A family camping at William O'Brien State Park along the St. Croix River
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Where to Car Camp Within an Hour of Minneapolis-St. Paul

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A family camping at William O'Brien State Park along the St. Croix River  / Paul Vincent
Camping // Article

Where to Car Camp Within an Hour of Minneapolis-St. Paul

By Frank Bures

Sure, there’s nothing quite like heading out for a month-long hike one the Superior Hiking Trail. But sometimes — okay, most of the time — we just don’t have a month to spare. 

Good thing Twin Cities residents can still get outdoors the good old-fashioned way: car camping. It’s a method of escape that has some advantages; just chuck everything in your trunk, drive to your site, and you’re camping. It's the perfect solution for time-crunched urbanites, parents or anyone who just wants to get out in the woods. 

Fortunately, there are plenty of places to camp within an hour of the metro area. Here are some of the best, broken down by the direction you'll be driving in. 

EAST

Lake Elmo Park Reserve campground

Lake Elmo Park Reserve's campground  / Credit: Washington County

Lake Elmo Park Reserve
Lake Elmo

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 three-and-a-half square miles, a mix of forest and prairie, and abundant wildlife. The campground has 80 sites, including three group sites and 20 rustic sites where horses are welcome.  

The boat launch at St. Croix Bluffs Regional Park

The boat launch at St. Croix Bluffs Regional Park  / Washington County

St. Croix Bluffs Regional Park
Hastings

A little further 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 world-class fishing on the lower St. Croix. 

Family eats together at their campground picnic table with a tent and RV visible in the background

Family eats lunch together on a campground picnic table at William O'Brien State Park / Paul Vincent

William O'Brien State Park
St. Croix

Right along the St. Croix River shore are the 114 campsites of William O'Brien State Park. 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.  

WEST

Baker Park Reserve

Baker Park Reserve  / Credit: Three Rivers Park District

Baker Park Reserve
Orono

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

Eagle Lake Observatory

Eagle Lake Observatory  / Merle Hiltner

Baylor Regional Park 
Norwood Young America

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

Lake Auburn Campground  / Credit: Three Rivers Park District

Lake Auburn Campground  
Victoria 

A little closer to the metro — within the Three Rivers Park District’s Carver Park Reserve — is the Lake Auburn Campground, 57 sites that sit on a 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 paddle board rentals in the summer.  

SOUTH

Cleary Lake Regional Park

Cleary Lake Regional Park

Cleary Lake Regional Park
Prior Lake

A bit to the east — just south of the Minnesota River — is Cleary Lake Regional Park, which has 22 campsites and three group campsites. There are also six 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

Lake Byllesby Regional Park  / Credit: Dakota County

Lake Byllesby Regional Park 
Cannon Falls

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.    

Rock feature at Lebanon Hills

Lebanon Hills is full of fun, slow-paced rock features to test your bike handling skills  / Pinkbike

Lebanon Hills Regional Park 
Eagan

The campground at Lebanon Hills Regional Park is a huge green space along the border of Eagan and Apple Valley. In addition to 93 campsites, it 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 paddle board rentals.  

Hidden Falls at Nerstrand Big Woods State Park

Hidden Falls at Nerstrand Big Woods State Park / Credit: Shazam Hanif

Nerstrand Big Woods State Park  
Nerstrand

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.  

NORTH 

Sand Dunes State Forest

Sand Dunes State Forest / Credit: Alltrails

Ann Lake Campground
Big Lake

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 hiking horseback trails and 23 miles for snowmobiles, and is made up of oak savanna forest, prairie and pine plantation. The campsites each have a cleared area, a fire ring, and a table. 

Couple hiking at Bunker Hills Regional Park in summer

Explore 10 miles of paved and natural surface trails at Bunker Hills Regional Park / Kelsey Daly Images

Bunker Hills Regional Park
Andover

Bunker Hills Regional Park is covered in hardwood forests and oak savannahs. The Bunker Hill 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 has a wave pool, a lazy river, water slides and more.   

Fall colors at Elm Creek Park Reserve

Fall colors at Elm Creek Park Reserve / Lucy Hawthorne

Elm Creek Park Reserve 
Maple Grove

If you’re heading north, you don’t have to go all the to way 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’s 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 downhill and cross-country skiing in winter), Elm Creek also has two camper cabins, one group campsite, and a horse camping site.  

Couple and dog standing on cliff in the fall

Hike to a scenic overlook of the St. Croix River at Interstate State Park / Paul Vincent

Interstate State Park 
Taylors Falls  

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 some 200 species of birds, and sits on one of the premiere paddling routes in the state. It’s also one of the top destinations for rock climbing in the region, with the basalt cliffs that were carved out about 10,000 years ago.  

Rice Creek West Regional Trail

Rice Creek West Regional Trail / Anoka County Parks

Rice Creek Chain of Lakes Preserve
Lino Lakes

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 during winter

Wild River State Park 

Wild River State Park
Center City

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

EXPLORE MORE

Yurt camping at night in Afton State Park

Yurt camping at Afton State Park

If you don’t mind a modest hike from your car, there are a few campgrounds that offer a sites a little further removed. Some provide carts to get your gear to your site, but to reach others you’ll have to hoof (or pedal) it in. 

The prime spot for this car-plus camping is Afton State Park, which has 28 hike-in sites, two group camping sites, four camper cabins and two seven-person yurts. 

A group of friends hike at Frontenac State Park

Frontenac State Park  / Credit: Paul Vincent

Frontenac State Park, on a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River, in addition to 58 drive-in sites, has two backpack in sites, four cart-in sites and one group campsite. At Lake Elmo Park Reserve you’ll find five hike-in sites. Lake Auburn Campground has one bike-in site accessible from the Lake Minnetonka LRT Regional Trail. 

To the north, Lake Maria State Park has 17 backpack-in sites, along with three camper cabins and two group sites. To the south, Nerstrand State Park also has four walk-in sites and six cart-in sites. 

Learn more about camping in Minnesota.

 

Frank Bures

Frank Bures is a travel and outdoors writer based in Minneapolis. He produces audio history tours for VoiceMap, and his book, Pushing the River: An Epic Battle, a Lost History, a Near Death, and Other True Canoeing Stories, will be published in the spring by the Minnesota Historical Society Press. He's run several ultramarathons on the Superior Hiking Trail. More at frankbures.com