Camp at William O'Brien State Park

Roughly an hour north of the Minneapolis-Saint Paul Metro, is William O’Brien State Park. Located on the Saint Croix River, this park is a great place for just getting away from the city lights and into nature.

The park has two campgrounds, which are the Savanna and Riverway campgrounds. Each has their own unique benefits. The Savanna is tucked away in the trees away from river, but if you still need to be connected to the outside world then the campground has great WiFi reception from the main park office. The Riverway is right next to the river as the name suggests, and is perfect for fishing or just taking in the scenery. This campground, however, has little to no WiFi reception. If you ever need to briefly check emails or social media, feel free to head over to the main office.

The park boasts 114 drive in sites, lots of RV sites, and even some cart in group camp sites. During our stay, my good friend and I stayed in the Savanna campground. The camp sites are a bit close together, but they are well-maintained: If you’re staying in the Riverway campground, be sure to be on the lookout for rising water levels if experiencing heavy rains.

The park also boasts 13.5 miles of hiking trails, all of which are relatively easy to hike. The Riverside Trail in particular, is wheelchair accessible and offers great views of the Saint Croix. We hiked the Prairie Overlook Trail, which is a 3.8-mile grass-mowed trail that showcases the savanna and prairie scenery. It has just enough rolling hills to work up a little sweat, but it isn’t tiring.

Overall, camping or hiking in William O’Brien State Park is a great opportunity for all types of people to get outdoors!