Carver County has a couple beautiful campgrounds in two of its parks, as well as some horse camping in the Minnesota Valley State Recreation Area.
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Baylor Regional Park Campground (Norwood Young America)
The campground in Baylor Regional Park has 50 campsites for both RVs and tents. 15 of these are primitive. Some of the campsites wrap around a pond for some “lake front” sites.
The park is on Eagle Lake. There’s a swimming beach, boat access, an 18-hole disc golf course, sand volleyball and more. These are within easy walking distance of the campground. The campground also has direct access to the 4 miles of hiking trails, including a 1/4-mile boardwalk.
Lake Auburn Campground (Victoria)
Lake Auburn Campground is located within Carver Park Reserve, on the western edge of the Twin Cities metro. Lake Auburn itself is actually two lakes connected by a stream. This rustic campground is situated between the two lakes, which means lots of lake-view sites.
Of the 57 campsites, 2 are walk-in with plenty of privacy. You won’t get showers, flush toilets or electricity here, but there are miles of hiking and bike trails, a swimming beach, and a playground area.
There’s also an archery range, an off-leash dog park, and canoe and kayak rentals available for use on Lake Auburn. Carver Park Reserve is also home to Lowry Nature Center and Grimm Farm Historic Site, both within biking distance of the campground.
Read: Lake Auburn Campground, Carver Park Reserve
Minnesota Valley State Recreation Area (bordering Carver and Scott Counties)
According to the DNR’s website page, the Quarry Campground and Pioneer Group Campground are closed. For horse folks, though, there are six equestrian campsites there. So this is a great option for those of you want to try some local horse camping. There are many miles of trail riding in the Recreation Area.