Lake Shetek

Anna Leverentz

The good: beautiful easy trails, well maintained, nice lake. Nothing was overly crowded and I was there Labor Day weekend. Responsive rangers when needed. A lot of signs and history about the place scattered throughout The bad: Prairie campground has ZERO privacy so you better hope you have good neighors. Also, some sites have no shade. RV sites are on top of each other too. My firewood was wet the first night. Rangers need to do one round at 10pm to ensure bass is turned out, kids go back to their campsite, etc. What you need to know: The basics- they sell ice and firewood and there is very little/no cell phone service. Prairie campground is a mowed acre-ish with 12 campsites so it is like camping on the edges of someone's backyard but if you have kids, they will have a lot of room to run. Also, the wide open area gives an amazing view of the stars. P1 and P9 will give you the most privacy. The openness can be good or bad so I didn't want to include it in those.

Amanda Altman

I have been coming here since I was born! Great for families and people of all ages. Make sure you do the Loon Island hike and look for pelicans!

Larry Hutchinson

Lake Shetek State Park, a wild, green cathedral in Minnesota’s sprawling soul, beckons like a fevered vision of nature’s glory. This ain’t no savage proving ground for lunatic backpackers chasing transcendental ghosts. No, it’s a gentler beast, a haven for those craving a few days of peace, where the trails—sweet lord, those trails!—snake through forests so lush they’d make a cynic drop his pen and weep. Not grueling treks, but easy, scenic loops for a meditative stroll or a family’s ramble under canopies of pine and oak. The lake? A shimmering enigma, rumored to be a Walleye haven, though the fish tales float like whispers on the wind, waiting for some bold angler to confirm the legend. The campsites, trimmed like a gentleman’s lawn, stand as shrines to order, tended by a staff so courteous you’d swear they were raised in a monastery. The whole park pulses with care, a living ode to the heartland’s quiet splendor. Lake Shetek is a refuge, a place to sink into nature’s rhythm and breathe free. Tweak those bathrooms, and it’s as close to Eden as you’ll get without a map.

Matt Anderson

Very beautiful park, lots of places to explore. Very clean as well. Been to a lot of State Parks and this one is on the top of my list. Highly recommended. The sight seeing is endless and not to mention the fishing is also good.

Nicholas Verderame

Such an amazing campground! Accidentally camped in the picnic area the first night—which ended up being the highlight of the trip having such a large area of land to yourself—so we payed for an actual camp spot the second night. Roseanne at the ranger station was very thoughtful giving us campground 33 because it was similar in that it was the most secluded camp spot of them all. I didn’t get out and explore nearly as much as I should have since the weather was so dang nice, and it was the first camping trip of the year so I was honestly just relaxing. Weather way, you’ll thoroughly enjoy this place!