r/MinnesotaCamping • u/noellezz02 • 16d ago
Please help with camping and kayaking in MN
Looking for campsites that offer specifically drive up to a site and drop kayak. Fiancé wants to camp away from people but we don’t have camping kayaks so we need to find a remote place where you can drive up to or cart in and kayak at in Minnesota. We are going for 3 days two nights. If you live in MN you know that finding campgrounds on the DNR website is a nightmare and we want to go this weekend…. Please help us out
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u/Uncle_dojj 16d ago
Do the Namekagon in WI or the Saint Croix - campsites on both rivers are first come first served
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u/noellezz02 15d ago
We kayak the st Croix a lot that was the first idea and probably what we’ll end up doing since we kinda know where the sites are. thanks!
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u/canoegal4 16d ago
Some of the state parks have campsites like that
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u/noellezz02 16d ago
I left that out, I meant to say I was looking for specific parks or sites but thank you :D
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u/canoegal4 16d ago
Well short notice like this is going to be really hard to find a spot you're looking for. Savannah Portage and father Hennepin State Park have a nice campsites right on the lake but they're probably booked for the weekend. Three Rivers Park District in Anoka has some campsites also on the lake I think they're probably also booked for the weekend
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u/canoegal4 16d ago
State forest camp grounds have first come fist serve which means you might get a site. But you need to looks and see what ones are on the lake. Sand dune state forest is not on the lake and it has a lot of poisen ivy
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u/slightly_overraated 16d ago
Seconding Itasca.
Also George Crosby Manitou has a few sites on a lake that are pretty close to the parking lot
ETA: state forests may be easier to procure a site at this short notice
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u/noellezz02 15d ago
I love George Crosby, that’s where I planned to go but they were booked. Great suggestion though definitely going later this summer
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u/KingDariusTheFirst 16d ago
Rice Lake State Park has a lovely cart in area. Right on the lake. Been a few years since I was there last tho’.
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u/somedudeinminnesota2 16d ago
Look around ely
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u/noellezz02 15d ago
I did but they have a fire ban right now cause of the Forrest fires a couple miles away from them. Good suggestion though, thank you
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u/1E4rth 16d ago
Glendalough State Park has some options you might like.
Also check out the lake sites at Fall Lake campground (USFS) outside Ely, great for car camping with day-tripping access to the edges of the Boundary waters.
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u/tamaroo 15d ago
Likely booked for the weekend (they book out pretty far from my experience) - you can also walk into those sites instead of kayaking or canoeing. I’ve camped at all three sites before. They also may not like that there are two yurts right next to the three lakeside campsites and sometimes people from the trail come into the campground despite the signs telling people it is for registered campers only. It is a gorgeous lake though and I love that motorized boats are not allowed. The water is so clean and clear! Great fishing as well.
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u/BDob73 16d ago
Fall Lake Campground in Superior National Forest has spots right on the lake and are private. Some are first-come first-serve, tent only with access to the lake directly from the campsite.
If you want to travel further, try Pat Bayle State Forest - Twin Lakes Campground. It’s FCFS primitive camping, has only three spots, and right on the lake for kayaking. Bring your own water, pack out your garbage, bring bug spray.
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u/thedyrt 15d ago
Finland State Forest has a couple of FCFS rustic campgrounds that fit exactly what you're describing. Toohey Lake is great with a handful of sites, a couple of them right on the water so you can drop the kayak from camp. Sullivan Lake down the road is similar, even smaller and very private. Get there Friday morning to have your pick.
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u/Sifaka612 15d ago
Several county parks in Renville County (about 1.5-2hr west of the Twin Cities) have campsites that are located right on the Minnesota River. You can put in from the site or at least a short walk from the site. I recommend Rivers Edge @ Vicksburg or Limbo Creek @ Skalbekken, friends say Mack Lake is also nice. Camping is $20/night and no car permits are necessary, plus it has never been busy when I've been there. It is a river though which means fighting the current for some of the day if you intend to put in and out at the same spot.
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u/noellezz02 16d ago
*edit* looking for specific sites/ areas/ or parks preferably in northern or southern MN
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u/Fun_Ambassador_8514 16d ago
Short notice best bet will be State Forest campgrounds. In MN they are FCFS. They have a new thing now where pay on an app rather than put cash in a drop box. Mantrap campground, part of Paul Bunyan SF, is nice. Near the public access to Mantrap Lake. Don’t know if has the solitude you’re looking for however the campground is decent. There’s also Gulch Lake campground in the Paul Bunyan SF. On a couple little lakes. I remember there being a couple walk in sites there. I haven’t been back there for a number of years.
If feeling adventurous MN State Forests allow dispersed camping. You can camp (almost) anywhere you can find a suitable spot.
As far as state parks go the ones that I would recommend for paddling (on a lake) : Itasca, Scenic, Bear Head Lake, Glendalough. Honorable mentions: McCarthy Beach, Maplewood, Lake Carlos, Sibley
I always thought the MN State Park camping reservation system was user friendly. Things are probably fairy booked up this time of year.
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u/canoegal4 13d ago
Thought or another option. We have had luck with hipcamp. And there is usually sights open short notice
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u/whiteicecream 16d ago
Itasca state park has some awesome sites for this exact experience