Places to hang in SW Minnesota or SE South Dakota?

[Jd1983]

Are there any good places for hammock camping in Southwest Minnesota or Southeast South Dakota?

[Karla "with a k"]

Following this post

[Tumbleweed]

Yah, but I would like to explore SE Minn / La Crosse offerings also.
T

[Karla "with a k"]

Last summer I checked out sites at Wyalusing S.P., Nelson Dewey S.P. and Pikes Peak State Park in Iowa (just across the Mississippi River from Wyalusing).

There was only one group site at Wyalusing State Park which would accommodate a few hammocks. Most would need to bring stands. Very few individual sites along the ridge will accommodate one hammock. Best to bring a stand.

Nelson Dewey has three group sites in one large group area. One area had more trees than the other two, but again... most would need stands. **One of the group sites does have a pavilion, but it's not the part with the most trees) The individual sites are very hit & miss with suitable trees for hammocks. And none on the ridge would accommodate hammocks. Stand are even more necessary at this park.

Pikes Peak State Park does not have any group sites and the individual sites are small. There were only a couple which could hold one or two hammocks. Again, best to use a stand.

[jhersh]

Are there any good places for hammock camping in Southwest Minnesota or Southeast South Dakota?

This area is somewhat south of my local camping spots, so my comments are based not on personal experience, but mostly on looking at the MN DNR (state parks) website.

If you are looking for backcountry camping, I think you will find slim pickings in SW MN. Looking at the state park website, quite a number of MN state parks have backcountry campsites, but none in the southwest part of the state. Next try is state forests, which allow dispersed camping: there are lots in central MN, but none in SW MN. Looks like about 2.5-3 hour drives north of Marshall to get into good backpacking country, either central MN (North Country Trail), or SE North Dakota (Sheyenne National Grasslands).

If you are talking about car camping, then most state parks will work, but I agree with Karla: unless you have experience with the particular site, you really need to bring a stand. I use an old Hammeck stand, no longer available. If I were going to buy a stand for car camping, I think I would look at the tensahedron stand.
I do see that Blue Mounds State Park, in SW corner of MN, has "walk-in" campsites. I have used these at other MN state parks; they basically have you park in a lot, and provide hand-pushed carts to cart your gear, typically a few hundred feet to the campsite. The result is a little more privacy than a standard car-camp setup, and no RVs.

Here is another idea, that I have used in state parks that have hiking trails, but no backpacking: Consider a day hike with a noon-time hanging siesta. If it's a warm summer day, you don't need quilts, so it's just your hammock and suspension in a small day pack. Start to get a little cold underneath? That's how you know lunch time is over. This would also work at a national wildlife refuge, some of which have trails, but do not allow overnight stay.

[RazorSharp]

Yah, but I would like to explore SE Minn / La Crosse offerings also.
T

Kruger Campground is nice. Near Wabasha, MN.

[Loonatic]

I grew up in se SoDak. Don't remember encountering any backcountry public places in that corner of the state. Our goto spot to get away was the Black Hills. I had friends with private property near Hurley SD that was quite remote; we could let them know and use it as long as we left it as we found it and so long as it wasn't hunting season. Near Sioux Falls, Palisades State Park is beautiful, but not anything at all like the backcountry spots that most of us like to get to when we hang.

[goetzc]

I lived in ND for awhile... I don't recall being able to see more than 1 tree at a time anywhere in ND... hard to believe for how flat it is...