We moochdock with family a lot in MN, so this was our first time staying at a campground in this state. Overall we enjoyed our short stay here and look forward to checking out the area again in the future.
We started off this season of travels, after spending 2.5 months at our home base, by stopping by Rice Creek Chain of Lakes Regional Park to hang out with some cousins whom I haven’t seen in quite awhile (and my husband and children had never met). We arrived in the late afternoon, checked in at the visitor center, made a quick stop at the dump station, and proceeded to our site.
The site we had booked (Loop A, Site 9) was huge! There was more room than we needed for all eight of us to hang out and we had plenty of room to park the truck in front of our fifth wheel. The parking pad was level dirt and the electric and water hookups were well placed. The campground was very quiet and fairly private and we had a very relaxing time for the two nights we stayed.
How to get there
Rice Creek Campground is located just off of County Road 14 and a short distance south of I-35W and east of I-35E. Downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul are 30-45 minutes away, with plenty to see and do there.
Amenities
The campground has water/electric only sites, with 30 and 50 amp service, plus a loop for tents only and one for tents/small trailers. There is a dump station on the way to the loops, and a shower house/restroom between Loop B and Loop D. There are also portable toilets in each loop. Trash bins are located near the dump station.
In addition to the 80 sites, campers can also reserve a group site for up to 60 people. Two cabins are also available for rent.
There are two playground inside the park: one located next to the restrooms between B and D loops, and the other near the beach. We didn’t have a chance to check them out but did see and hear kids playing on both playgrounds during our stay.
The beach was closed during our stay due to algae, but we were able to walk along it, and the boat ramp was open if one chose to use it.
What to do
Activities within the park include biking, fishing, boating, golf, and swimming. Outside the park, there is a plethora of activities to take part in with it being so close to the Twin Cities. We chose to spend our one full day at the park visiting Como Park Zoo and Conservatory. The zoo and conservatory are free to visit, but you must reserve an entry time for each person in your party and masks were required everywhere on the zoo and conservatory grounds. The kids enjoyed seeing the big cats there the most, and I took advantage of the conservatory by taking pictures of the many various species of ferns they have there, since ferns were our next topic in our home school botany course.
Overall, this was a very relaxing stay. We enjoyed time with family, the quiet campground, and the beautiful weather, and would certainly consider this campground again if we are in the area.
Have you visited Rice Creek Chain of Lakes Regional Park? We’d love to hear about it! Please leave us a comment below, find us on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest @simplejoyfuljourney, or email me at alicia@simplejoyfuljourney.com. And don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter at the bottom of the page before you go. Have a great week!