Zippel Bay 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: Lake of the Woods; nearest town Williams
Campsites: 57 drive-in, no electric; group camp for 45
Beach: About two miles of white sand on Lake of the Woods
Trails: About 9 miles of hiking trail
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 at Zippel Bay
Beach, marina and fishing
Trails
Seasons and winter
Fees and permits
Getting there
Before you go

Short answer: Zippel Bay State Park is on Lake of the Woods near Williams, reached from Baudette by Highway 172 and County Road 8. People come for the white sand beach (about two miles of it), walleye fishing (the park has a marina, an accessible fishing pier and a stone jetty onto the lake), and birding for piping plovers and sandhill cranes. It has 57 drive-in campsites with no electric hookups, a group camp and about 9 miles of hiking trail. A vehicle permit costs $7 a day or $35 a year.

This guide is for campers and anglers heading to Lake of the Woods, and for beach and bird visitors in far northern Minnesota. It covers the campgrounds, the beach and marina, trails, winter use, fees and directions. Facts come from the Minnesota DNR park page, the DNR park map and the DNR fee and reservation pages, listed at the end.

The park in brief

The park map says Zippel Bay was created in 1959 "to offer recreational access to Lake of the Woods," a lake that forms part of the border between the United States and Canada. The DNR describes the lake as "ocean-like in its size and moods": the park map gives it 14,000 islands and 1,485 square miles of water, and the park page says it is 55 miles wide at its widest, 4 to 35 feet deep in the southern bays and more than 150 feet deep in the north. From the park beach you are 80 miles from the lake's northern tip.

The name comes from Wilhelm Zippel, who settled on a point at the entrance to the bay in 1887. By 1909 a small fishing village had grown up there; the DNR says little of it remains, and the ranger station can direct you to the old homestead site.

The DNR gives three figures for the park's size: the park record lists 3,054 acres, the introduction says "the 3,000-acre park," and the history section says the park "contains 2,906 acres."

Address	3684 54th Avenue Northwest, Williams, MN 56686
Park hours	8 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily
Phone	218-635-0410
Winter office	No regularly scheduled ranger station hours; contact Big Bog State Recreation Area
County	Lake of the Woods
Pets	6-foot leash; not allowed in buildings or on beaches (park map)

Camping at Zippel Bay

The DNR places the park in a jack pine, aspen and birch setting along the lakeshore. The DNR advises that "large fifth wheels and RVs are advised not to travel past Ridge Campground" because sites are small and there are no turnarounds.

Site type	Count and details (DNR)
Drive-in sites	57
Electric sites	None
RV length limit	50 feet, tow vehicle included; large rigs advised not to go past Ridge Campground
Group camp	1 rustic site, up to 45 people, vault toilet; tents, small trailers and campers allowed
Showers	Accessible, seasonal
Dump station	Seasonal
Drinking water	Year-round at hand pumps

Season: as of November 2026, the DNR seasonal update says camping closes for the 2026 season on November 3, 2026, a date that had passed when this guide was checked on November 11, and the park map says "there is no winter camping at this park." The shower building and dump station are closed for the fall and winter season.

Reservations: the DNR recommends reservations for weekends and holidays during the camping season. Book online or at 866-857-2757. The DNR reservation FAQ says every state park campsite needs a reservation, bookings open 120 days ahead, and on a date's first day online booking starts at 8 a.m. Central. Same-day bookings carry no reservation fee. See the state park reservations guide for how it works.

Zippel Bay also manages the Blueberry Hill and Faunce campgrounds in the Beltrami Island State Forest; contact the park about those.

Sandy beach curving along Lake of the Woods under a blue sky with yellow autumn trees at Zippel Bay State Park — Photo: Tony Webster, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Beach, marina and fishing

The DNR lists "over two miles of white sand beach" with a swimming beach and an accessible picnic area and open shelter on the big lake. The marina on Zippel Bay has drive-in boat access, docks and a canoe access, and a stone jetty gives protected access to Lake of the Woods. A carry-in boat access is at the small beach.

For anglers, the park has an accessible fishing pier and a fish cleaning house at the marina, and the park map names walleye fishing as a main draw. The ranger station lends fishing kits, birding kits, GPS units and kids discovery kits free, and rents canoes, kayaks and stand-up paddleboards in summer and fall. Ask there about the self-guided canoe tour around the bay. For a view, the DNR points to the rock outcrop next to the boat harbor.

Birds and wildlife: the DNR lists white pelicans, double-crested cormorants, four tern species and several gull species, plus nesting bald eagles nearby, osprey, and sandhill cranes that nest in the park. The endangered piping plover may be seen on the beach; the map asks visitors to give nesting birds plenty of space. Mammals include black bear, coyote, otter and pine marten, with timber wolves occasionally seen or heard.

Trails

DNR sources describe the trail system slightly differently: the feed says "nearly nine miles of hiking trails," while the seasonal update says "9 miles of hiking and mountain bike trails." Two miles of horse trail connect to trails outside the park. The park map names three walks:

Trail	Distance (park map)	Surface	What you see
Hiking Club Trail	1.5 miles round trip	Mostly flat, mowed grass, sand	Along the shore to the rock jetties where Zippel Bay meets the lake
Swimming beach to carry-in access	0.25 mile one way	Mostly flat, mowed grass, packed dirt	Wooded shoreline trail with birds and rare orchids
South Loop Trail	2.3-mile loop	Mostly flat, packed dirt	Woods with birds, wildlife and wild berries in season

The DNR says four species of lady's slippers and other orchids can be seen along the trails in June and July, and the map notes that picking edible fruits and mushrooms is allowed for personal use only. An all-terrain track chair is available for designated trails.

Seasons and winter

The DNR alert (as of November 2026) lists a lottery firearms deer hunt in the park November 7 to 22, 2026. The park stays open to hunters and non-hunters, and the DNR recommends blaze orange or blaze pink for everyone on the trails.

In winter, the park has 3 miles of groomed snowmobile trail that the DNR says give access to the lake, "dotted with fish houses" in season, and snowmobilers can reach more than 300 miles of trail 10 miles from the park. There are 7 miles of ungroomed cross-country ski trail, and snowshoeing is allowed anywhere except on groomed snowmobile trails. Vault toilets and hand-pump water stay available year-round.

Fees and permits

From the DNR vehicle permit page and fee schedule, before tax. The fee schedule gives statewide ranges; ReserveMN shows each site's exact price.

Item	Price
One-day vehicle permit	$7 (the DNR also sells an overnight permit at the same price, valid through 4 p.m. the next day)
Year-round vehicle permit	$35, every state park for a year
Drive-in campsite	$20 to $35 a night
Group campsite	$50 to $300 a night
Reservation fee	$8 online, $10 by phone; none for same-day bookings

Two nights at a drive-in site, worked from the DNR fee ranges: 2 × $20 + $8 = $48 at the low end, or 2 × $35 + $8 = $78 at the high end, plus a vehicle permit ($7 overnight or $35 year-round). For multi-night stays, ask the park which permit covers your whole stay; the year-round permit covers every visit for a year. The park map says horse riders also need a horse pass.

The DNR says to buy firewood at the office when it is open or pay through Yodel; gathering firewood is against state park rules.

Getting there

The DNR directions: "From the west end of Baudette, take Highway 172, 10 miles north to County Road 8. Go west on 8 for 6 miles to the park entrance." Williams is the nearest town listed by the DNR.

For other parks in the region, see the northwest Minnesota guides, including the Hayes Lake State Park guide, the Lake Bronson State Park guide and the Old Mill State Park guide, or use the park finder.