Frontenac State Park

We loved Frontenac! More suitable for smaller rigs, our 15 foot pop-​up was perfect. No sewer or water hookups… but we don’t care about that. Lovely treed sites, reasonably clean restroom and shower facilities, and even a paved path for wheelchair access. Forest, prairie, and river… And some more challenging trails for the adventurous. We will be back in the spring. Downside: Minnesota parks are just as expensive as private campgrounds… And require a day pass or yearlong sticker at extra cost.

We just spent the weekend in Cart-​in campsite #4.
It was a neat, memorable experience!
The carts are provided at the lot across the street where you park.
It is ¼ of a mile up and down a hill to the sites. Not for the couch potato!
Site #6 is the best and most private, but not reservable.
Site #1 is closest to the pit toilet and the least private.
We loved the view from the Point No Point picnic area.
Most of the trails in the park were grass cross country ski trails.
There is a paved trail from the big campground to the picnic area that is about one mile long. The trails going down the bluff to the water were dirt and rock with wood stairs at some places.
This park feels remote and peaceful.
We also liked that it was close enough to Red Wing in case it rained and we wanted to shop.
(I rated the park 3 stars as we saw it all and I don’t feel like I would need to go back.)

Frontenac is a really nice state park. It has plenty of water bodies, trails and stuff to do. The cart-​in campsites are great because they afford a lot of privacy and are well away from the road. It’s easy to get to them and besides one little hill it’s no sweat to cart in all the stuff you’d like. There are trails all over and it would be great for cross-​country skiing.
The park is only about an hour from the Twin Cities, give or take. This makes it an ideal spot for weekend camping. You can take the river road on the Wisconsin side of the river for part of the drive and it’s just beautiful.
Red Wing and the town of Frontenac are nearby.
But the park itself offers plenty to do. We did the 800-​foot boardwalk trail to Sand Point, which offers spectacular views and many bird-​watching opportunities. There’s a beautiful beach at Sand Point that would be nice for swimming or just hanging out. The views of Lake Pepin and the bluffs on the river are astounding. You can walk all the way out to where the sand is slowly being deposited by the river. There’s a bridge on the way to Sand Point that needs to be fixed, though. It’s after the boardwalk through the wetland and it’s like something out of the movie Stand By Me. You hope you get across before the planks give out. That’s one thing I thought should be pointed out to users of the park. The Sand Point trail is really not safe for young kids or old people as it’s currently constituted. It is a bit hairy in places.
Then there’s the lookout picnic area near the campground, which provides a tremendous spot to enjoy a fire or just hang out, as well as some steeper river bluff trails.
There are bald eagles and many other birds living in the park and I would advise bringing binoculars. A few deer even ventured close to our campsite. Frontenac is a great, affordable way to spend some time away from the city.