Good Places for Camping in Minnesota

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources operates several top-notch state parks. Many offer camper cabins that you can reserve.

Close to Minneapolis, try William OBrien or St. Croix State Park. Both are close enough for easy driving, yet still offer a good get-away-from-it all feeling. AWESOME hiking trails, canoeing opportunities, etc.

DNR State Park website is super easy to use/understand. Check out the map.

http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/index.html

Welcome to Minnesota! It seems most of our residents move out to Colorado, so I'm glad to hear some of you guys are moving this way. = ) We have lots of great State Parks! My parents took us to almost all of them when I was little. Here is a link that compares all of the state parks at a glance and gives you an idea of how far they are from the Twin Cities. http://files.dnr.state.mn.us/destinations/state_parks/gri...
My personal favorites are Banning, Bearhead, Frontenac, Interstate, St. Croix, and Scenic. There is no camping at Tower/Soudan but if you are in that area, a visit to the Underground Mine is definitely worth it. Very interesting. I don't think I ever made it to Savannah (meeentioned below) but McGregor is pretty. It has been many years since I was last there so I don't know if they still let you climb the fire tower or not, but if they do, it provides a great view of the area. Gooseberry Falls is especially pretty in the fall. If you just want to take a day trip, you could head down along the river to Red Wing. It is a quaint little river town and if you like to bike, The Cannon Valley Trail is great in the summer. Forestville/Mystery Cave is also kind of fun, although a little more touristy than most of our state parks. If you are down in that area though you can also visit some Amish homes and businesses which I thought was neat. Here is another link that shows you where all the parks are located. http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/map.html
Anyway, these are just a few suggestions. Hope you have fun exploring Minnesota! We don't have the mountains that Colorado does, but we have a wide variety of hardwoods that are especially pretty in the fall and a lot of interesting and different topography!

I'm not a camper any more, but I have friends who are and I have a Boy Scout. MN has some great state parks and maybe you can check them out online. Most of them require advance reservations. Itasca State Park is a little far north, but the beauty of that is you can see the source of the Mississippi River. Jay Cooke State Park just south of Duluth has wonderful hiking, but there is a river with a strong current so it can be a little dangerous for young children. You could look into campsite location. Savannah State Park near McGregor is beautiful. My parents have a cabin near there and although we've never camped there we've done a few day trips. There is a small lake you can hike around and it has a beach area appropriate for young kids. It has a picnic shelter with grills and a playground. It has a variety of campsites. McGregor is a small town about 10 miles away and has a few grocery stores, a DQ, a Subway, a pharmacy and other things you might need if you forgot something or ran into trouble. Aitkin (about 25 miles?) is a larger town that has a major hospital and a movie theater. Most people think of northern MN for camping, but I've heard there are also some beautiful state parks in southern MN and you don't need to drive as far. Savannah State Park that I mentioned is about a 3 hour drive from the TC. Of course, the North Shore just north of Duluth is beautiful too.

ETA: Savannah State Park is definitely in the woods and surrounded by nature. I only mention the modern conveniences of nearby McGregor and Aitken should you have a problem or need a back-up plan. I also just remembered that a family we know through school and sports used to do a lot of camping with a pop-up tent trailer. They said Savannah State Park was their favorite, although I know they also enjoyed Itasca.

Welcome, K.! One of our favorites is Whitewater State Park in SE Minnesota--no mosquitoes--and very pretty. Sometime when you want to make a getaway that is farther than 3 hours away, try renting one of the cabins at Tettegouche State Park, which is up the North Shore. You have to hike your supplies in (sleeping gear, food, etc.) but they provide the cooking/eating utensils, and the cabins are awesome.

My family will be visiting Colorado for a vacation this August. Any suggestions for us? (Our kids are 11 and 8.)