The Best Car Camping Within An Hour of Minneapolis-St. Paul

Lake Elmo Park Reserve

A bit closer to town are two great Washington County Parks. Lake Elmo Park Reserve is one of the biggest parks in the region, with 3.5 square miles, a mix of forest and prairie, and abundant wildlife. The campground has 80 sites, as well as three group sites and 20 rustic sites where horses are welcome.

St. Croix Bluffs Regional Park

A little further out and south sits St. Croix Bluffs Regional Park overlooking the St. Croix River. The park was founded in the 1990s and is the southernmost park on the river. The campground has 26 pull-through campsites, 36 back-in campsites, and 11 non-electric tent-only campsites. The park also has 3,800 feet of shoreline and a boat ramp for access to world-class fishing on the lower St. Croix.

William O'Brien State Park

Heading east, there are three prime parks for car camping. Along the shore of the St. Croix River is William O'Brien State Park, where you’ll find 114 campsites right on the river. The park also has a swimming beach and 16 miles of trails rolling through nearly 2,000 acres of prairie, oak savanna, and hardwood forest.

Baker Campground

Further north is another campground run by the Three Rivers Park District. This campground in the Baker Park Reserve is home to a whopping 203 campsites near the shore of Lake Independence. The park is also home to 12 miles of bike trails, 20 miles of hiking trails, nine miles of horseback riding trails, and watercraft rentals in summer.

Baylor Regional Park Campground

Go west, young person, and you’ll find several excellent car camping options. Just outside the town of Norwood Young America, along the edge of Eagle Lake, is Baylor Regional Park, which has 35 campsites with water and electric, and 15 rustic sites. The park also has a quarter-mile-long boardwalk and is home to the Eagle Lake Observatory, which is owned and operated by the Minnesota Astronomical Society.

Lake Auburn Campground

A little closer to the metro, within the Three Rivers Park District’s Carver Park Reserve, is the Lake Auburn Campground, which has 57 sites that sit on a kind of peninsula jutting out into Lake Auburn. The park is also home to 10 miles of mountain bike trails, 25.7 miles of hiking trails, an archery range, a historic farm site, and the Lowry Nature Center. The Lake Auburn Campground has a swimming beach, a playground, and canoe, kayak, and stand-up paddleboard rentals in the summer.

Cleary Lake Campground

A bit to the east, just south of the Minnesota River, is Cleary Lake Regional Park, which has 22 campsites as well as three group campsites. There are also 6 miles of hiking trails and 3.8 miles of mountain biking trails, and it’s close to Murphy-Hanrehan Park Reserve, which has another 21 miles of hiking and 10 miles of mountain biking, plus 70 acres of water to paddle and fish on Murphy and Hanrehan Lakes.

Lake Byllesby Regional Park

Moving east from Nerstrand, you’ll come to Lake Byllesby Regional Park, a Dakota County park with 83 campsites along the shore of the Lake Byllesby Reservoir, a dammed section of the Cannon River. It’s the perfect campsite for boating and fishing, and it has several trails and a peninsula that extends into the lake.

Lebanon Hills Campground

South of the metro you’ll find a plethora of parks to pitch your tent. First is the campground in Lebanon Hills Regional Park, a huge green space along the border of Eagan and Apple Valley. In addition to 93 campsites, this park has more than 20 miles of hiking trails, 11 miles of mountain bike trails, 10 miles of horse trails, a 3-mile canoe route, and canoe/kayak/stand-up paddleboard rentals.

Nerstrand Big Woods State Park

Moving south, we come to Nerstrand Big Woods State Park, which has 52 sites in its main campground. The park was formed in 1945 to protect one of the last stands of Minnesota’s Big Woods, which is full of the maple-basswood mix that once covered the southeastern part of the state. Nerstrand is also home to Hidden Falls, one of southern Minnesota’s most picturesque waterfalls, not to mention the rare dwarf trout lily.

Ann Lake Campground & Day-Use Area

A bit further north, in the Sand Dunes State Forest, is the Ann Lake Campground, which has 36 primitive campsites near the sandy swimming beach. Most of the sites are first come, first serve. There are also four group campsites and another 13 campsites at the Bob Dunn Horse Campground. The Sand Dunes State Forest has four miles of hiking trails, 29 miles of horseback trails, and 23 miles for snowmobiles. It’s made up of oak savanna forest, prairie, and pine plantation. The campsites each have a cleared area, a fire ring, and a table.

Bunker Hills Campground

Another lovely Anoka County park to camp at is in Bunker Hills Regional Park, which is covered in hardwood forests and oak savannahs. The Bunker Hills Campground has 65 sites, and the park has miles of trails for hiking or skiing, a natural play area, as well as the Bunker Beach Water Park, which features a wave pool, lazy river, water slides, and more.

Elm Creek Park Reserve

If you’re heading north, you don’t have to go all the way to the Boundary Waters to pitch your tent. You can stop at Elm Creek Park Reserve, which at nearly 5,000 acres is the largest park in the Three Rivers Park District network. In addition to 20 miles of paved trails, 12.7 miles of singletrack mountain bike trails, more than 50 miles of hiking trails, a chlorinated and filtered swimming pond, and one of the largest play areas in the state (not to mention tubing, sledding, and cross-country skiing in winter), Elm Creek also has two camper cabins, one group campsite, and a horse camping site.

Interstate State Park

North and east of the Twin Cities, on the shore of the St. Croix River, is Interstate State Park, which was founded in 1895. There are 37 campsites right on the river. Interstate is home to around 200 species of birds and sits on one of the premier paddling routes in the state. It’s also a top destination for rock climbing in the region, with basalt cliffs carved out about 10,000 years ago.

Rice Creek Campground

Another spot to get away north of the metro is the Rice Creek Chain of Lakes Preserve, an Anoka County park with 78 campsites at the Rice Creek Campground. The preserve is filled with activities, including mountain biking, fishing, golf, disc golf, and more. There’s also the Wargo Nature Center and a 15-mile water trail for canoes and kayaks that winds from Lino Lakes to New Brighton along Rice Creek as it makes its way toward the Mississippi.

Wild River State Park

Just north of Interstate State Park, also on the St. Croix, is Wild River State Park, occupying 18 miles of shoreline and offering 30 miles of hiking trails. The park has 94 drive-in campsites, eight backpack-in sites, four canoe-in sites, 20 horse camping sites, nine group camp sites, and six camper cabins.