A while back two artists bought the remaining acreage and buildings from a northern Minnesota dairy farm. Lisa the painter and Art the metal smith always enjoy sharing their beautiful piece of the planet with friends. Welcome to Blue Pony Acres. We want to share the beauty we experience every day with you. Leave your cubicle and the city life for a short respite in the north
A while back two artists bought the remaining acreage and buildings from a northern Minnesota dairy farm. Lisa the painter and Art the metal smith always enjoy sharing their beautiful piece of the planet with friends. Welcome to Blue Pony Acres. We want to share the beauty we experience every day with you. Leave your cubicle and the city life for a short respite in the north woods. Bring your kids, your dog, camera, canoe, kayaks, and bikes. Pitch a tent or swing a hammock in mature pines and hardwoods. Enjoy your campfire while you hear the stars sing, watch the northern lights dance and count the shooting stars. On a clear night you might see satellites pass overhead. Lay your sleeping bag on the ground, snuggle in with hot chocolate and smores and watch the night light show in comfort.
After a long day of hiking, biking, kayaking, fishing or photography enjoy a warm outdoor shower and cook in your private campfire. Exercise and walk your leashed dog in the state land adjacent to your campsite. The firewood is free! A private composting toilet.
We have two campsites “carved out” of the tall pines, however you are welcome to pitch a tent closer to your campfire if you like.
We are 3.5 hours north of Minneapolis, MN., and one hour north of Duluth, MN. The Saint Louis River carry in landing is only 3.2 miles from your site. A 5 mile drive gets you to the Mesabi Trial, over 160 miles of paved hiking and biking trail stretching from the Mississippi River on the west almost to the boundary waters and Ely, MN on the east. Local lakes within a few minute drive have public landings for boat launch and canoe carry in for your boating and fishing enjoyment. The famous Sax-Zim Bog is within a half hour drive and a great place for photographing wildlife, and they have an interpretive center and very nice volunteers to help you identify wildlife. We’re about 5 miles south of the United Sates Hockey Hall of Fame; a great day trip for you and your sports minded children. A few miles further and you’re outside the doors of the Natural Harvest Food Co-op; a great shop for organic foods. Get local fresh food for your evening meal.
We invite you to join us. Bring your camping gear, including camp cook stove (sometimes we’re under a fire ban). Ask your dog to bring it’s leash, yes we have a leash law. Warm clothes and light clothing as the weather changes. Rain gear. Your favorite bug repellent. Good hiking boots. Don’t forget bikes, canoes, kayaks, cameras, fishing gear. Come to unplug, unwind and enjoy the clean air and sweet smell of the north woods. You might drive in and smell a smoker curing a pork loin or two pineapple chickens. Maybe it’s roasted veggies on the grill for our vegetarian and vegan friends. You never can tell...you might be invited to join us, but...if you can overcome the food temptation you can retire to your site and enjoy the solitude.
Come on up North!
- Check in: After 4PM
- Check out: Before 10AM
- Cancellation policy: Strict
- On arrival: Meet and greet
- Minimum nights: 1 night
- Accepts bookings: 3 months out Weeknight discount: 25% off
Activities
Offered on the Host's property or nearby.
Off-roading (OHV)
A State run OHV park is 8 miles from the campsite
Terrain
Natural features you'll find at Blue Pony Acres in Minnesota.
Lake
Numerous lakes with a short drive or bike ride
Field
Pasture land is next to the camp sites
River, stream, or creek
The St. Louis River in near the camp site
Swimming hole
Many swimming sites are within driving distance
Farm
Campsites are located at a former dairy farm
The vibe at Blue Pony Acres
Places to see near Blue Pony Acres
45 Reviews
We had a group of 4 stay on a late notice reservation in Art’s RV. Art was very welcoming and friendly and had everything we needed. Was a great place to stay for a night!

Thanks Jordan! stop any time you and your buddies need a rest stop on the way to the fishing hole!
We had a great stop on our way to the boundary waters for a weekend.
Throughout the booking process, Art was very communicative and friendly with a great sense of humor. Arriving at the farm was no different.
Art and Lisa greeted us warmly while respecting our space. We got a quick tour of the composting toilet, the Mother Pine tree, and the tent sites we would be staying on. Curiosity introduced us to the sites quirks - the horse, chickens, and local nature walks.
The tent site was the most comfortable I’ve experienced, amongst the pine trees on a cozy bed of needles. We had a pile of firewood waiting for us organized from smallest to largest with plenty of birch bark to go around.
It wasn’t the most convenient stop toward the boundary waters coming from the cities, as the next day’s drive was another 2+ hours from our put-in, but I would consider going back for another stay regardless.

Thanks Greg! What a nice comment. Tell Claire we love her "you are entering the other side of the world" story. Join us any time.
Beautiful site! Art and Lisa are kind and helpful hosts. Would definitely come back!

Thank you Anna! Come again any time.
Blue Pony Acres was just lovely! My group only stayed for one night on our way up to Voyageurs Nat'l Park. We booked last minute, and were so happy with our choice! Art and Lisa are very sweet and accommodating folks. I mentioned our camping trip was for my 30th birthday, and when we arrived at the site there were fresh cut lilacs and a birthday card from Lisa, waiting to greet me. It was so thoughtful! Communicating with Art was very easy, and with prompt, helpful responses. The site is peaceful, with blooming trees, tall pines, warm glowing lights, and a great fire pit facing the pasture. I was even fortunate enough to feed May, the horse. Couldn't have asked for a better "pit stop" along the trip. Best wishes to you Art and Lisa!

Thanks Rachel! What a fun group of friends you have! come again!
Art was an awesome host - so helpful, kind and a great conversationalist. The site was really lovely and they even had a table set up with lilacs for us to use and cook on right next to our site. For the purposes of covid they even set up a separate fire pit for us and a solar shower since the two sites they offer are next to each other.
I would highly recommend this hip camp option.

Thanks for staying with us during your road trip!
Art and Lisa have a lovely property and we're fortunate that they share it with us and others. We borrowed one of their tents and Art graciously helped us set it up after our several failed attempts. There was a lovely bouquet of lilacs waiting for us on a nearby table, which was great because we missed the lilacs in the cities by about a week. Art was so kind to my boys and they thought he was great! The location is convenient to the quad cities, which was of great help to me since I forgot a few things (like I always do). On Art's suggestion, we headed to the Sax-Zim bog (warning: bring deet...gallons of it). If you're into hiking, you'll love the bog. In short, if you're thinking about staying here, do it. You will love it!

Thanks for staying with us. Bring your boys and your husband if he's not working for your next visit!
Our family had a very comfortable stay at the beautiful Blue Pony Acres. Art is a kind and generous host who went out of his way to make us feel at home. We really enjoyed talking and learning more about the area. We had such a good stay that we returned for a second stay a week later! Thanks Art! We will be back on our next adventure up north.

Thanks Alison! Glad you could stay on your way to and from your remote property. Come back any time!
What a lovely, comfortable place to camp! The hosts are interesting, friendly, and were a joy to meet. We highly recommend staying here.

Thanks Andy! Hope you find your new home.
Awards
- Property
- Blue Pony Acres
- State
- Minnesota
- Country
- United States
- $25/night
- 2 Sites
We enjoyed hosting you and your husband last September! Lisa asks: Are you coming north again Kate?