Greg & Caitlin Garrison

Don't get confused like we did, you do pull I to the zoo parking lot, and cross to the other side to the entrance to the campground. The campground is obviously newer, in the best way possible. Very clean and well planned out, nice new pea gravel on every site. Beautiful rv spots, lots of forest with hiking and biking trails (separate). Zoo and adventure park are within walking distance on a trail that cuts through the woods right behind the campground. We did the canopy walk, which was so fun, very pleasant for us as we don't have kids camping with us and didn't want to go in the zoo. We could hear lions at night from our site, so cool!

We had planned on this as our over night stop based on prior reviews. As we pulled in, the majority of the parking lot, all of the long big rig and rv parking spots, were under heavy construction. We squeezed into a medium length spot just to see the statue and reassess our situation. Noticed multiple signs that stated No Camping, 3 hour limit. Plus signs listing the State Statutes forbidding camping at rest stops, and the consequences. We pulled out and quickly found Happy Campers Campground off the next exit, so we got lucky, but it wasn't free like we had planned for this stop. Oh well.

You won't find better customer service anywhere in the country! Absolutely the friendliest, most accommodating, helpful owners ever. We needed 12 days of storage for our 37' 5th wheel, while we flew back to Colorado for a visit. No problem at all, good price, high security that made us feel so comfortable. When we were dropping off and parking, we sent photos to the owner and he immediately got back to us to actually move the rig perpendicular to the building instead of parallel (our mistake). He was so helpful. The QR code to scan in and out made drop off and pickup so easy.

This is one of the friendliest, nicest, most pleasant little campgrounds I've ever stayed in. The lake (pond) was nice for a swim and a paddle, and it was also a pleasant morning walk around it. Our pull though site #9 was great for our truck and 37' 5th well, with grass on both sides and full hookups. We explored the black hills, wind Cave, and Angostura Reservoir from here. Fun outdoor games for free use, laundry ($1.50 in quarters for each machine), shower house, store with fun stuff.

Check in is so easy and I was immediately excited by how beautiful the area is and how nice the owner is. Pulled around to our site in the newest loop, used the dump station first, then circled around again to our site 110. Many of the people here are full-timers, with gorgeous decks, landscaping, flowers, etc. Everyhting is so well maintained. There's corn hole and horseshoes, a large free library to exchange books, clean laundry and bathhouse, pool table, snakc vending machine, covered picnic table, and free canoe and paddle boats to use any time. Site was so easy to back into, level and spacious. We paddleboarded 2 of the 3 lakes. The largest lake is actually Much bigger than it looks if you go down every channel and around every corner. One rainy day we headed into Duluth and rode the North Shore Scenic Railroad, first class dome ticket was super affordable. Museum was fantastic too. Absolutely recommend! I could have stayed at Red Pine for a lot longer, I'd come back over and over!

Way better than I anticipated based off others reviews. You drive in on the north end, signs direct you. At first it looked packed and we were stressed about trying to back in to a small, cramped spot. Kept driving south and realized quickly it opens up a lot! There were tons of grassy spots all the way down and just a few rv's spread here and there. Easily backed in with 2 open spaces on both sides and a big open field across from us. Chose site 65, called the number on the website, and paid for 2 nights over the phone. Man on phone was super friendly. Generally very quiet and peaceful. Airplanes do go over very low as it's close to airport, but not a lot of flights. We were backed up to train tracks but no trains went by on weekend, got one going by at 5:45 am on Monday morning. Saw the Budweiser Clydesdales, they were in town and being housed in the big red barn near the camping area. We had FULL hookups and we honestly didn't notice any site that didn't have full. We were super happy here!

Our overnight plans fell through (see review of Dignity Rest Stop) and we were somewhat desperate to find a place for the night. We pulled into Happy Campers off the very next exit. The dirt driveway was well groomed and nice, pulled around to the closed office and saw a large sign that instructs campers to find a site and put $35 into the provided envelope into the Dropbox. Easy as can be. Found a pull through directly behind the office to fit our truck and 37' 5th wheel. MOST of this Campground is for residential full timers, they have built on decks. But the sign clearly states to find a site in the area behind the office. The whole place is beautiful, lots of trees and lawns, playgrounds, showers (I didn't go in, don't know if they were nice). It's close to highway but we could hear birds more than trucks and we slept like babies. Being close to highway is a huge plus for us, not a negative.

We arrived around 4 pm on a Tuesday, only 3 spots taken and we got the spot we had originally wanted anyway. Spots are level and easy to get into. Absolutely beautiful city park. Softball games were going on, and there were kids at the city pool. It wasn't noisy, just the faint sounds of summer drifting across the fields. There's disc golf, pickleball courts, tennis courts, skate park, playgrounds, bathrooms, and the cutest mini golf ($5 per person for adults). Everything is SO well maintained. We enjoyed a beautiful walk, then played mini golf. We saw a mama owl with 2 juvenile owls, so close we watched them for awhile. The train came through but I hadn't fallen asleep yet and it didn't wake my husband at all.

You have to go through neighborhoods to get to this lovely city park, so that part was just a tiny bit stressful, especially with bigger rigs. Check in was easy and friendly, they'll offer you a key to the bathhouse if you need it (we didn't, so I can't review on bathroom or showers). We happened, accidentally, to pick the Most difficult site to back into (site 18). Most are slanted a bit and since they are all on the left side, there are curved paved areas on the right to facilitate backing in easier. Site 18 was barely slanted, it was nearly 90 degrees to the road, and there was no curved area, instead there were 2 trees in the absolute worst 2 positions they could possibly be in. All that to say, we still made it in successfully in under 10 minutes. The spot was beautiful, lots of shade and grass, and we paddle boarded the river for a few hours. Downside is 35 amps, no sewer at sites, and the interstate is Right There so you hear the hum of traffic 24/7.

We've camped in some state parks that were far more rustic and rough than this. Very nice all around. Smooth roads, easy dump station, nice back in spot that's very easy to get into because of the way it's double-wide paved for the first half. The extra paved area also gives you a place to park a vehicle. Great walk to the beach, with a great restaurant and more casual diner window, plus convenience store, all in the large building on the beachfront. The sand dune hikes are fabulous! Look up the 3 Dune Challenge, I had a blast with it!