
Minnesota's Best Camping for Kids
Minnesota's Best Camping for Kids
By Frank Bures
As we move through the digital age, there’s nothing better for kids than getting out in the woods. Fortunately, Minnesota has a wealth of options for camping with kids, from the shores of the Mississippi River to the rock-strewn beaches of Lake Superior to campgrounds with playgrounds, interpretive programs, and even (slightly less natural) waterparks.
Here are a few spots across the state for getting your kids out from behind their screens and under the open sky.

Observe roaming bison herds at Minneopa and Blue Mounds State Parks / Roy Son
Blue Mounds State Park
Luverne
Blue Mounds State Park is set in the tallgrass prairie that once covered the entire southwestern corner of the state. The park also has a resident bison herd; you can take a 90-minute “Prairie and Bison Tour” to see them.
The campground has 71 sites, as well as 14 cart-in sites and (seasonal) teepees visitors can stay in. The campground also has swing sets and sandboxes for kids, and Blue Mounds has rock climbing (for adults), volleyball, and horseshoes.

Credit: Bunker Beach Water Park
Bunker Hills Regional Park
Andover
Further east is Bunker Hills Regional Park, part of the Anoka County Park System. This park has many amenities, like a natural play area, an archery range, walking and running trails, a Jr. Ranger program and 10 miles of trails. It also has the Bunker Beach Water Park, complete with a wave pool, waterslides and a lazy river.
If you’re looking to get outdoors and beat the heat, Bunker Hills might be the place. The park has 71 “secluded and shady” campsites, including both rustic and full electric and water, and two camper cabins.

Credit: Chester Woods Park
Chester Woods Park
Eyota
Chester Woods is a 1330-acre park near Rochester with 50 campsites and a ton to do for families. There’s a playground, a swimming beach and 15 miles of hiking trails. You can rent canoes, paddleboats, paddleboards and kayaks at the Chester Woods Beach House.
And if you’re of a mind, you can paddle over to the remote, paddle-in (first come, first serve) Beaver Point campsite, which is only accessible by boat.

Collinwood Regional Park & Campground
Collinwood Regional Park
Cokato
West of the Twin Cities, on the edge of Collinwood Lake, is Collinwood Regional Park & Campground, which is run by Wright County. It has lots of kids activities, including a playground, swimming beach, basketball and volleyball courts, plus lots of great fishing on Collingwood Lake. The 308-acre park has 67 campsites with electrical hookups.

Games Lake County Park / Credit: Willmar Lakes Area
Games Lake County Park
New London
If you’re looking for a place to camp with your family in central Minnesota, Games Lake County Park is a great bet. Set on the edge of Games Lake, you’ll also have access to the other lakes in the Norway Chain of Lakes.
The park, which is run by Kandiyohi County, has 56 campsites — mostly for RVs — and five new camper cabins. There are hiking trails, a boat and canoe center, a swimming beach, and play equipment for kids.

The swimming beach at Hok-Si-La Campground
Hok-Si-La Campground
Lake City
Other than Lake Superior, the Hok-Si-La Campground, just north of Lake City on the Mississippi River, might be the closest you’ll get to feeling like you’re camped on a freshwater ocean. The park sits right on Lake Pepin where it’s at its widest.
When the campground was purchased by Lake City from the Boy Scouts in 1973, a condition was that it remain rustic and open to only tent camping. The campground has 38 sites, but it does also have nine camper cabins. There’s a huge, bustling swimming beach, a playground, and some of the best views of the Mississippi River in the state.

The A-frame picnic shelter at Lebanon Hills Regional Park / Credit: Dakota County
Lebanon Hills Regional Park
Eagan
If you’d like to stick close to the Twin Cities for your family camping, Lebanon Hills is another great option, with lots for kids to do. The park has 93 campsites and more than 20 miles of hiking trails, as well as boating and swimming. There’s also a “kid's play and learn nook” in the visitor center at Shulze Lake, a playground at the Jensen Lake trailhead, and a budget-friendly ($100) A-frame picnic shelter that can be reserved for three hours and up to 30 people.

Mille Lacs Kathio State Park / Kurt Barclay, GearJunkie
Mille Lacs Kathio State Park
Onamia
On the southern end of Minnesota’s largest (non-border) lake, Mille Lacs Kathio State Park’s 10,000 acres are one of the best places to camp with kids. Not only is there a swimming hole near the visitor center, there are interpretive displays and naturalist programming (check the schedule for offerings).
For adults — or curious kids — the park also has a rich, 9,000 year archeological history to explore. And everyone will enjoy a climb to the top of the park’s 100-foot fire tower, where you can peer across the 200 square miles of Lake Mille Lacs. The park has 70 drive-in sites, 22 of which are electric, as well as four backpack-in sites, three walk-in sites, 10 horse camping sites and five camper cabins.

Rice Creek Chain of Lakes Park Reserve / Credit: Anoka County Parks
Rice Creek Chain of Lakes Preserve
Lino Lakes
Another great option for camping with kids in the Anoka County Park system is the Rice Creek Chain of Lakes Preserve, a large park with 80 campsites and two camper cabins. There are tons of outdoor activities for kids, including swimming, fishing, geocaching, a “nature play area”, and mountain biking.
You can also explore the Wargo Nature Center and the nature programs held in the campground amphitheater. And the park is home to the Rice Creek Water Trail, which starts in Lino Lakes and winds 15 miles to Long Lake.

Kamp Dels
Sakatah Lake State Park
Kamp Dels
Lino Lakes
Moving west, on the north shore of Sakatah Lake near Faribault, are two great options for family camping. In fact, the Dakota word "Sakatah" means "the sights and sounds of children playing on the hill.”
On the north side of the lake is Kamp Dels, a private resort with more than 500 sites geared toward RVs. It has an arcade, a petting zoo, batting cages, and a 38,000-square-foot water park. On the south side, and the opposite side of the camping spectrum, is Sakatah Lake State Park. It features 62 campground sites and five bike-in sites along the Sakatah Singing Hills State Trail.
Depending what you like for amenities, you can always camp at one and day trip over to the other.

Split Rock Lighthouse State Park in Two Harbors / Paul Vincent
Split Rock Lighthouse State Park
Two Harbors
Starting on the North Shore, Split Rock Lighthouse State Park is a perfect option for family camping, with waterfalls, a paved bike trail, an easy hike up Day Hill, and a rocky beach sheltered by Ellingsen Island where kids can spend hours skipping stones.
Split Rock is also home to Minnesota's most iconic lighthouse, which was built in 1909 and inspires awe in kids of all ages. Its visitors center has interpretive displays where you can retreat in case the weather doesn’t cooperate, and the park has 46 electric campsites in the Shipwreck Creek Campground, as well as four backpack-in sites and 20 cart-in sites.

Multigenerational family geocaching at Whitewater State Park / MN DNR
Whitewater State Park
Altura
Deep in the driftless valleys of southeastern Minnesota is Whitewater State Park. Its 2,700 acres are big draws for trout fishermen and families. The park has a playground and a swimming beach, and the Whitewater Valley Visitor Center holds naturalist programs on everything from rattlesnakes to caves to fossils.
The Chimney Rock Trail is a dramatic hike to the bluff tops that is doable for adults and kids alike. The campground has 110 sites, and there are also eight cart-in sites and four camper cabins.
Find out more about camping in Minnesota.