This was our first trip with our new to us pop-up trailer and we absolutely loved the beauty and activities in this park! We participated in may naturalist programs including: bird banding, archery in the park, trout fishing, and learning about bats and peregrine falcons. The swim beach was small but my kids liked it and we did a few short hikes including the can't miss fire tower!
We decided to try an extend the camping season by staying here in the first weekend of October, and we were rewarded greatly! The colors were near peak and the water was really high, so there were many kayakers going down the river as we hiked along the parallel trails. There was so much natural beauty along the trails, this park stands out as unique among several beautiful state parks along the St. Croix in eastern Minnesota.
Typically my family likes to camp where we can swim, and there is not a great option for that here, but this late in the season, hiking was on the agenda and this park is amazing for that!
We stayed at the Riverway campground, there was great access to trails that went along and down to the river. An added benefit was that there was no cell service so we had relative electronic silence for the weekend too!
We loved swimming at the beach on Lake Alice and had fun with the naturalist programs. They had a stargazing class in conjunction with the U of M that was super fun until we all passed out from blood loss due to mosquitoes!
Although we didn't stay in the other campground, I don't think that looked as fun as Riverway was. Overall this park has the feel of an "Up North" park without the long drive. We would highly recommend it for families!
I managed to live my first 40 years in Minnesota without ever seeing this wonder, and my kids weren't going to suffer the same feat as me! The campgrounds here are giant with sites that are typical of most state parks, minimal to moderate privacy.
We loved the swim beach and the start of the Mississippi, but we also loved being able to eat a gourmet meal at a natural restaurant. There is lodging for all types at this park.
It is a very large park so to see several things will require some driving (or taking a really long bike ride), but otherwise this one lived up to the hype.
The campground is very small, but we were able to reserve a spot with electric for a long weekend. The natural beauty of the North Shore is on full display here! There are several shorter hikes (our specialty) including one to the highest waterfall completely in Minnesota (non-border waters), shovel point, and Palisade Head. Every one is a must see!
Our site was very private and quiet. In fact when the wind was still we could hear the rushing waters of the Baptism River.
The new visitor center is beautiful and has fantastic naturalist programs and a great store. I could go on an on about the things my kids loved here, but I'll sum it up by saying that overall we rate this as one of our top 3 favorite State Parks!
This is the closest campground to our home, so it has the distinction of being the place where my kids had their love of camping kindled! The sites are stacked on top of each other, but there is a pool (unheated) and a cute little camp store.
We have stayed here several times and found it a great place to cut your teeth on camping and gather with friends if you'd like.
This is a nice, quiet campground with activities nearby. The sites are decently private and there is nice bathrooms/showers. We camped here while our friends used a camper cabin and they loved it too. The waterpark is a blast and we were able to find discount passes online.
We had never heard of this campground prior to seeing a booth for the Anoka Parks system at the Sportsman's Show. This is a beautiful park reserve! The sites are near each other but seem to have quite a bit more privacy that you would expect at a county or state park. The showers were very nice and clean. The gem of this campground for us was Centerville Lake!
There is ample picnic space and a very nice swim beach, plus there is room to beach your boat if you are so gifted. This is a great trip to "the lake" that is very convenient to the metro area.
There is only one complaint I have about this campground, and it feels a little ticky-tacky to mention it, but I will because I think it may be significant to some people…there is significant road noise from 35E and 35W nearby. We found it to be almost like background white noise, but it was never not noticeable. The noise was definitely not a deal-breaker for us and this great park!
This campground is a gem so very close to the Twin Cities. The sites are good sized, and the bathroom/showers are great. With great fishing, playground, swimming, and biking trails very nearby, the kids were kept as busy as they wanted to be. The sites are about as private as the typical state park, so not very, but that is offset by all the other positives this campground has to offer. I highly recommend this campground for a quick weekend stay or a good place to spend an extended holiday weekend.