0 and G2 offer views and lots of space for multiple tents. We’ve stayed here with a group of about 20 people with plenty of room.

The sites are semi-walk-in sites, where your car stays in the main parking lot, but they do allow for drive-up loading and unloading, so don’t feel like you need to pack extra light. It limits traffic driving through the campground, and is really nice to not have vehicles driving through at all hours.

Overall, I highly recommend.

This is a great site a few hours outside of Minneapolis where 2 of my closest friends hosted their wedding. The campsite is really beautiful with lots of great walking paths and a beach area where you can swim in the river. Make sure to reserve one of the large campsites along the water as you will get a spectacular sunset view and there are some great trees for hammocks. The sites have benches and fire pits and are large enough for a good sized group. There is also plenty of parking at each of the sites and they are fairly private.

If you are looking for a place to host a wedding I also highly recommend this location as it is so magical and already has a chapel space.

Great group campsites that allow you to have privacy and a great time.

Close to Minneapolis and beautiful scenery of Lake Peppin.