Tent Camping near Onamia, Minnesota

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

Hidden Meadows RV Park & Campground

35 RV Sites, 7 Tent Sites

Hidden Meadows RV Park & Campground in Pine Island, MN, offers 35 full-hookup RV sites and 7 tent sites, with 30 and 50-amp service and room for rigs up to 74 feet. Sites come in three categories — back-in 30-amp, back-in 50-amp, and pull-thru — each carrying water, sewer, and electric with site-delivered WiFi. At 74 feet the sites take long coaches, which is unusual for a park this size. Laundry, a bathhouse with showers, a general store, firewood, a dump station, and a recreation center with a game room cover the practical side. Pets are welcome. Walking trails, a playground, volleyball, basketball, billiards, corn hole, and biking fill the grounds, along the middle fork of the Zumbro River. Pine Island sits about 15 minutes from Rochester and the Mayo Clinic, which makes this park unusually practical as both a destination campground and a base for families with medical appointments. Rates for sites and tent spots are on the booking page. Ask about weekly and monthly rates if you're in Rochester for treatment — the park is set up for longer stays.

from $26/night

Dead Colt Creek Recreation Area

25 RV Sites, 13 Tent Sites

Dead Colt Creek Recreation Area in Lisbon, ND, offers 25 RV sites and 13 tent sites, with 30 and 50-amp service and room for rigs up to 75 feet. Sites come in three types — water-and-electric back-ins at 30-amp, water-and-electric back-ins at 50-amp, and water-and-electric pull-ins at 30-amp — each with a fire pit and picnic table. These are partial hookups: there's no sewer at the site, so plan on the dump station. At 75 feet the sites take long rigs. A bathhouse with showers and a pavilion are on the property, and pets are welcome. One rule to plan around: one vehicle per site, with a nightly fee charged on arrival for each additional vehicle. For a city-operated recreation area the amenity list is unusually good — an outdoor pool, a boat ramp and boat docks, a ball field, sport courts for basketball and volleyball, and a playground, with swimming and fishing on the water. Lisbon sits in Ransom County in the Sheyenne River valley, in the rolling glacial lake country of southeastern North Dakota. Rates and availability are on the booking page. Bring only one vehicle per site if you'd rather not pay the extra-vehicle fee.

from $12/night

Pine Mountain Campground

4 Tent Sites

Pine Mountain Campground on Devil Track Lake, ten minutes east of Grand Marais, Minnesota, offers lakeside tent and RV sites with water hookups, a dump station, a marina, and a fishing pier on Cook County's North Shore. Fire pits and picnic tables sit at the sites, with swimming and boating directly from the lake. Back-in sites carry water hookups with fire pits and picnic tables. This is a modest, lake-focused campground rather than a full-service resort — there are no sewer hookups, and a dump station serves RV guests. Restrooms are on site. Guests should arrive prepared for simpler infrastructure than a commercial park offers, which is much of the point here. Pets are welcome. The lake carries everything. A marina and fishing pier give direct access to Devil Track Lake for boating and fishing, with swimming from the shoreline. The setting is the amenity — quiet water ten minutes off the North Shore's main corridor. The surrounding geography is exceptional. Grand Marais sits on Lake Superior, where the Sawtooth Mountains' basalt ridges descend to the world's largest freshwater lake by surface area. The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness begins its million-acre lake-and-portage interior nearby, and the Gunflint Trail's 57-mile corridor reaches into the most remote accessible wilderness in Minnesota at the Ontario border. Grand Marais itself holds an established art colony, the North House Folk School, and southern trailheads for the Superior Hiking Trail. The campground runs the short North Shore season. Summer is the peak by a wide margin, with fall color drawing a second wave — reserve ahead for both.

Plum Pines RV Park & Campground

43 RV Sites, 5 Tent Sites

Plum Pines RV Park & Campground in Sayner, Wisconsin, offers 43 RV sites and five tent sites near Plum Lake in Vilas County, with 30 and 50-amp water-and-electric service, ADA-accessible sites, and rigs accepted to 50 feet on a big-rig-friendly layout. Deluxe and standard categories sit behind a gated entrance in the Northwoods lakes country. Forty-three sites run in 30/50-amp deluxe, 30/50-amp standard, and standard pull-through categories carrying water and electric, sized to 50 feet, with fire pits and picnic tables — note there are no sewer hookups at the sites, though a dump station is available. Accessible sites are available. Five tent sites round out the accommodations. Laundry, restrooms, showers, and firewood handle the practical side, with a gated entrance controlling access. Boat rentals are available on site with boating and picnicking from the property, and off-roading and a golf course are nearby. The amenity set is deliberately quiet — this is a private, family-owned campground where the lake country does the work. Sayner sits in the geographic center of the Eagle River, Minocqua, Boulder Junction, and Manitowish Waters lake district, and the context is remarkable: Vilas County holds over 1,300 lakes within its boundaries, making it the most lake-dense county in the United States. Plum Lake is within blocks of the campground. Summer is decisively the season in the Northwoods. Reserve well ahead for July and August, and note the partial hookups when planning a longer stay.

from $32/night