You're apt to see rows of motor homes, trailers and pop-up campers at most Minnesota campgrounds. But the best way to experience the true outdoors while camping in Minnesota may be by tent. Get closer to nature and explore the outdoor playground that Minnesota tent-camping can provide. Your next camping trip in a tent can provide you with plenty of healthy activity to keep your body fit and may even offer a little nutrition for your mind and soul as well.
Benefits
Besides being much more affordable, camping in a tent can grant you access to areas not reachable via a traditional RV. You can pitch your tent in a modern campground with electrical serviceor blaze a trail into the wilderness to find secluded vistas from rocky outcrops and quiet shorelines. Tents can provide an eco-friendly alternative to gas-guzzling RVs and air-conditioned trailers. Often, getting to your campsite can provide a healthy workout. Tents also make it much easier for you to hear the call of the loon or distant wolf howls at night. Both are Minnesota treats.
Campgrounds
Minnesota offers a variety of public and commercial campgrounds. You can choose from campgrounds with full amenities and resort-like qualities or primitive facilities that offer little more than a fire ring and pit latrine. Choose a campground that offers a wealth of activity options nearby to keep you active during the day. Or make your own campground in over 4 million acres of state forests in Minnesota, where dispersed camping is allowed without a fee.
Weather
Minnesota has four distinct seasons. Spring and fall can feature moderate daytime temperatures and chilly nights where your campfire will be much appreciated. From June through August, summertime heat can create fast-forming storms. Winter in Minnesota is famously brutal. Still, if you're brave of heart, you can camp in the snow at many year-round facilities that feature wintertime activities to warm your blood. No matter the season, weather can change frequently with little warning.
Activities
Most campgrounds offer, or are located close to, a smorgasbord of recreational opportunities. Hiking and mountain bike trails in the Superior National Forest of the northeast Arrowhead region will challenge your abilities, as will those found in the rolling valleys of the southeast. Many trails are groomed in winter for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing gives you license to venture off to anywhere. Thirty water trails along Minnesota rivers and, of course, the more than 10,000 lakes can keep you active on the water.
Equipment
Choose a lightweight tent for overnight or multiday backpacking excursions along the extensive trail systems. A sturdy dome tent with a waterproof rain fly is suitable for setting up at campgrounds. Canvas cabin-style tents are best in winter to withstand the weight of possibly heavy snows. Cooking equipment for your campfire cuisine, layered clothing, sleeping bags and pads and your recreational equipment can get you by quite nicely. You'll appreciate a stash of insect repellent and basic first-aid items as well.
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