The setting and surroundings of Olson Park are absolutely fantastic!…read more I tell ya...for just quickly visiting and hanging out here for a couple of hours, this Olson Park was so well maintained! I'll say it again, lol, very well maintained!! The park is flush with green grass and is situated right by a scenic lake. Too bad I wasn't spending the night here because they offer camping. And...I am a camping enthusiast! I was here at Olson Park back at the end of June 2021 and the conditions were truly pleasant. I honestly felt like taking a blanket out of my car and having a midday nap underneath a tree, lol. I really can't say enough good things about this park. Before I do...I'll just provide some insight and details about where Olson Park is located and some of the worthwhile benefits it offers that make it such a worthwhile destination for enjoying nature and the outdoors. Olson Park is located in the town of Worthington, Minnesota. Worthington sits about 175 miles southwest of Minneapolis and only 10 miles north from the border with Iowa. It's situated about 3 miles outside downtown Worthington. I was traveling down through Minnesota along my 2021 cross country road trip. Eventually I was heading into Sioux Falls, South Dakota and further west towards Badlands National Park and the Mount Rushmore area. Along my driving for half the day, I was just a little fatigued and pulled off Interstate 90 and figured why not take some time to relax at a park and rest up before continuing on my journey. I discovered Olson Park through the wonderful app on my phone called Campendium. Upon arriving here, I was surprised they offered camping. I just figured this place was a quiet town park where you could come play some ball, have a picnic or just simply go fishing by the lake. Well cool...this Olson Park was perfect and ideal for camping! The best part being that you can set up your tent along all the fluffy and lush green grass which definitely make a for comfortable night sleep. Plus...I can't tell you enough how clean this park was! Seriously it was like out of a fresh springtime catalogue for a photo album! Lol, just reflecting back on my pictures invoke warm memories. Too bad...I should have just camped out for the night. But instead, I took it easy for a few hours before returning back to Interstate 90. Also...there wasn't a cloud in the sky during my time here. The sun reflected down on the lake's waters making for a wonderful ambiance. The campsites located next to the lake were efficiently set up. Just taking pictures of the park with the lake in the background was beautiful. For camping... - Campsites 1 - 12 w/ electric hook-up was $33 for the night. - Campsites 13 - 63 w/ electric hook-up was $28 per night. - Campsites 64 - 68 without electric hook-up was only $22 per night. All these sites were very reasonable and fairly priced for camping out at such a well-maintained park! You can book a reservation by calling 507-372-8600 Monday thru Friday. If there isn't a campsite occupied, then it's first come, first served. For spontaneous campers coming here on a whim, once you find an unoccupied site, simply claim it and then drop the fee into the courtesy box on the east side of the office if no attendant is around. And that's it, you're good to go! Here are some other terrific amenities about Olson Park... - They have a shower house with flush toilets, so no vault toilets are always a good thing, lol. - Cell phone reception worked perfectly here. - You can bring swimming apparel to enjoy the waters of the lake. - There were picnic tables situated all around. During my visit here on June 30, the park was empty. It was so quiet for such a picturesque park. And btw, it's always a benefit not having too many campers occupying the grounds. Overall...having tons of green grass, trees situated all around, good shade and a calm setting made this Olson Park to be an absolute winner in my book. I can't remember finding a better campground along my entire 5-month journey across the United States! For those who happen to be driving Interstate 90 and or making their way through the southern portion of Minnesota during their travels, I can't recommend Olson Park enough, so refreshing to discover this hidden gem of a park and campground.

Beautiful park and very nice for camping. Stayed here on our way out to South Dakota. Will…read moredefinitely stay again.

Not a ton of trails. Has some nice hills which provides an overlook of the prairie. Part of the…read moretrail was along the river, which with recent rain, was too waterlogged for us to use. We were able to find a 2-3mile path which took us through the woods and onto the prairie. Not the best of MN State Parks but still nice and well maintained.

Beautiful campground! All areas around the campground were…read morevery well maintained. Restrooms/showers were spacious, clean and plenty of hot water during showers. Campsite spots are Huge! Pretty sure the biggest spots of any campground I've been to and #9 the spot we camped has its own road leading to it so it's completely private from foot/vehicle traffic. Around 5 miles of trails from prairie hills to wooded trails across streams leading to the Des Moines River. Well marked and wide paths make it an enjoyable hike. Can't go wrong with a weekend at this campground

This is a great campground, didn't know what to expect but was not disappointed. They also have a…read morereally nice bike path just outside of the park that takes you through some awesome backcountry roads.

Let's start with directions to the campground and really the only reason I can't give them five…read morestars. We were pleased to receive an automated email with everything you'd want to know about our camping reservation however the one thing it did not include was the physical address of the campground. Clicked on the link sent in the reservation and it took us to the middle of a residential neighborhood; the only other info on the website was a GPS coordinate and a mailing address. Luckily, we were able to reach the reservation line and they were able to locate the correct physical address which is 12320 240th Street, Orleans, Iowa. Upon arrival we were greeted by a DNR officer who was very helpful with brochures for local attractions and pointed us directly to our campsite. Beyond that one glitch, the campground is clean, well organized, offers well spaced out campsites, clean bathrooms with showers, and each campsite fitted with a picnic table and fire ring with grill. Campsites next to the lake are heavily treed so you should not expect to get a good view of the lake. We were on location mid week so the campground was probably a little quieter than you might find in the weekend. The campground is directly linked to the bike trail (some portions shared with traffic, but all paved) which will take you around Spirit Lake and as far as downtown Okoboji. Recommend if you're looking for a campsite in the area. Note that there is no ice, firewood, or basic necessities available on site however can be obtained nearby in town

Horrible experience, new owner is very unpleasant and is aggressive when intoxicated. The locals…read morein the area all have the sane opinion and wish the former owners still had the park

This is a lovely campground! Nice large trees, lots of grass, and CLEAN! The sites are level and…read morethis campground is conveniently located to I-90. Easy off, easy on. Laundry, yay! A stop here won't disappoint. It's just so peaceful after a day on the road with lots of wind.

Beautiful well kept "preserved " park. No bison were around to see though, all our cars driving up…read moreand down , they're smart to stay in the woods! Kind of a joke really. No matter trails great, parking ample.

I like Minneopa for easy access to beautiful scenery, you can visit the buffalo on the other side…read moreof the highway and have a few cute nature filled trails.

We always enjoy coming to Emerson Bay Campground. Lots of sights with different hookups…read more I do wish people would treat this park better. We pay for this park through our tax dollars, why won't you want to keep it clean. The state doesn't have the staff or money to hire people to pickup after all the campers. When we pulled into site 56 I picked up a grocery sack of garbage and the fire pits had trash in it. Thanks to the De Jong family for not caring enough to clean up the site when you left.

Stayed for one night in the tent camping area. Campground and bathrooms clean, coin laundry room,…read morewalking trail with frisbee golf, two children's playgrounds. The shower was great: clean, the drain was clear, and the water actually stayed in the shower and drained down the drain. I called to reserve the site and was told that there would be a packet in the check-in box with an envelope for me to put cash payment in, since I would be arriving after hours. The packet was where I was told it would be, and the camp hosts came by to make sure I found it, they were very nice. The interstate is noisy, so be aware of that.

Campground is in great shape. Priced right. Friendly staff. We had a few issues that won't allow…read moreus to stay here again. Arrived last Wednesday night on our way to Badlands National Park. It's half way for us. First site was cramped, as there was a tree in the way and I couldn't back up far enough for our electric and sewer to hook up. Had to go back to the office to move a spot over. Not a big deal. We arrived at 5:30 pm. After set up, my girls walked to the pool that was supposed to be open till 8 pm. Well. They closed open swimming at 6 pm for lessons. Disappointing. I confirmed my reservation for Sunday night, July 3rd. When we arrived on Sunday, the office wasn't staffed. My reservation was no where to be found and had no clue what site I was at. We took an open site that was electric only. They only accept checks when the office is closed. So bring a check book. We don't carry checks. We decided to stay anyway. Once we set up, we walked to the steakhouse, which was closed. Website said it would be open, so we didn't stop to eat in Sioux City. . So we went to subway. Nice staff, and the place was super clean. Our experience wasn't as nice as it should have been. But the stay was ok. People around the site were obviously no stranger to the park. When everything gets quiet and you have a 100 set of eyes on you, it's a little uncomfortable. I smiled and waved with no responses. Just weird. We couldn't wait to leave. This was our first and second time, but probably won't be back.

Well where do I start? We spend 7 days on vacation at the Flying Goose Campground! The staff is…read moreamazing, the owners literally brought us over beer as a gift on our last night as we had run out and asked if they sold any, they said no then gifted us a couple. They have so much to offer the lake is awesome, we were able to use the rec room on rainy days and they have all the facilities you need. It's a very clean campground and we enjoyed every day we stayed there. This is a little gem in the middle of corn fields and it's awesome! Thank you for everything from the Miller family ! We will be back, you guys are so awesome!

In August 2025 we had a reservation to stay one night at this establishment. Delays required a…read morelate check in, so we contacted management. Arrival time was after dark. The owner went out of his way to map our route into the campground with orange cones, videotaped the route and texted it to us. He went above and beyond to help reach our site after 10pm. Great service!!!! In the light of day, the campground was clean, quiet and a beautiful setting. Highly recommended!!