How to Get a Frontenac Backpack Permit
Two backpack sites above Lake Pepin, walked in from the park trail system.
Check Frontenac Backpack permit availability1 night
Duration
1.25 miles
Distance
About Frontenac Backpack
Two backpack sites reached on foot from the park trail system.
Two sites is the entire backcountry inventory of a park on one of the busiest migration corridors in North America. The cart-in campground next door has six; this is the quieter, further-out half of the same park.
The Experience
Bluff-top hardwoods above the widest part of the Mississippi, a mile and a quarter out on the Pleasant Valley Lakelet trail, with two screened-off sites, primitive toilets and — in DNR's own honest phrasing — "campers will hear noises from the highway and trains."
What to Expect
Minnesota DNR's definition of the category: "Backcountry campsites in Minnesota state parks are not accessible by motor vehicle and are a half mile or more from a parking area. They do not have electricity, and are a popular option for backpackers, paddlers, and bicyclists."
"Backcountry sites typically have primitive toilet facilities and water, a tent pad, and a fire ring. Some have a picnic table and a grill on the fire ring, and a few have shelters."
The Minnesota reservation system lists this facility as "Backpack Campsites" with two units, Backpack #BP1 and #BP2.
Minnesota DNR's published backpack rate at Frontenac is $22 per site, per night, plus tax.
"Seasonal availability varies by park." DNR publishes no season for this facility specifically, so the booking calendar is the authority on which nights exist.
DNR puts the whole facility in one paragraph: "Two backpack sites located one and one-quarter miles from the designated parking lot at the ranger station. Located on Pleasant Valley Lakelet/Prairie Loop Trail. Each site has primitive toilets. Staff try to make sure there is toilet paper and firewood available at the sites but visitors should call to confirm before staying. Neither site is good for hammock camping. Drinking water is available at the ranger station. These sites are secluded from other campsites, but campers will hear noises from the highway and trains."
Read the "staff try to make sure" clause literally — DNR is telling you to ring the park before counting on toilet paper or firewood being there.
Season: "The park and campground are open year-round."
Neither site takes a hammock, in DNR's own words. Bring a tent.
Sourcing note: the park-page sentences on this page were read on 2026-08-10 from Minnesota DNR's own live park-content endpoint. maps.dnr.state.mn.us refuses our requests outright, so that fetch went through a Wayback Save-Page-Now capture of the live DNR endpoint, with the Internet Archive acting only as transport. www.dnr.state.mn.us and files.dnr.state.mn.us were read directly.
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Permit Requirements
All campsites require a reservation. Minnesota DNR: "All campsites require a reservation. Please make a reservation online or call 866-857-2757."
Reservations open 120 days before arrival, and same-day bookings are allowed. On the day a date first becomes available, online reservations cannot be made before 8 a.m.
The reservation fee is $8.00 online and $10.00 by phone, non-refundable. There is no fee for a same-day booking.
Camping check-in is after 4 p.m. and checkout is by 4 p.m. If you have not checked in by 11 a.m. on the second day of the reservation, DNR may cancel it.
"A campsite's occupancy is limited to one camping group of six people or less, one camping shelter, and one vehicle." More than that needs the park manager's prior approval.
Quiet hours are 10 p.m. to 8 a.m., and generators may not run in those hours.
Park hours are 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., 365 days a year, and "only campers with a reserved campsite are allowed in the park after 10 p.m."
Every vehicle entering a Minnesota state park must display a valid year-round or one-day state park vehicle permit.
Firewood transport is regulated. DNR allows wood bought at this park for use in this park, Minnesota Department of Agriculture certified firewood anywhere on DNR land, and an uncertified bundle only if it is not ash and was harvested in the county where you will burn it — "be sure to keep your receipt and the bundle label to show proof of purchase."
Firewood from home, pallet wood, and painted, stained or metal-bearing lumber are all prohibited, and "collection of firewood in state parks is not allowed."
Pets are welcome on a leash six feet or shorter, or in a portable enclosure, and must be personally attended at all times.
It is illegal to consume or display intoxicating liquors in Minnesota state parks.
Fireworks and metal detectors are not permitted.
Hammocks need trees at least 12 inches in diameter and straps at least an inch wide, one hammock per tree, hung over mowed and cleared ground.
You may pick edible fruits and mushrooms for personal consumption; picking wildflowers or other plants is not allowed.
Campfires here run on a live burning restriction that moves with fire danger, so a fire ring at the site is not permission to use it. The authority is this park's own Camping & Lodging page, https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/frontenac/camping.html — read it in the week you travel, not the week you book.
Read 2026-08-10, that page carried: "Attention visitors - fire danger is very high!" and "Campfires are not allowed in backcountry (hike-in/backpack and boat-in) campsites, even if there is a fire ring." DNR sells this facility as a backpack site, which is the half of that sentence the ban names. A later reader should treat that date as the last thing we know, not as today's status.
Gear & Preparation
Required Gear
- •A pack; no cart is provided for the backpack sites
- •A Minnesota state park vehicle permit for the car you leave at the trailhead
- •Water, or a way to treat it — DNR says these sites "typically" have water, which is not the same as always
- •A camp stove, and a meal plan that works on it — Minnesota DNR closes fire rings at short notice, and its Tettegouche notice of 2026-08-10 read "Camp stoves are permitted for cooking."
Recommended Gear
- •Binoculars for the flyway
- •Water containers — DNR's "typically" is doing real work in its amenity list
Hazards & Safety
DNR: "Trails range from easy to difficult. Use extra caution on the Bluffside Trail."
DNR says outright that "neither site is good for hammock camping."
Supplies are best-effort: "Staff try to make sure there is toilet paper and firewood available at the sites but visitors should call to confirm before staying."
It is secluded, not silent: "These sites are secluded from other campsites, but campers will hear noises from the highway and trains."
Best Time to Visit
Same park, same answer: DNR says "visit the park in spring or fall and you'll be in one of the best spots in the country to view bird migrations," with warblers concentrated in the first part of May and eagles common fall through spring. The park and campground are open year-round. Two units means the 120-day window and the 8 a.m. release decide a summer weekend.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a Frontenac Backpack permit?
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Frontenac Backpack permits require advance reservations. Book online as soon as reservations open for your desired dates.
When is the best time to visit Frontenac Backpack?
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Same park, same answer: DNR says "visit the park in spring or fall and you'll be in one of the best spots in the country to view bird migrations," with warblers concentrated in the first part of May and eagles common fall through spring. The park and campground are open year-round. Two units means the 120-day window and the 8 a.m. release decide a summer weekend.
What gear do I need for Frontenac Backpack?
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Essential gear includes: A pack; no cart is provided for the backpack sites, A Minnesota state park vehicle permit for the car you leave at the trailhead, Water, or a way to treat it — DNR says these sites "typically" have water, which is not the same as always, A camp stove, and a meal plan that works on it — Minnesota DNR closes fire rings at short notice, and its Tettegouche notice of 2026-08-10 read "Camp stoves are permitted for cooking.".
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