Fun 104 logo
Get our free mobile app

We're pretty good at a lot of things in Minnesota, right? And now, this Minnesota campground has been named one of the ten best in the United States.

When it comes to getting out and enjoying the great outdoors, nobody does it better than we do here in the Land of 10,000 Lakes, right? I mean, we've got some beautiful natural areas to enjoy whether that's here in our backyard, up north (by Brainerd, dont'cha know!) or along the scenic North Shore of Lake Superior.

Now, that's not just my opinion, either, mind you. That's according to the outdoors website The Dyrt Magazine, which published a list of the Top Ten U.S. Campgrounds. And according to their list, the campground at Minnesota's Split Rock Lighthouse State Park made the list, coming in at number five-- an impressive ranking on a list compiled solely by camper recommendations.

If you're not familiar with it, Split Rock Lighthouse State Park is located just north of Two Harbors, Minnesota, along Highway 61 on the North Shore, about 4 hours north of the Twin Cities. And it has some spectacular things to do, in addition to its now-award-winning camping.

READ MORE: 60 People Horribly Sickened After Swimming in MN Lake

It made The Dyrt's Top 10 list of Best Campgrounds for several reasons, the site noted. Here's what it had to say about one of Minnesota's more well-known parks:

Camp along the rugged shores of Lake Superior at these hike-in campsites with views of Split Rock Lighthouse, one of the most photographed views in Minnesota. Split Rock’s campsite is the perfect summer getaway with trails leading down to the beach so you can cool off along a secluded coastline. The hike in allows for a private beach experience as The Dyrt camper Scott M. said, “We were able to enjoy the beach all to ourselves.”

In case you want to check it out for yourself, Split Rock Lighthouse State Park has 26 sites total, including four backpack sites, two wheelchair-accessible sites, and  20 cart-in sites. (Click here to reserve a site.)

One of the other cool features of Split Rock Lighthouse State Park is that it's located right along the Gitchi-Gami State Trail, which easily connects you to Gooseberry Falls State Park, as well. (That's the same spot where people were gawking at how our drought back in 2021 had dried up one of its famous waterfalls.)

Meanwhile, if you don't want to go that far, Minnesota has a TON of other incredible state parks to check out. Keep scrolling to check out the most popular, or, on the other hand, some of the more secluded state parks where you're least likely to run into a big crowd.

Listen to Curt St. John in the Morning
Weekdays from 6 to 10 on Quick 
Country 96.5

Most Visited State Parks In Minnesota: Is Your Favorite in the List?

Minnesota has 75 beautiful state parks. The parks have an average of 9,700,000 visitors each year. Interestingly enough, nearly 19% of park visitors come from other states and countries, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Now, my favorite State Park is Jay Cooke in Carlton, MN, but it did not break into the top 5.

Best Minnesota State Parks To Avoid Big Crowds

While iconic state parks like Itasca, Gooseberry, and Fort Snelling draw massive numbers of visitors each year, there are a lot of awesome state parks and recreation areas around Minnesota that offer fantastic outdoor or camping experiences without the high number of visitors. Give these a look!