Crow Wing State Park – Brainerd MN

WEEKEND CAMPING TRIP TO CROW WING STATE PARK IN BRAINERD MN.

We were looking for a new spot to camp and Crow Wing State Park in Brainerd is a quick 1 1/2 hour trip from my house. I met up with my brother in law and nieces and we had a very fun weekend at the park.

The electric sites were full, so I opted to bring my tent instead of my pop-up camper. There was another Bethany in the park so I had a little regret that I didn’t bring mine – but my tent worked just fine – even during a rainy night.

Crow Wing State Park is located right across the river from Camp Ripley – which makes for a very interesting camping experience!  We heard machine guns and explosions in the distance until late in the night.  It was not annoying – but if you are a light sleeper this is something to take into account!

We also heard some interesting wild life – I have never heard a barred owl before – so that was pretty cool – and there were other wild life noises that I could not identify!  There are deer and black bears in the park, the park ranger told us that there was enough food throughout the park that even the raccoons were staying out of the camp ground.

We really enjoyed the trail system in the park – you will be able to hike along the Mississippi and Crow Rivers, and you can explore the Old Crow Wing town site and Beaulieu House, and the Red River Ox Cart Trail.  The park also adjacent to the Paul Bunyan State Trail with 115 miles of bike trails.