Camden State Park

Facts checked against official sources on November 11, 2026

Photo: Tony Webster, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

At a glance

Location: Highway 23, 3 miles southwest of Lynd, 10 miles south of Marshall
Campsites: 80 drive-in (47 electric), 4 horse sites, 2 group camps
Hiking: 15.8 miles per the DNR park record (its seasonal update says 15)
Signature hike: Dakota Valley Trail, 2.5 miles one way, to a valley overlook
Vehicle permit: $7 a day or $35 a year
Park hours: 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily

In this guide

The park in brief
Camping and lodging
Trails and things to do
When to go
Fees and permits
Getting there
Before you go

Short answer: Camden State Park is a 2,247-acre park in the Redwood River valley, 3 miles southwest of Lynd and 10 miles south of Marshall on Highway 23 in southwestern Minnesota. People go for the 80-site campground (47 electric), the Dakota Valley Trail, which climbs 2.5 miles one way to an overlook of the wooded valley, and fishing for stocked brown trout in the Redwood River or bass and bluegill in Brawner Lake. You need a state park vehicle permit, $7 a day or $35 a year.

This guide is for campers choosing between the upper and lower campgrounds, groups looking at the Redwood Lodge or group camps, and day visitors from Marshall who want a hike, a swim or a few hours on the water. It covers sites, trails, what is open by season, fees and the drive. Facts come from the Minnesota DNR park record and the 2024 park map unless noted; sources are listed at the end.

The park in brief

The park takes its name from the village of Camden, founded in 1874 near today's north picnic area. According to the DNR park page, the town had a general store, hotel, blacksmith shop and a sawmill later converted to a grist mill, but it faded after the railroad chose not to put a depot there in 1888. Locals kept using "Camden Woods" for picnics, and it became a state park in 1935.

The DNR places the park on the Coteau des Prairies, a high plateau in southwestern Minnesota, on top of the Altamont moraine. The Redwood River valley was cut after the glaciers retreated. The park map says the cold springs in the valley keep it cooler and more humid than the surrounding prairie, which supports "one of the most westerly examples of a native sugar maple/basswood forest." The DNR lists fall colors, wildflowers and native and restored prairies among the park's highlights.

Address	1897 Camden Park Road, Lynd, MN 56157 (Lyon County)
Size	2,247 acres
Park hours	8 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily
Office hours	Monday to Thursday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Friday to Sunday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; the DNR says hours vary, so call ahead
Phone	507-872-7031
Pets	6-foot leash; not allowed in buildings or on beaches

Camping and lodging

The DNR describes two drive-in campgrounds, upper and lower. The DNR says all 47 electric sites have 20, 30 and 50 amp pedestals.

Site type	Count	Details from the DNR
Drive-in sites	80	In the upper and lower campgrounds
Electric sites	47 (of the 80)	21 upper, 26 lower; 20, 30 and 50 amp pedestals
Pull-through sites	7	Electric, in the upper campground; 60-foot RV limit
Accessible sites	2	In the lower campground; one has electricity
Horse camp	4 sites	Part of one of the group camps; the DNR asks horse campers to call ahead
Group camp #1	Up to 50 people	Tent only, enclosed shelter and toilet building, oak woods across the river from the south picnic area; $75 a night
Group camp #2	Up to 50 people	Open and grassy, next to the horse camp; vault toilets, water spigot; $50 a night
Redwood Lodge	Sleeps up to 8	Accessible historic house

The DNR gives the RV length limit as 50 to 60 feet, measured from the front of the tow vehicle to the back of the trailer; the pull-through listing gives 60 feet. Check the specific site in the reservation system. Showers and flush toilets are seasonal in the campgrounds, and a dump station operates seasonally. Vault toilets are open all year.

Reservations

The DNR says reservations are recommended, "especially for electric sites during weekends in the summer." Under the DNR reservation FAQ, every state park campsite needs a reservation year-round, you can book up to 120 days ahead, a newly opened date becomes available at 8 a.m. Central, and same-day reservations carry no reservation fee. The Minnesota state park reservation guide explains how the 120-day window works.

A wooden-decked steel footbridge crossing the Redwood River among bare trees at Camden State Park — Photo: Tony Webster, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Trails and things to do

The DNR park record lists 15.8 miles of hiking trail, a 1.7-mile self-guided trail, 10 miles of horse trail, 1.1 miles of paved bike trail that connects to the Camden Regional Trail to Marshall, and 4.25 miles of unpaved bike trail plus 1.1 miles of "rake-and-ride singletrack." The DNR's seasonal update on the same park page gives different totals: "15 miles of hiking trails, 7 miles of mountain bike trails."

Trail	Distance (park map)	Terrain	What you see
Dakota Valley Trail	2.5 miles one way	Steep terrain, packed dirt, mowed grass	Climbs to an overlook of the wooded Redwood River valley, then follows the prairie edge back down to the swimming pond
Camden History Trail	0.9 miles one way	Some steep terrain, packed dirt, mowed grass	Floodplain forest near the river and the old Camden village area
Prairie Pools Trail	0.5 miles one way	Rolling hills, packed dirt	Rock cairns across tallgrass prairie to a boulder overlooking a restored wetland; the start is over a mile from the south picnic lot
Camden Regional Trail	10 miles one way	Some hills, paved	Walk or bike to Marshall; the map says about 1 mile is inside the park

The park map's one-hour suggestion is the Dakota Valley Trail, and the DNR names the Dakota overlook as a highlight. The DNR also offers an all-terrain track chair for free checkout on designated trails.

Water, fishing and swimming

Redwood River: a designated trout stream, stocked with brown trout each year, and reachable at many points in the valley.
Brawner Lake: bass and bluegill, an accessible fishing pier, a drive-in boat access with docks, and an electric-motors-only rule.
Swimming pond: spring-fed, with a sand beach and a bathhouse built from local stone. The DNR park page says it was built by the Veterans Conservation Corps in 1935.

In season the ranger station rents canoes, kayaks, paddleboats and stand-up paddleboards; the DNR says rentals run, weather permitting, until October 1. Fishing kits, birding kits, GPS units and kids discovery kits (ages 5 to 12) are free to check out. The park has no naturalist on staff, but the DNR says some programs run on summer Saturdays.

When to go

The DNR says the campgrounds are available in spring, summer and fall, and points to the valley's maples, basswoods and cottonwoods for fall color. Spring brings trillium, trout lilies and bloodroot in the woods, and pasque flowers on the prairie.

As of November 2026, the DNR's seasonal notes say water was scheduled to go off on October 19, 2026, and that showers and bathroom facilities would close for winter beginning the same date. The current alert reads: "Water has been turned off for the winter season." The dump station note on the same page still reads "closed for the winter beginning Monday October 20, 2025," a date the DNR has not updated for this year, so call the park to confirm dump station status.

In winter you can snowshoe anywhere not groomed for another use, and snowshoes rent from the ranger station. The enclosed picnic shelter in the south picnic area becomes a warming house. Vault toilets stay open all year, and the park office has flush toilets year-round.

Fees and permits

From the DNR vehicle permit page and fee schedule, before tax:

Item	Price
One-day vehicle permit	$7 (an overnight permit costs the same and runs to 4 p.m. the next day)
Year-round vehicle permit	$35
Drive-in campsite	$20 to $35 a night
Electric hookup	add $10 a night
Equestrian campsite	$22 to $25 a night
Group camps	$75 (camp #1) or $50 (camp #2) a night, per the park page
Redwood Lodge	$245 a night
Reservation fee	$8 online, $10 by phone, none for same-day

The DNR also sells an overnight permit at the one-day price, valid through 4 p.m. the next day. For multi-night stays, ask the park which permit covers your whole stay; the year-round permit covers every visit for a year. As an example using the DNR's statewide fee ranges (the fee page does not list Camden's exact site rate), two nights at an electric site would come to $68 to $98 before tax in camping and online reservation fees (2 × $30 to $45, plus $8), plus a vehicle permit ($7 overnight or $35 year-round).

Horse riders also need a DNR horse pass: $5 a day or $21 a year. The fee page says everyone over 16 needs one. Firewood is sold at the ranger station when it is open, or through the Yodel app; gathering wood in the park is not allowed.

Getting there

The DNR's directions: go 3 miles southwest of Lynd on Highway 23, or from Marshall, 10 miles south on Highway 23. The paved Camden Regional Trail also links the park to Marshall for cyclists. For other parks in this part of the state, see all Prairie and Minnesota River guides or the state park finder. Nearby options include Lake Shetek State Park and Blue Mounds State Park.

Before you go

Reserve electric sites early for summer weekends; the DNR flags those as the first to fill.
Check the site's length in the reservation system if your rig is over 50 feet.
For a short visit, hike the Dakota Valley Trail to the overlook.
Check Minnesota fishing regulations before fishing the Redwood River or Brawner Lake; the park map points to mndnr.gov/fishmn.
Call the office before a winter visit, since water is off for the season and showers were scheduled to close October 19, 2026.
Buy firewood at the park or through Yodel, or from a vendor selling wood approved for the park.