Nerstrand Big Woods Cart-In Campsites Permit

Rules & Regulations

• •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/nerstrand_big_woods/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!" The same notice said "Attended campfires are allowed in established fire rings in state park campgrounds, including drive-in, cart-in and walk-in campsites. If you choose to have a campfire, please keep it small, always supervise the fire, and make sure it is completely out before you walk away." That was DNR's position on that date under fire danger it called very high, and the same notice already banned fires at the backcountry hike-in, backpack and boat-in sites. It can tighten to a full ban before you arrive.

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