Best Designated Camping in Minnesota

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Minnesota is a haven for those that relish in vast swathes of secluded, untamed wilderness. Known as the land of 10,000 lakes, visitors will almost always be no more than a few miles from a body of water perfect for freshening up or doing a little fishing. However, as Minnesota suffers from brutal winters, there are only a few good months that are perfect for campers to enjoy the Minnesota wilderness without shivering themselves to sleep. Since there is such a small season for camping, visitors should make their Minnesota camping experience count by visiting its best designated campgrounds.

Itasca State Park Campground

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Ever wanted to see where the Mississippi River starts? It all happens right here in Itasca State Park, or more specifically, Lake Itasca. In addition to being Minnesota's oldest state park, Itasca is also one of the state's most popular recreation areas. The state park features over 100 lakes that offer a great variety of fishing, but most visitors are too enamoured with the headwaters of the Mississippi to explore many of the outlying bodies of water. During the winter, Itasca is still in full swing as it becomes a hotspot for cross-country skiing and snowmobiling. As well as being home to the historic Douglas Lodge (playfully known as Minnesota's Own Resort), the park campground features 237 campsites with a small handful open all year-round.

The main campground sits about 10 miles south of Lake Itasca nearby to Bold and Josephine Lakes. However, there are small clusters of primitive campgrounds littered throughout the park close to its best hiking trails.

Plum Creek Park Campground

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While it is not the most wild of wilderness, the Plum Creek Park Campground is perfect for visitors that want a little history lesson and a visible piece of literature alongside their scenery. Plum Creek Park sits just outside of Walnut Grove that lays claim to being one of the childhood homes of Laura Ingalls Wilder of the "Little House on the Prairie" fame. Visitors can trek to the nearby town of Walnut Grove to visit the Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum or tour the Wilder dugout home site just north of the city. However, for those that wish to enjoy Plum Creek Park itself, the area offers ample hiking trails that trace Laura Lake and Plum Creek as well as a nine-hole disc golf course, a playground and swimming pool.

While the Plum Creek Park Campground is definitely one of the more family-oriented campgrounds in Minnesota, it is an excellent place to visit for any little ones that are reading (or watching) "Little House on the Prairie" to learn about the very real history behind the fiction.

Savanna Portage State Park Campground

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Not unlike Plum Creek Park, Savanna Portage State Park offers another great dose of Minnesota's preserved history, but in a more rugged setting. Savanna Portage State Park preserves the historic Savanna Portage Trail that was traveled by fur traders, Dakota and Ojibwe Native Americans and explorers for more than 200 years. Visitors can follow the trail as it travels through rolling hills, bogs, and past serene lakes. However, this park also hosts a section of the Continental Divide Trail in which the water to the west flows into the Mississippi River while the water to the east flows into Lake Superior. Elsewhere, visitors flock to Savanna Portage to enjoy abundant mountain biking trails and four fishing lakes stocked with panfish, trout and bass. In the winter, visitors can enjoy the 32 miles of snowmobiling and cross country trails the snake through the park. The campground is perfect for anglers as it sits right off Wolf Lake and has quick access to both a Continental Divide Trail and the park's eponymous historic trail.

Cut Foot Horse Camp Campground in Chippewa National Forest

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Located northeast of Lake Winnibigoshish in the Chippewa National Forest, Cut Foot Horse Camp is a favourite for equestrians due to its horse-friendly campsites and 120 miles of scenic roads and hiking trails. The campground sits in the middle of the Cut Foot Experimental Forest that is a massive outdoor laboratory used for the study of pine forest management. The tall pine trees provide ample shade and a soft blanket of pine needles for campers as well. While horse riders relish in the abundance of nearby trails, the area is also a popular hotspot for hikers and mountain bike riders for its rich forest scenery. The forest is home to an abundance of wild raspberries, blackberries and gooseberries that attract a number of berry pickers each year. While RVs are technically allowed in the campground, RV campers will find no utilities available to them aside from running water.

Whitewater State Park Campground

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With its picturesque limestone bluffs and deep forest-covered ravines, Whitewater State Park is a favorite for those seeking scenic outdoor recreation in southeastern Minnesota. Hikers will enjoy the criss-cross of hiking trails that span the park ranging for leisurely nature treks to challenging hill and cliff hikes. After a particularly difficult hike, campers can cool off at the park's swimming beach located near the campground while avid anglers can take advantage of the streams stocked with brown, brook and rainbow trout. While the campground is closed in the winter, the park remains a popular place to cross-country ski and snowmobile. Visitors interested in the history of this rich natural wonderland, there are a number of interpretive programs that explore both the natural and human history in the area through exhibits and self-guided trails.

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