Available Nov 13–15 · 2 nights5 sites open for every nightA forested campground near fishing, and hiking. RV fit varies by site.
Sandy Lake Dam and Recreation Area sits where Big Sandy Lake drains into the Sandy and Mississippi rivers, about 13 miles north of McGregor on Highway 65 in Minnesota's lake country. The dam structure on the outlet, part of the early Mississippi Headwaters reservoir system, dates to the late 19th century and the site still preserves its trading-post and lock-house history in a small, free museum near the dam.

















Length limits vary by campsite.
Check dates on Recreation.gov. Showing 40 of 60 sites.
| Site | Fr 13 | Sa 14 | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tent 5 walk to | – | – | $16 |
| Tent 8 walk to | – | – | $16 |
| Tent 6 walk to | – | – | $16 |
| Tent 7 walk to | – | – | $16 |
| Tent 4 walk to | – | – | $18 |
| Tent 2 walk to | – | – | $18 |
| Tent 1 walk to | – | – | $18 |
| Tent 3 walk to | – | – | $18 |
| 36 standard electric | – | – | $26 |
| 08 standard electric | – |
Hookups (individual campsites): 50 electric individual sites · group sites listed separately (2 electric).
22205 531ST LANE
Open in Google Maps ↗
Official facts link to their source; “Listing” facts come from the Recreation.gov listing. Anything we can't source says so.
Themes from recent written reviews on Recreation.gov. Quotes are verbatim.
“We hiked the Continental Divide trail over at nearby Savanna Portage State Park, the colors were stunning!”
Verbatim from guest reviews on Recreation.gov ↗ (185 reviews, ★ 4.0). Not written or edited by us.
“Awesome place to stay. Historic and clean. Camp hosts were awesome folks. Quiet, plenty of room, awesome hiking.”
“Love the sites, walking opportunities and the dam museum artifacts. This site is a memorial site and educational if you're into that (overlook on hwy 65 at the rest stop has historical monuments). ”
| – |
| $26 |
| 42 standard electric | – | – | $26 |
| 34 standard electric | – | – | $26 |
| 03 standard electric | – | – | $26 |
| 20 standard electric | – | – | $26 |
| 13 standard electric | – | – | $26 |
| 10 standard electric | – | – | $26 |
| 40 standard electric | – | – | $26 |
| 35 standard electric | – | – | $26 |
| 45 standard electric | – | – | $26 |
| 25 standard electric | – | – | $26 |
| 09 standard electric | – | – | $26 |
| 05 standard electric | – | – | $26 |
| 31 standard electric | – | – | $26 |
| 06 standard electric | – | – | $26 |
| 24 standard electric | – | – | $26 |
| 07 standard electric | – | – | $26 |
| 28 standard electric | – | – | $26 |
| 41 standard electric | – | – | $26 |
| 46 standard electric | – | – | $26 |
| 01 standard electric | – | – | $26 |
| 21 standard electric | – | – | $26 |
| 30 standard electric | – | – | $26 |
| 12 standard electric | – | – | $26 |
| 14 standard electric | – | – | $26 |
| 43 standard electric | – | – | $26 |
| 27 standard electric | – | – | $26 |
| 33 standard electric | – | – | $26 |
| 29 standard electric | – | – | $26 |
| 37 standard electric | – | – | $26 |
| 26 standard electric | – | – | $26 |
✓ available · R reserved · X not available · C closed · W first come, first served · N not yet released
Available Nov 13–15 · 2 nights5 sites open for every night
Available Nov 13–15 · 2 nights61 sites open for every night
Available Nov 13–15 · 2 nights54 sites open for every nightAn idea to start from, built from this campground's listing and real tours nearby. Times, openings and prices change, so check each before you go.
Longer tours — plan travel time before and after.
Rentals that may deliver here and whose listed length fits sites up to 75 ft. Delivery may be available — confirm fees and dates with the owner before you book.

Travel trailer · 22.2 ft · sleeps 4 · 83 mi from campground
$109/night listed · Outdoorsy · Delivery may be available
View rental
Toy hauler · 35.67 ft · sleeps 7 · 85 mi from campground
$125/night listed · RVshare · Delivery may be available
View rental
Camper van · 21 ft · sleeps 2 · 91 mi from campground
$220/night listed · Outdoorsy · Delivery may be available
View rentalPaid experiences on Viator. Distances are from this campground when the tour lists its own start point.

Minnesota area · 2.5 hr · from $99/person

Minnesota area · 2 hr · from $49/person

Minnesota area · 6 hr · from $300/person

Minnesota area · 2.5 hr · from $15/person
stays up to 14 nights (Recreation.gov rules).
For July weekends, book about 172 days ahead. Three in four July Friday and Saturday arrivals were booked later than that, and half were booked 116 days or less before arrival. Past timing is guidance, not a guarantee of what is open now.
| Arrival month | Fri/Sat arrivals: half booked at least | A quarter at least | Other days: half booked at least | A quarter at least |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May | 85 days ahead | 150 days ahead | 94 days ahead | 170 days ahead |
| June | 96 days ahead | 158 days ahead | 80 days ahead | 154 days ahead |
| July | 116 days ahead | 172 days ahead | 87 days ahead | 175 days ahead |
| August | 90 days ahead | 159 days ahead | 46 days ahead | 159 days ahead |
| September | 23 days ahead | 59 days ahead | 10 days ahead | 52 days ahead |
| October | 5 days ahead | 17 days ahead | 2 days ahead | 26 days ahead |
Months with fewer than 30 reservations of that kind are left blank. Sites where nearly every booking was made the day of arrival (pay on arrival) are left out. Closed seasons, windows not yet released for booking, and currently unavailable nights are separate from this history.
Based on Recreation.gov reservations, FY2015–2025 (14,584 reservations in the years scored). Counts reservations made, not nights actually camped: cancellations aren't in the data, and nights a site was closed count as not booked. FY2020–21 (COVID) are left out of the scores.
58 individual reservable campsites from Recreation.gov, checked Nov 8 · 2 group sites listed separately. Rates are the listed nightly rates.
Tent or RV, with power
49 sites · $26, $52/night
0 open Nov 13–Nov 15
8 sites · $18, $16/night
0 open Nov 13–Nov 15
2 sites · $60/night
0 open Nov 13–Nov 15
1 site · $60/night
0 open Nov 13–Nov 15

Minnesota area · 3 hr · from $145/person

Minnesota area · 1 hr · from $20/person

Minnesota area · 2 hr · from $480/person

Minnesota area · 4 hr · from $185/person

Minnesota area · 2 hr–4 hr · from $572/person