Hiking

Ham Lake Resort

5 RV Sites

Ham Lake Resort delivers an authentic lakeside Minnesota escape just thirty minutes north of the Twin Cities — close enough for a spontaneous weekend getaway, far enough that the loons calling at dusk genuinely remind you that you have left the metro behind. With over 100 RV sites, tent sites, and a lake-centered activity lineup that spans water sports, farm animals, and on-site playgrounds, Ham Lake Resort has earned its place as one of Anoka County's most beloved camping destinations for families who return the same week every summer. Full-hookup RV sites, tent camping, and cabin accommodations give guests multiple pathways into the same exceptional lakeside location. Swimming, fishing, kayaking, canoeing, and paddle boating on Ham Lake form the water recreation core of any stay, with a boat dock, horseshoes, a playground, and a dedicated dog park rounding out the social spaces across the grounds. One of Ham Lake Resort's most distinctive features is the small farmyard on the property — home to goats, alpacas, a miniature horse, a donkey, and a peacock — giving young guests hands-on animal encounters rarely found at a campground and creating the kind of memory that children carry into adulthood alongside the lake swimming and firepit evenings. The landscape surrounding Ham Lake is classic Minnesota lake country — gently rolling terrain, birch and pine forest, and the reflective surface of the lake at the center of everything. Anoka County's network of parks and trails extends the outdoor recreation well beyond the resort's boundaries for guests who want to explore on foot or by bike through the surrounding countryside, and the quality of the fishing on Ham Lake keeps dedicated anglers returning regardless of the season. Bunker Beach Water Park, one of the largest outdoor water parks in the Twin Cities metro area, is a natural family day-trip destination from camp. The National Sports Center in nearby Blaine — one of the world's largest amateur sports complexes — hosts major soccer, hockey, and athletic events year-round and is just a short drive away. Como Zoo and Conservatory in St. Paul offers free admission to animal exhibits and a historic domed greenhouse that is particularly appealing for families with young children. The Twin Cities' full metropolitan cultural calendar — including the Minnesota State Fair, Minneapolis art museums, and the Mill District's dining scene along the Mississippi — puts genuine urban depth within easy reach throughout the camping season. Ham Lake Resort operates through the spring, summer, and fall season, with late spring through early fall delivering the full lake recreation experience at its best. Summer weekends fill consistently at this well-loved campground, so booking early for any July or August stay is essential — particularly for holiday weekends when the combination of lake access, farm animal visits, and the relaxed Anoka County atmosphere makes it one of the most popular family destinations in the northern Twin Cities corridor. Ask about themed events and activities scheduled through the summer when you reserve your site.

from $65/night

Hidden Meadows RV Park & Campground

35 RV Sites, 7 Tent Sites

Hidden Meadows RV Park and Campground sits along the middle fork of the Zumbro River in Pine Island, Minnesota, about 15 minutes from Rochester and the Mayo Clinic—a location that makes it unusually practical as both a destination camping park and a home base for families with medical appointments at one of the world's most visited healthcare facilities. The hidden meadows rv park balances that practical function with genuine recreation, set among the wooded creek valleys of southeastern Minnesota's driftless landscape. Full hookup sites with 30 and 50-amp service accommodate all rig sizes, and the park offers back-in, pull-through, and long-term site options for guests whose stays extend from weekends into months. A camp store stocked with groceries, ice cream, and firewood, 24/7 showers and laundry, a fenced dog park, playground, and basketball hoop provide the daily-use amenities. The recreation hall steps it up with pool tables, ping pong, and an arcade, and outdoor games throughout the property—Giant Jenga, Giant 4 Across, bean bag toss, volleyball, and horseshoes—keep guests active without requiring a drive anywhere. Walking trails along the Zumbro River and access to the nearby Douglas State Trail round out the natural recreation options, and the park hosts organized activities and events through Memorial Day, July 4th, and Labor Day weekends. The Zumbro River valley around Pine Island is part of the Minnesota Driftless—a landscape of steep wooded bluffs, cold trout streams, and farmland that escaped the flattening effect of the last glaciation and retained the varied terrain that defines southeastern Minnesota's character. Pine Island sits in Goodhue County between Rochester and the Twin Cities, close enough to both to serve as a practical base and far enough into the countryside to feel genuinely rural. The river trail through the campground is the heart of the property, and the sound of the Zumbro moving past wooded banks sets the tone for an experience more focused on natural setting than programmed entertainment. Rochester is a 15-minute drive and provides not only Mayo Clinic access but also the full amenity set of a mid-sized Minnesota city—the Rochester Art Center, the Plummer Building's historic interiors, a walkable downtown with excellent restaurants, and the Quarry Hill Nature Center for additional trail and natural history access. The Douglas State Trail follows an abandoned railroad corridor through the countryside connecting Pine Island to Rochester, providing a flat, paved multi-use trail that is ideal for cycling and walking. Whitewater State Park, about 40 minutes south, protects some of the most dramatic bluff-and-valley terrain in Minnesota and supports trout fishing in Trout Run Creek. Hidden Meadows RV Park operates through the Minnesota camping season with peak activity from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Long-term site availability makes it a reliable option for Mayo Clinic patients and families whose medical situations call for extended stays in the Rochester area—a need that the Rochester camping market serves less consistently than might be expected given the city's national medical draw. Weekend campers benefit from the organized activities and river access, while long-term guests appreciate the practical amenities and the natural setting of the Zumbro corridor.

from $26/night

Two Rivers Campground & Tubing

112 RV Sites, 1 House

Two Rivers Campground and Tubing in Royalton, Minnesota, offers 112 full-hookup RV sites and a house rental at the Mississippi and Platte River confluence, with 20, 30, and 50-amp service and rigs accepted to 50 feet behind a gated entrance. A Paw Pen pull-through category for guests with dogs joins patio back-in and deluxe pull-through tiers, with an outdoor pool, mini-golf, jumping pillow, and river tubing. One hundred twelve sites span back-in full hookup 30/50-amp, back-in full hookup patio 30/50-amp, deluxe pull-thru full hookup patio 30/50-amp, Paw Pen pull-thru full hookup 30/50-amp, and pull-thru full hookup 30/50-amp categories, all carrying water, sewer, and electric with site WiFi, sized to 50 feet, with fire pits, picnic tables, and BBQ pits. A Paw Pen — a private fenced run at the site — is genuinely uncommon. A house rental and cabins round out the lodging. A general store, dump station, restrooms, showers, and firewood handle the practical side. Rates cover one RV or two tent units with two adults and two children; children under two are free, an additional tent is $30 a night, and holiday rates apply. An outdoor pool anchors the summer, with river tubing as the property's defining activity — the Platte's gentle current and accessible float corridor are what most guests come for. Mini-golf, a jumping pillow, gaga ball, sports courts, volleyball, basketball, shuffleboard, horseshoes, corn hole, walking trails, biking, a beach, playground, pavilion, and dog park fill the rest. The address is 5116 145th Street Northwest in Morrison County. Summer is the tubing season. Reserve well ahead.

from $36/night

Big Rock Creek

15 RV Sites, 3 Glamping Sites, 1 Yurt

Big Rock Creek in Saint Croix Falls, Wisconsin, provides a natural, river-centered camping retreat on the banks of the St. Croix River in Polk County, where the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway's protected corridor delivers one of the Midwest's most pristine paddling and fishing environments in a landscape that has been federally protected since 1968 as one of the original components of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. Positioned at the gateway to the St. Croix River's upper segment, the campground serves paddlers, anglers, hikers, and nature-oriented travelers who prioritize the authentic river experience over resort-scale amenities. The campground accommodates guests in cabin rentals alongside tent and RV sites, with amenities calibrated to the outdoor recreation lifestyle the St. Croix River corridor demands: a general store for resupply, showers, bathrooms, Wi-Fi, firewood, and access to the river and a pond for fishing and non-motorized watercraft. Walking trails through the surrounding woodland and a playground serve guests whose camping agendas include both structured outdoor activity and the unhurried pace that river-adjacent camping encourages when the current of the St. Croix itself provides the day's primary entertainment. Pet-friendly policies welcome the outdoor recreation dogs that Wisconsin river camping characteristically attracts. The St. Croix River flows through a glaciated landscape of sandstone bluffs, clear cold water, and dense conifer and mixed hardwood forest that defines the visual character of the upper Midwest's most celebrated river corridor. The river's exceptional water quality—maintained by the restricted development that National Scenic Riverway designation enforces along both the Wisconsin and Minnesota shorelines—supports wild trout populations in the cold upper reaches, walleye and smallmouth bass in the middle river sections near Saint Croix Falls, and the canoe camping culture that has made the St. Croix one of the Midwest's most beloved paddling destinations for multi-day river trips. Interstate State Park in Saint Croix Falls, the oldest state park in Wisconsin, protects the dramatic Dalles of the St. Croix where the river carved a spectacular basalt gorge with glacial potholes carved by swirling boulders in the receding glacial meltwater—a geological display accessible from the park's trail system directly above the river. The Gandy Dancer Trail, a 98-mile multi-use rail-trail extending from Saint Croix Falls north to Superior along a converted railroad grade, provides biking and hiking access through the wooded Polk and Burnett county lake country. Minneapolis and Saint Paul are accessible approximately 60 miles southwest. Big Rock Creek operates seasonally from spring through fall in northwestern Wisconsin's four-season continental climate, with the St. Croix River's paddling season typically running from May through October and the best water levels for canoe and kayak descents occurring in May and June when snowmelt sustains the river's flow. Summer's warmth drives peak demand for river swimming and family camping in the clear St. Croix waters, and fall's hardwood foliage transforms the river corridor into one of the upper Midwest's most scenic landscapes through October. The campground's riverside character and proximity to Saint Croix Falls' outdoor recreation amenities make it a natural choice for paddlers planning St. Croix River multi-day descents.

from $35/night

Swift Falls County Park

18 RV Sites, 3 Tent Sites

Swift Falls County Park in Benson, Minnesota, offers 18 RV sites with water and electric on 20 and 30-amp service and three tent sites directly on the Chippewa River, taking rigs to 45 feet. A county-operated campground open May through October, it gives paddlers and anglers direct river access without the carry-and-launch logistics most river campgrounds impose. Eighteen back-in sites carry water and electric on 20 and 30-amp, sized to 45 feet, and three tent sites cover simpler camping. Note there are no sewer hookups and no 50-amp service — this is a county park rather than a commercial resort, and guests should plan power and tank capacity accordingly. Restrooms, showers, and firewood are on site. The river is the reason to come. Direct Chippewa River access supports kayaking, canoeing, and fishing straight from the campground, and walking trails and hiking run the property. A playground serves families. The park's operation reflects the practical outdoor recreation needs of the surrounding agricultural community and the paddlers and nature travelers who seek out western Minnesota's quieter areas. Pets are welcome. The Chippewa River through Chippewa County offers flatwater and gentle moving-water paddling through the prairie-and-forest transition zone of west-central Minnesota's glacially shaped landscape. The surrounding county sits between the South Dakota border and the Minnesota River valley. The park runs May through October. Summer paddling and fishing drive the season, and fall brings quieter conditions on the river. Reserve ahead for summer weekends — 18 sites in a county park fill quickly in the warm months.

from $15/night

Canary Beach Resort

6 RV Sites, 12 Cabins, 10 Tent Sites

Canary Beach Resort on Lake Villard in Villard, Minnesota, has been crafting family vacations since 1920, making it one of the longer-operating lake resorts in central Minnesota's vast lake country and bringing more than a century of accumulated hospitality knowledge to the combination of RV camping, lakefront cabins, and vacation homes that form its current accommodation mix. Recognized by regional travel publications as a Reader's Choice award-winning property, the resort's longevity reflects the consistent quality and the genuine lake culture that keeps families returning to Lake Villard across generations. The resort's accommodation variety spans the full spectrum of lake vacation preferences, from RV sites with full hookup connections for self-contained campers to lakefront cabins with direct water views and vacation homes for groups and extended family gatherings that need more space and privacy. A waterpark adds aquatic programming beyond the lake itself, and a mini-golf course, boat rentals, and paddle boats provide recreational infrastructure for guests at every age and activity level. A general store, laundry, clubhouse, shuffleboard, and volleyball round out a facility profile that has been built over decades to serve the full range of needs that multi-day lake resort guests bring. Lake Villard occupies a position in the Leaf Hills region of west-central Minnesota, a glacially created landscape of rolling moraines, scattered wetlands, and the chain of interconnected lakes that has made this part of the state synonymous with Minnesota's iconic lake country identity. The lake's clear water and wooded shoreline support populations of walleye, northern pike, bass, and panfish that attract anglers to this corner of Stearns and Pope counties, and the surrounding agricultural countryside gives the landscape a pastoral character that softens the natural wilderness of the surrounding lakes and wetlands. Glenwood, the Pope County seat approximately 12 miles east of Villard on Lake Minnewaska, provides the nearest full-service commercial amenities including grocery stores, hardware, and dining for guests making resupply runs during lake vacation stays. The Glacial Lakes State Trail and Lake Minnewaska's public recreation infrastructure provide additional outdoor recreation options in the immediate vicinity, and the broader central Minnesota lake district extending from Alexandria to Willmar encompasses hundreds of accessible lakes within easy driving range of Villard. Alexandria, approximately 25 miles north, anchors a regional tourism hub with additional dining, shopping, and the iconic Big Ole Viking statue that marks the community's Scandinavian heritage celebrations. Canary Beach Resort operates seasonally from late spring through early fall in the central Minnesota climate where the lake swimming and fishing season is concentrated in the warmest months. July and August represent the highest demand, when Minnesota's lake vacation culture reaches its annual intensity and multi-generational family groups fill the cabins and vacation homes for week-long stays that are the resort's traditional booking pattern. The property's century-plus operating history, lakefront cabin inventory, and the accumulated tradition of families who return annually give Canary Beach a community character that newer properties cannot easily replicate.

from $42/night

Big Foot Resort

23 RV Sites, 9 Cabins

Big Foot Resort in Alexandria, Minnesota, sits in the heart of Douglas County's lake district — a region of over 300 lakes in west-central Minnesota where the prairie meets the lakes country and the walleye fishing, boating culture, and lakeshore cabin tradition of the Minnesota resort industry reach a concentrated expression along the highway corridors surrounding Alexandria. The resort's proximity to Lake Darling and its clean, family-friendly atmosphere give guests the foundational lake country experience that drives Alexandria's strong year-round visitor economy, with RV sites, cabin rentals, and vacation rental accommodations covering the range of overnight preferences for Minnesota lake country guests. RV camping sites with full hookups and comfortable Alexandria cabin accommodations serve the primary accommodation needs in a resort environment oriented toward the relaxed, lake-centered pace that Douglas County campground guests consistently come for. The combination of on-site comfort infrastructure and immediate proximity to the area's extensive trail and lake network gives guests the flexibility to spend days in either direction — active on the lakes and trails or stationary in the lawn chairs watching the Douglas County sky transition from afternoon blue to the deep orange of a Minnesota lake country sunset. Pets are welcome. Lake Darling, immediately accessible from the resort, provides the fishing and boating access that motivates many Big Foot stays — walleye are the regional trophy species and the Douglas County lake system supports a fishery that draws both casual family anglers and serious walleye pursuers through the full open-water season from ice-out in April through freeze-up in November. The Central Lakes Trail, a paved multi-use path crossing Douglas County, provides excellent cycling and walking infrastructure through the lake country landscape that connects multiple Alexandria-area communities in a 55-mile trail corridor. The Runestone Museum in Alexandria preserves the controversial Kensington Runestone — a runic inscription discovered in 1898 that some interpret as evidence of Norse exploration in Minnesota centuries before Columbus, and whose authenticity has been debated by scholars for over a century. The museum's collection extends beyond the runestone to cover the region's Norse heritage claim and the broader European settlement history of Douglas County. The Big Ole statue — a 28-foot Viking figure on the Alexandria waterfront — makes the community's Norse heritage claim visible from the highway, and the charming Alexandria downtown with its independent shops, breweries, and restaurants provides the evening destination infrastructure that makes Alexandria more than a pass-through lake country stop. Big Foot Resort operates through the Minnesota outdoor season with ice-out fishing in May and June representing the prime early-season window and the fall walleye run in September and October providing a second peak period of exceptional fishing quality. Summer brings peak lake recreation demand for the Douglas County lake system, with boating, tubing, and lake swimming supplementing the fishing activity and extending the resort's appeal beyond the pure angling audience. The winter season offers ice fishing on Douglas County lakes that sustains a dedicated local and visiting fishing community through the Minnesota winter months. Reserve cabin and vacation rental accommodations ahead for the summer peak season and fall fishing season, when Alexandria's lake country lodging is competitively booked from the Minneapolis-St. Paul market.

Camp Everyday Winona

Six miles south of Winona, Minnesota—in the Mississippi River Valley bluffs where the Upper Mississippi's dramatic limestone escarpments create one of the most visually striking camping landscapes in the Midwest—Camp Everyday Winona combines 74 camping sites with Mississippi River boat ramp and slip access, a swimming pool, hiking trails to bluff viewpoints, and a programming calendar of live music, games tournaments, pancake breakfasts, and DJ dance parties that gives the campground a social energy rare in the bluff country camping market. The river access, the bluff hike, and the events calendar make Camp Everyday the campground that distinguishes Winona as a river town camping destination rather than just a highway waypoint between the Twin Cities and La Crosse. Seventy-four sites accommodate the full range of camping preferences: full hookup RV sites with water, electric, and sewer service serve the RV population, tent sites bring guests who want the bluff country natural experience in the most direct form, and cabin rentals provide the enclosed alternative for guests who want weather protection without a fully outfitted camping setup. A swimming pool provides controlled aquatic recreation when the Mississippi current is too strong for casual swimming, and the bluff hiking trail—leading to a viewpoint above the river valley—delivers the panoramic Upper Mississippi perspective that organizes the entire visual experience of camping in this landscape. Horseshoe pits, picnic tables, fire rings, and available firewood support the outdoor gathering culture that riverside camping has always centered on. Restrooms, hot showers, laundry facilities, a propane service, and a dump station complete the practical infrastructure for extended stays. The Mississippi River access—with a boat ramp and slips for guests with their own watercraft—is the campground's most distinctive natural amenity. Camp sites positioned on the river side of the highway give guests immediate water proximity in a stretch of the Upper Mississippi where the bluff-and-bottomland landscape is at its most dramatic. Fishing for walleye, catfish, bass, and the diverse fish community of the Upper Mississippi River system is available from boat or bank throughout the season. The programming calendar that Camp Everyday maintains is the dimension that most consistently distinguishes it from the quieter camping experience that the bluff country's natural setting would otherwise be the sole focus of. Friday evenings feature live music; Saturday brings a coffee camper service and tie-dye activities; relay races, bags tournaments, and DJ dance parties fill the social calendar; Sunday morning pancake breakfasts and church livestreams serve different guest populations with the same community-building instinct. Candy bar bingo rounds out the organized activities with the specific appeal that casual prize games have always had for camping families. Winona, six miles north, provides additional cultural programming—the Winona National Bank building, one of the finest Prairie School architectural examples in Minnesota, and the Winona Art Center extend the day-trip options. Camp Everyday Winona is open from April 15 through October 15 in alignment with the Upper Mississippi camping season. Summer represents peak demand for river access and the full programming calendar. The bluff color in fall—when the limestone escarpments glow orange and red above the river—makes October one of the most visually rewarding weeks of the camping season. Reserve your river-access site early for summer weekends and let the Upper Mississippi bluffs frame what Minnesota river camping looks like at its most spectacular.

Hidden Bluffs Resort

Situated in the Driftless Area of southeastern Minnesota near Spring Grove in Houston County, Hidden Bluffs Resort occupies a distinctive natural setting within the Bluff Country region—a landscape of limestone bluffs, hardwood forest, and spring-fed trout streams that was bypassed by Pleistocene glaciation and retains an ancient ridge-and-valley topography unlike anywhere else in the Upper Midwest. The resort's position in this geologically unique terrain gives it access to recreation experiences—cave exploration, trout stream fishing, and bluff-top hiking—that are not replicable at campgrounds in the glacially smoothed terrain of central and northern Minnesota. The resort accommodates guests across a range of lodging styles, with cabins and full-hookup RV sites providing comfort-oriented options alongside tent camping areas for guests seeking a more traditional outdoor experience. An outdoor swimming pool, mini-golf course, and playground give the resort a self-contained family recreation infrastructure, and clean restrooms, showers, laundry facilities, and a general store address practical daily needs. Firewood is available on-site, and Wi-Fi connectivity keeps guests connected even in this remote corner of the Minnesota Bluff Country. Over four miles of groomed hiking trails wind through the resort's surrounding hardwood forest and limestone bluff terrain, providing the kind of accessible woodland hiking uncommon at RV resorts in the region. A spring-fed trout stream running through the property gives anglers direct fishing access from within the campground boundaries—a feature that draws fly fishing enthusiasts who want to combine campground amenities with genuine trout stream access rather than making a separate trip to regional waters. The combination of on-site trails and stream access makes the resort productive for outdoor recreation without ever leaving the property. The surrounding Bluff Country provides exceptional regional attractions for guests extending their exploration beyond the resort. Niagara Cave near Harmony and Mystery Cave in Forestville/Mystery Cave State Park offer guided underground tours through limestone cavern systems that are among the most accessible cave experiences in the Midwest. The Root River State Trail, a converted railroad grade running through the valley towns of Lanesboro, Whalan, and Peterson, provides paved cycling and walking routes through some of the most scenic river corridor scenery in southeastern Minnesota. Lanesboro's small-town arts and dining scene, the Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum in Pepin, and Mississippi River excursions from Lake City round out the regional day-trip options. Hidden Bluffs Resort is open through the warm-weather camping season, with summer and fall representing peak demand periods in the Minnesota Bluff Country. The fall foliage season in the hardwood-dominated limestone bluff terrain of Houston County is particularly celebrated, with October color bringing visitors from across the Upper Midwest. Advance reservations are recommended for summer holiday weekends and the October foliage peak, when accommodation availability across the Driftless Area's limited campground inventory becomes competitive. The resort's position within Houston County's Driftless Area landscape—a geologically distinct region of limestone valleys and hardwood ridges unique to southeastern Minnesota—makes it an especially rewarding destination for guests who want outdoor recreation in a natural setting that has no equivalent in the glacially shaped terrain found across the rest of the state.

Lake Road Campground

9 RV Sites, 1 Cottage

Situated along the Mississippi River in Trempealeau, Wisconsin, just off the Great River Road scenic byway, Lake Road Campground occupies a prime position in one of the Upper Midwest's most distinctive river valley landscapes—where dramatic bluffs rise above the floodplain and the Mississippi's backwater channels, islands, and wetlands create an ecologically rich environment that supports some of the most diverse bird and wildlife populations in the region. The family-owned property offers RV sites and cottage rentals that give guests a range of lodging options on the western edge of Wisconsin's Driftless Area. Campground amenities are well suited to the river and outdoor recreation character of the surrounding area—a boat ramp gives guests direct water access for fishing and boating on the Mississippi, and an outdoor pool provides a warm-water swimming option on summer afternoons. A playground and pet-friendly grounds make the property workable for families traveling with children and dogs, and the combination of RV sites and cottage rentals accommodates guests arriving with and without their own camping equipment. The Great River Road, one of America's most scenic designated byways, runs directly past the campground. The Mississippi River at Trempealeau offers a variety of on-water experiences across the backwater lakes, side channels, and main channel that characterize this section of Pool 6 between Lock and Dam 5 and Lock and Dam 6. Fishing for walleye, catfish, bass, and bluegill is productive throughout the season, and the backwater areas provide sheltered paddling routes through emergent wetland habitat. The bluff-and-valley topography visible from the river gives the area a visual grandeur that distinguishes it from the flat agricultural landscape of the surrounding Upper Midwest. Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge, adjacent to the river corridor, provides marked hiking trails and one of the best accessible birding experiences along the Upper Mississippi River. The refuge's wetland management supports migratory waterfowl staging in spring and fall, and resident bald eagles, great blue herons, and white pelicans are regularly visible from the campground and river access points throughout the warmer months. Perrot State Park, located nearby, adds steep bluff hikes and panoramic overlooks above the confluence of the Trempealeau and Mississippi Rivers. Lake Road Campground is open through the warm-weather season, with summer representing the peak period for river recreation and the surrounding bluff trails. Fall brings exceptional foliage color to the Mississippi bluffs, and the combination of autumn color and reduced crowds makes September and October a popular shoulder-season window. Advance reservations are recommended for summer weekends, when the campground's Mississippi River access and proximity to the Great River Road attract visitors from across Wisconsin and neighboring states. The Driftless Area—the portion of the Upper Midwest that was bypassed by glaciation and retains its ancient ridge and valley topography—defines the landscape character of the surrounding Trempealeau County bluff country, creating the dramatic river valley scenery that makes the Great River Road one of America's most recognized scenic byways. The limestone bluff faces along the Mississippi support a unique botanical community of dry prairie and cliff-face species found nowhere else in Wisconsin.

from $45/night

Wilder Park

52 RV Sites, 6 Tent Sites

Wilder Park in Allison, Iowa, offers 51 RV sites and six tent sites across 88 acres, with 30 and 50-amp service and rigs accepted to 50 feet. Full-hookup and water-and-electric categories in both back-in and pull-through join two fishing ponds, a disc golf course, mini-golf, and a storm shelter. Fifty-one sites run in 30/50-amp water-and-electric back-in, water-electric-and-sewer back-in, and water-electric-and-sewer pull-through categories, sized to 50 feet, with fire pits and site WiFi. Six tent sites round out the accommodations. A dump station, restrooms, showers, and firewood handle the practical side, and a storm shelter sits on the grounds — a genuine safety feature in Iowa. The recreational range is unusually broad for a park this size. Two fishing ponds support angling and paddle boats, with a boat ramp for canoeing and kayaking. A disc golf course, mini-golf, ball field, sports courts, volleyball, basketball, pickleball, walking trails, hiking, biking, a playground, dog park, library, and community fire pit fill the 88 acres, with planned activities through the season. Off-roading is nearby. Pets are welcome. Allison sits on Iowa Highway 3 in Butler County, and the park works as both a genuine destination and a practical overnight for travelers crossing the state. The J&C Grocery, Allison Variety Store, and municipal swimming pool are in town, with Waverly 25 minutes away, Cedar Falls 35, Mason City 60, and five golf courses in the area. Summer is peak. Reserve ahead for warm-weather weekends.

from $16/night

St. Croix River Resort

17 RV Sites, 3 Cabins

St. Croix River Resort in Hinckley, Minnesota, is a full-amenity camping resort with indoor and outdoor pools, a clubhouse, sports courts, a playground, cabins, and full-hookup RV sites in Pine County — a destination campground on the upper St. Croix River corridor in east-central Minnesota, 75 miles north of the Twin Cities on Interstate 35, that gives the Minneapolis-Saint Paul metropolitan market its most accessible and most comprehensively amenitied camping resort in the mixed pine and hardwood lake country that the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway protects as the boundary waterway between Minnesota and Wisconsin. The resort's Hinckley position on I-35 gives it the practical highway access that makes it the natural first-night or last-night campground for travelers routing between the Twin Cities and the Duluth-Superior corridor. Indoor and outdoor pools, a clubhouse, sports courts, and a playground alongside cabins and full-hookup RV sites give the resort the complete family camping amenity set for Pine County stays — the indoor pool specifically extends the aquatic recreation option into the shoulder-season weather that the Upper Midwest's variable spring and fall conditions create, ensuring that the pool amenity delivers value across the full camping season rather than only in the July-August peak. The campground's full-hookup RV sites with clubhouse access serve the extended-stay market from the Twin Cities that Pine County's I-35 location specifically attracts. Pets are welcome. St. Croix State Park, 15 miles east of Hinckley in Pine County, is the largest state park in Minnesota — a 34,037-acre park where the St. Croix and Kettle Rivers converge in the most extensive state park trail system in the upper Midwest, with 127 miles of hiking, 75 miles of horse trails, and the St. Croix River's canoe camping that gives the park's river recreation the multi-day paddling quality that a large northern river park specifically enables. The St. Croix National Scenic Riverway, federally protected from its northern headwaters to its confluence with the Mississippi, sustains the wild river character that makes the Hinckley corridor's river recreation specifically distinct from the developed recreational lakes of the Minnesota lake district. Grand Casino Hinckley, adjacent to the resort in Hinckley, is one of Minnesota's largest tribal gaming facilities — the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe's casino and resort complex with hotel, restaurants, concerts, and the entertainment infrastructure that gives the Hinckley corridor the overnight economic activity that sustains the town's campground and lodging market year-round. The casino's concert venue and event programming extend the Hinckley area's visitor activities beyond the outdoor recreation calendar. St. Croix River Resort serves guests through Pine County's camping season from spring through fall, with the summer peak from Memorial Day through Labor Day capturing the Twin Cities weekend camping market on I-35 and the fall color from late September through mid-October delivering the aspen, birch, and maple canopy transition in the Pine County mixed forest. Mille Lacs Lake, 35 miles west of Hinckley in Mille Lacs County, is one of Minnesota's premier walleye and bass fishing lakes — an 132,516-acre Anishinaabe homeland lake whose Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe's historic cultural connection and the Department of Natural Resources' walleye management make it the most closely watched and most heavily contested fishery resource in Minnesota conservation history. Reserve sites and cabins well ahead for the summer I-35 travel season and Twin Cities holiday weekends.

from $65/night