Waconia

Find & reserve the best beach, lake, and river, stream, or creek campsites near Waconia, Minnesota. Tent, cabin & RV camp on private & State Parks, on local farms, vineyards & nature preserves.

Discover the best waterside campgrounds near Waconia, Minnesota

Best tent camping near me

Hipcamp campgrounds near me

Best RV camping near me

Hipcamps ready for RVs near me

Best glamping near me

Cabins, yurts, treehouses and more

Great River Bluffs State Park

Lake Maria State Park

Perrot State Park

Father Hennepin State Park

Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park

Devil's Lake State Park

Apostle Islands National Lakeshore

Gooseberry Falls State Park

Rv parks & camping

Beach camping with campfires

Beach glamping

Beach camping with hiking

Beach camping with horseback riding

Beach camping with showers

Beach camping with fishing

Potable water

Toilets

Campfires

Trash

Prairie Woods Farm Vineyards

The Cannon River valley near Northfield is mostly flat, but as you move west towards Lonsdale, the topography becomes beautiful rolling hills that are the perfect setting for some of the first vineyards in Minnesota. Today, many vineyards dot our local landscape.
In addition to the vineyards, our land contains a forest which is part of the original "Big Woods". When pioneers first came to the area, this large forest covered much of southern and central Minnesota. "Big Woods State Park" is just 35 minutes from us in Nerstrand.
Our hiking trails on the property bring you from vineyard to woods to the wildflowers in summer.  We love it and hope you will too.

Learn more about this land:

Just one site means relaxed, quiet camping! Pitch a tent and recharge at  Prairie Woods Farm!  35 minutes south of the Twin Cities, 7 miles west of I-35 at the Northfield exit. The site includes a picnic table, fire ring, and an amazing vineyard view with incredible sunsets most evenings. Retreat to the screened "She shed" or roam the vineyards or woods. Firewood is available for purchase.

Camp is a very short walk from the parking area and you may drive in to load and unload. (conditions permitting - Summer and Fall) or use the gear-hauling wagon if you want the exercise. You are welcome to park one vehicle at camp.

On your way to Prairie Woods Farm, you'll quickly notice the change in topography from flat farmland into rolling hills. The views are spectacular and the camp offers a chance to enjoy the vineyard, wildlife, amazing sunsets, and peace & quiet. Each guest receives a welcome packet containing information on the area which is highlighted with some of our favorite things to see and do. If you chose to go exploring on your way, here are some ideas to get you started:

Vineyards and Wineries: We are in the heart of Minnesota's wine-growing country where some of Minnesota's very first vineyards began.  Within a few square mile area, there are 4 different vineyards growing over 30 tons of grapes for local wineries. Visit some winery tasting rooms within a short drive like Next Chapter in Montgomery, Vintage Escapes in Killkenny, Mousse sparkling wines in Jordan or Cannon Valley in Cannon Falls. A little farther is Chankaska Creek Ranch and Winery in Kasota (near Mankato).  All have a very different appeal and are worth a visit. 

Enjoy the many Craft beers, cider, or spirits. If you love craft beers, visit Montgomery Brewing, Giesenbrau Bier Company, Imminent Brewing, Tanzenwald brewery, or Chapel Brewery. Prefer a homemade cocktail? Loon Liquors Distillery in Northfield specializes in hand-crafted gourmet cocktails made from their own spirits distilled on site.  Chankaska also offers hand-crafted cocktails from their distillery as well. For ciders, we highly recommend Keepsake Cidery, a lovely spot 15 minutes away that creates wonderful craft ciders and has excellent food!

Boating and Fishing: If you enjoy boating or fishing, we are minutes away from many southern Minnesota Lakes.  Bring your canoe and explore the Cannon River!  We are happy to help shuttle you if we are around. You can also tube the Cannon River with a shuttle service from Welch.

Golf: Play the famous Willingers only 6 minutes away, Creeks Bend outside of New Prague, or public courses in Montgomery or New Prague, both of which offer a great day of golf.

Local Places to explore: Our personal favorite diversion is the historic river town of Northfield.  This quaint community on the Cannon River reminds us of a small European village with several walking bridges crossing the river with shopping, good restaurants, and pubs on both sides. Many feature live music or weekly jam sessions.  It's our favorite place to grab a drink and enjoy sitting by the river. There is even a downtown falls!  Listed on the National Historic Register, Northfield is home to two nationally known liberal arts colleges (Carleton and St Olaf), giving you a chance to catch a play, a recital, concert, or art show almost any day of the week.   This is not a rowdy college town and prides itself on higher learning  (At over $50k per year to attend with high admission standards, they attract the best and brightest) . 

Traveling west from camp will take you to "Czech country" a collection of towns founded by those of Bohemian heritage.  Explore historic St. Wenceslaus Church in New Prague; stop for a Kolachy (Czech sweet roll) at a bakery (Frankies Bakery in Montgomery are the best) or a bowl of authentic Vomachka soup at the Fish Tale Grill.  Make sure to tune to KCHK radio (95.5 FM / 1350 AM) to know where the local polka bands are playing or to listen to polka music on the air!  

Camping: Of course, most just stay onsite and hang out in the vineyard or walk our on-site hiking trails. (Trail maintenance in the woods varies each year due to the wet conditions)  Take in the amazing views while hiking the quiet country roads that stretch on for miles. Relax on the screen porch "She shed" and enjoy watching the lightning bugs or butterflies put on their air show! The most important thing to us is to stop rushing and enjoy the quiet solitude. 

For you newbies, we are here for you! We are seasoned and active sea kayakers, canoeists, and backpackers who love to camp and teach.  Make sure you check out our additional options if you are interested in learning new skills or want to try out some gear you have been curious about.

We look forward to meeting you and giving you a flavor of the amazing landscape and beauty of southern Minnesota wine country. 

Motorcycles: An important note, you will need to drive on 1.5 miles of gravel road to reach our property.

Enjoy dinner by the vineyard and the quiet of the country

No better place to enjoy a fire, wine and the seclusion of the vineyard

Beautiful sunsets over the vineyard are our trademark

Pets

Showers

RadRo Farms at Hippie House

10 acre parcel with a 70’s split level house built by a former state representative. The land used to be a farm but is now mostly tall grasses and goldenrod. We have a large vegetable and berry garden and a large native flower garden. We have a chicken house and blankets of fireflies in the summer and beautiful sunsets that face the campsite. Sometimes it’s really quiet and sometimes you can hear the highway noise. 

Cooking equipment

Come mid summer enjoy a walk through the pollinator habitat and enjoy the blooms of summer. Half the farm is dedicated to space for our beloved pollinators.

The Farm at Heirloomista

The Farm used to be part of a larger, old farm until one day it was parceled off. It sat vacant for 15 years until I bought it to create a biodynamic farm. It's now it the fourth season of growing heirlooms vegetables, flowers and herbs. As a nature-lover, I designated 2 acres to pollinator habitat. Come walk the path through and discover all the critters that like to hang out in this safe haven.Learn more about this land:Pitch your tent and enjoy an night on the farm. Stay up to watch the star with no light pollution. Wake up to the cranes visiting the fields in the morning. 

The pollinator field path is a highlight of the farm.

This is a working farm so you'll be able to walk the fields and see what's coming into harvest during the season. 

The greenhouse and vegetable fields from the food prep area.

Cook over the campfire as the sun goes down.

New Story Farm

So what's the story with New Story Farm?  Well, it's a farm whose caretakers are working to enact just that…a new story! We believe that virtually all of the problems that come with civilization stem from people believing the predominant cultural story which says we are "above" or "separate" from nature. This story that is omnipresent in our culture tells us that the natural laws of nature are not applicable to us. A "story" is a scenario interrelating man, the world, and the gods."To enact" is to live so as to make a story a reality. "Culture" is a people enacting a story. If you believe that the world belongs to man, you will see all other life as a resource. If you believe that man belongs to the world, you see all other life as partners. On our farm, we are surrounded by annual agriculture and although we grew up eating from this system and have gratitude for that, we also see that annual agriculture is intrinsically unsustainable. Even at it's best, it is extractive and erosive, leading in time to desertification. We want to enact a new story that puts humans back in partnership with all other creation. Learn more about this land:IF YOU ARE ONLY LOOKING FOR A CHEAP PLACE TO CAMP, PLEASE DON'T BOOK If you want to be part of the change we are all hoping for, read further and get in touch if you feel called to. Visit and lend a hand to a regenerative farm fostering an intentional agrarian community for beginning farmers while offering educational & sacred community gatherings!  We need HELP building this community and vision— do you see value in preserving skills of the past? Re-learning how to live and communicate in a thriving and connected community? Consider putting your energy where your values are and spend a few days weaving this story with us.The garden needs tending, animals need rotating, the community building is functional but still in the construction chapter. Earthworks for water spreading and shedding, barn cleaning, thistle chipping, wild harvesting and drying, herbal medicine making and food preserving.Balance work time with rejuvenating time:Feed the cows some apples, cuddle up with a chicken and get some laughs watching the shenanigans of a full-of-character ex-street dog named Burdock. Take a hike through 76 acres of native prairie and hickory/oak forest.  LOTS of wildlife all around, at all times. You will probably hear geese, pheasants, song birds, coyote and see deer, trumpeter swans, mallard and wood ducks, sandhill cranes, leopard frogs, painted turtles, and maybe even a cougar ( one has been sighted here at NSF)! Cool off in the creek or visit Piepenburg Park  or Belle Lake which are right around the corner. If you want to learn about wild foraging, medicinal herbs or anything farm-related we can arrange that, just ask. Composting toilet is available for your use. Depending on the time of the year, you may want to bring extra mosquito protection.

Curious cows would watch us as we wandered through the garden

All the cows are absolutely adorable and many will come right up to you for some loves

We got a chance to help out in the garden and we loved it!

There was plenty of nice flat gravel for us to easily park our rv

The adorable composting toilet that is available for campers

We couldn't get enough cuddles with these hand-raised turkeys. They would come running up to us and hop into our lap to get pets

Cozy Lakeside Cottage

Spend some cozy downtime enjoying a fire and the peacefulness of a 4 acre lake property.
You and your guest (or small-very small) group will be the only ones around as we don't rent to more than one booking at a time.
Paddle on the paddleboard for free or rent the kayak for only $10 a day and explore the lake while getting some exercise.
Take a hot shower and sleep in a comfortable bed- all for less than a hotel room in the concrete jungle!

**We do require a photo of a valid government ID from all members of your party.
This is due within 24 hours of booking, or immediately after booking if it's a same day booking.
Although we would love to share our property with you, note this is for liability purposes and is non-negotiable.
When booking, please acknowledge that you have read this requirement and plan on complying with it. If not received within the specified time frame, your booking will be cancelled.
Please text photos of these ID's to the number provided after booking.
Thank you for being understanding.
 

Learn more about this land:

Cozy lakeside cottage that sleeps two, with level lawn space nearby that will fit two additional tents in your group.  Dedicated private space is in lower level backyard with best view and access to dock*, lake and wildlife wetlands with boardwalk.  You'll see the setting sun from the end of the dock and have a paver patio firepit with plenty of seating all to yourselves.  Private 3/4 bath and comfortable TV room is 60 steps away in the house, and we are also offering a shared laundry for an additional charge.  Mystic Lake Casino, Canterbury Downs, and many other area lakes besides the 600 acre all sports lake that the property is located on are in the immediate area.  For location purposes, we are located 3.5 miles S of the Prior Lake, MN McDonald's. 

The basic price of $80 per night includes up to two campers inside or outside of the  cottage,  but up to two additional campers and tents are able to added to the reservation for $20 per person/ per night.  A limit of two persons inside of the cottage and four persons total are allowed per reservation.  Please note that all persons on the reservation must submit a copy of their valid picture government ID to the host (via text) prior to arrival (but after booking), and sign a property liability waiver and upon check in.   The host will discuss the procedure with you as HC supports pictures via real phone numbers accessed only after booking.  Please ask prior to booking if you have any questions about this- this is a requirement of our short term rental insurance, and part of our self check in procedure. 

We are a 100% smoke and pet (all animals) free property.  We also do not allow any events, parties or children. The minimum age of campers allowed to book here is 23 and if you are bringing your children with you, they must be 18 plus and also must sign all waivers and provide their ID's.  

This is a great place for a small, quiet gathering of your group with a private, clean bathroom and a lakefront location on a small acreage.  However, it is for quiet getaways only, and is an owner occupied and monitored property.  

If you have any questions regarding this listing, feel free to message the host before booking.  

* The dock is removed towards the end of September every year. The lake can still be accessed until the end of October, there will just be no dock.

3/4 Bathroom is for your exclusive and private use.  Bathroom is detached from the unit and is located in the house 60 steps away.  

Waterside camping near Waconia

Popular camping styles for Waconia

Waterside camping near Waconia guide

Overview

Popular Waconia trips

Top parks near Waconia

Best camping near me

Safety at Hipcamp

Safety partners