Lake Carlos State Park is a pristine outdoor recreational area located in the heart of the beautiful state of Minnesota. The park offers a wide range of activities for nature lovers, including camping, beach access, and a variety of water sports such as fishing and canoeing. With miles of scenic hiking trails and opportunities for horseback riding and snowshoeing, visitors can immerse themselves in the natural beauty of the park throughout the year. Nestled in a picturesque setting, Lake Carlos State Park provides a peaceful and serene escape from the hustle and bustle of city life. Whether looking for a relaxing weekend getaway or an adventurous outdoor experience, Lake Carlos State Park offers something for everyone. With its rich natural landscape and diverse recreational opportunities, the park is a must-visit destination for nature enthusiasts and outdoor adventurers.
Amenities and More
- Wheelchair-accessible entrance
- Wheelchair-accessible car park
- Good for kids
- Dogs allowed
- Picnic tables
- Public toilet
- Hiking
- Kid-friendly hikes
Reviews
Situated on Lake Carlos, this is a busy little state park due to its popularity for water craft on the lake on which it sits. Although mostly geared towards the water, there is plenty to do here on land as well.
While not extensive, there are several hikes of varying lengths. Highly recommend the Prairie Pothole trail for fantastic views of restored tall-grass prairie - something vary rarely seen in MN now days.
The picnic area at the beach is also very nice and well shaded. A good place to be if you need a break from the sun and heat.
Lots of room within these two campgrounds. Stayed at #9 and it was wide open. #12 and up were in the heavy woods with the mosquitoes. We rented a pontoon from Lake Carlos Marina, caught a bunch of pan fish and had a blast with the kids. We'll definitely do this State Park again!
What I like about this park is you always see a ton of wildlife for a smaller park that is close to town/houses. The park has good horse/hiking trails. Park has giant hardwoods including red oaks which are harder to find. Decent day use area and swim area. Two very big spread out campgrounds with nice camper cabins too. Also one of of the few modern group camps in the state park system. Also has a smaller horse campground with a few trails. The park is very busy in the summer being there are so many campers enjoying the lake.
Clean & quiet state park! Lots of wild life too. Trails are level 2/3 so family friendly.
5 stars overall excellent camping trip.
The state park was very clean and quiet. There were many parking spaces and was not busy when I visited it today. I saw that there were several campgrounds that you can bring your RV to. The lake was pretty big and I heard it is good for fishing. There was a fishing shack next to the lake for cleaning the fish. The nature/hiking trails were nice and I appreciated that they had many stands that supplied doggy bags along with garbage cans. They also had a beach volleyball net and canoes/kayaks for rental. I would come here again in the future.
8/6/23. Just passing through to pick up the hiking club trail, so I have only a couple of hours experience hiking in the park. The trail started through maple basswood forest and then along the shore of Lake Carlos. Not being a jet skier or motorized boat driver I found the lake too busy with watercraft for my liking. As usual in many a state park, the best birding was in the picnic area. There was an area of Joe Pye weed in bloom which was covered in pollinators.
Beautiful park and great place to camp. Bathrooms were very clean. We were on a site in the lower campground in the back row. There was a large tree right next to where you park the trailer and that got in the way of the awning. If our camper was much longer it would not have fit. (Our camper is 26 feet.)
Kids loved the long beach area that ran the length of the campground. We checked out one trail, it was beautiful scenery and also hilly.
Definitely recommend for families and camping!
Good park. Lower campground is very packed in, but it is right by the lake with a nice sandy beach. Upper campground is packed as well unless you get one of the sites in the outside loop NNE side. Small swimming beach, lots of trails to hike. Great if you have a boat.
Location
2601 County Rd 38 NE, Carlos, MN 56319, United States
Hours
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Updating...
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