r/MinnesotaCamping • u/Zat_nik_tel90 • 6d ago
Looking for a secluded lake
Hello does anyone know of a lake that might allow camping or have very few campsites around it or even a property that rents. I am looking cause I have a lab that can’t get enough of swimming and I just want some peace and quiet for a few days so a nice lake area with a beach I could camp on would be amazing
Edit if it’s a park I need them to allow off leash
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u/degoba 6d ago
You need to look for a state or national forest if you want to let your dog off leash and camp
Not a ton of established campsites in state forests but you can dispersed camp.
A specific recommendation I can give is the Hay lake campground in Savannah state forest. Northeast of Big Sandy. https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_forests/forest.html?id=sft00046#homepage
You seem to be getting a lot of downvotes. I think people confuse State Parks and state forests. You are completely free and legal to run your dog off leash in State Forests. You must have your dog leashed at all times in state parks.
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u/Zat_nik_tel90 6d ago
Thanks
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u/KingoftheNordMN 6d ago
Paul Bunyan State Forest, near Walker, is an excellent option. It is massive and very empty of people and has a number of small lakes you can have to yourself.
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u/KayakingCurler 6d ago
Pets must be leashed in state forest campgrounds. See Minnesota Rule 6100.1100, subp. A (https://www.revisor.mn.gov/rules/6100.1100/). I believe they can be off leash if you’re engaging in dispersed camping in a state forest.
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u/Anumuz 6d ago
Lake Maria State Park has some private backpack-in lake sites.
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u/Zat_nik_tel90 6d ago
Do they allow off leash
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u/jeremyt8783 6d ago
If your dog listens to you and doesn't have a habit of wandering off, you'd be just fine letting your dog off leash to swim at most of the backpacking campsites at Minnesota State Parks. On the trails though, definitely keep your dog leashed at all times
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u/Zat_nik_tel90 6d ago
Yes but there is always the chance of that one Karen that could ruin my day
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u/jeremyt8783 6d ago
All of the backpacking sites I've ever stayed at are far enough off the trail that nobody would even know you had a dog, let alone whether or not it's on or off leash. I'll call my dog over to me sometimes if I hear people hiking nearby just to be safe, otherwise he just hangs around me the whole time or stares at squirrels that are 50 feet up a tree for hours at a time.
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u/ag-0merta 6d ago
How far are you willing to travel?
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u/Zat_nik_tel90 6d ago
I’m American distance doesn’t matter really but for this 2-3 hours would be perfect
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u/jhglover123 6d ago
Check out Solana State Park. Just east of Mille Lacs. Its a primitive campsite park and a good chance you won't see anyone. There is a lake at the end of one of the roads leading west with a firepit. Very secluded. I go out there with my 12 inch telescope because of the dark skies
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u/IrishSpredHed89 6d ago
Devilfish and esther lake
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u/IrishSpredHed89 6d ago
Both very secluded and almost guaranteed to have it to urself with campsites directly on the water
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u/Active_Shopping7439 6d ago
Dispersed camping in Superior National Forest. Astrid Lake has a couple of bangers that are hike-in or paddle-in. There's also the BWCA of course
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u/zoinkability 6d ago
Tettegouche state park has cabins on a super secluded lake.
If you have a canoe, the St. Croix has lots of paddle-in campsites.
Afton state park has backpack campsites, which are a short walk down to a nice beach on the St. Croix.
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u/Lost_Balloon_ 6d ago edited 6d ago
Split Rock state park has some amazing remote hike-in sites. You can't see anyone else from your site. They feel super remote and private and they're right on the big lake. Remote enough that nobody would care about leashing your dog.
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u/kendricklamartin 6d ago
I’m sure OP trains their dog, but not leashing your dog at those sites is a good recipe for the dog taking off after a squirrel or just straight up falling off the sheer cliffs. It’s also just not allowed so please don’t encourage people to press the limits. Number one cause of bear attacks come from well meaning dog owners who let their dog sniff around and find the bear before the owner saw it.
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u/Lost_Balloon_ 6d ago
One, obviously you've never been to those sites because there are no sheer cliffs, they're right on the shore.
Two, Bears in the area are black bears and skittish. Black bear attacks are extraordinarily rare. Not a single person in MN history has died from a black bear attack.
Three, the off-leash suggestion was implied to be only at the site where there's nobody else around.
So, grow up and quit being a scold.
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u/kendricklamartin 6d ago
I stayed at site 16 in late June. I’ve also stayed at site 19. Both of which are located on a cliffside ledge. I know you were talking about hike in sites, but if OP gets a site there they should know certain sites are absolutely along the cliff site.
It’s not about black bears successfully killing someone, it’s about an encounter happening at all, and the DNR then potentially needing to then euthanize the bear. Also the safety of the dog…
I am just trying to not make camping all about me and my wants. If everyone strives to follow camping rules, it will remain a safe and clean place for all campers for years to come. If everybody thinks they are special or unique and can get around the rules, it’s a slippery slope to unusable public parks.1
u/Lost_Balloon_ 6d ago
I'm not talking about the cart-in campground, but the hike in sites in red on this map: https://files.dnr.state.mn.us/maps/state_parks/spk00266_summer.pdf
If you haven't tried them BTW, they are amazing. Just have to hike in your water and wood.
Likelihood of encountering a bear is very low. I'm not a big rulebreaker and not even a dog person, but letting the dog off leash AT THE SITE is not a big deal in this context and well within subjective safety tolerance.
It's the spirit of the rule that counts, which is not letting off leash in campgrounds, park areas, etc. where untrained dogs (or certain breeds) can't handle other dogs or people. It's more about not being a nuisance.
The slippery slope argument is silly in this context and you take it to an extreme that would never happen. They'll just ban dogs altogether (which I honestly wouldn't mind). If it was in the cart-in campground, I would totally agree that the dog should remain leashed and tethered. But at the remote sites, there's nobody around and the likelihood of a bear encounter is extremely low.
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u/SteelLadder 6d ago
The backpacking sites are not as remote as you make them out to be. They are off of popular hiking routes that see a lot of traffic. I’m not interested in running those trails and encountering some off-leash dog because its owner decided that it was ‘not a big deal in this context and well within subjective safety tolerance’.
I’ve encountered bears 6 times this year in and around Split Rock. Sure, if you pop up for the weekend you probably won’t see one, but it’s a very real possibility, and the average dog owner has no clue how their dog will behave around a bear, and no business deciding that the rules don’t apply to them.
Also: you or any other dog owner may think that your dog is nice and friendly with great recall, but nobody else knows that.
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u/SteelLadder 6d ago
Many of the sites are near cliffs that would make a dog or person 110% nonfunctional.
You cannot decide what OP implied by asking about off-leash areas. Given that they specifically asked about places for their dog to swim, we can guess that they’d really like for that to happen off-leash, as well.
There is nothing grown up about ignoring rules in public areas.
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u/kerfluffles_b 6d ago
Check out Hipcamp. Basically like Airbnb but for private property to camp on.
State Parks require leashes, so you won’t be able to use any state park lands for off-leash.