Nerstrand Big Woods Walk-In Campsites Permit

Highlights

• •Minnesota DNR's definition of the category: "Cart-in and walk-in campsites in Minnesota state parks are not accessible by motor vehicle, but are a half mile or less from parking."
• •"All sites typically have access to primitive toilets and water, and will have a fire ring, picnic table, and tent pad." DNR's own hedge — "typically" — is worth taking seriously; ring the park if water matters to your plan.
• •"walk-in sites have the same amenities as cart-in sites, but do not provide a cart."
• •The Minnesota reservation system lists this facility as "Walk In Campsites" with four units, Walk-In #W1 through #W4.
• •Minnesota DNR's published cart-in and walk-in rate at Nerstrand Big Woods is $24 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: "Walk-in Sites | 4 sites — Farthest site is 200 yards from the parking area. Easy walk-in. All sites are rustic."
• •"Farthest site is 200 yards" is a bound on the worst case, not a distance to any particular site, so no route distance is claimed here.
• •Water: "Drinking water is available at the red spigot near the visitor center, green water fountains, campground spigots, the dump station drinking water spigot or from the drinking fountain inside the visitor center during open hours."
• •Toilets: "There are 2 vault toilets near the picnic area and 2 vault toilets at the walk-in/cart-in campground available for use. There are flushable toilets available in the visitor center during open hours."
• •A live outage as of DNR's 8/9 notice: "As of Sunday 8/9, the shower and restroom building in the main campground is out of order. Flushable toilets are located in the picnic shelter building which is open 24/7. There are no other showers in the park."
• •Parking fills. DNR: "The main parking lot and overflow lot fill up quickly - arrive early in the day if you can. Overflow parking is available one quarter mile west of the ranger station in the cart-in lot."
• •Buy the vehicle permit before you drive out: "Due to poor cell service at the park, we recommend you purchase permits online before you arrive."
• •Season is published for the services, not the sites: "Showers will be available May 6 through mid-October. Flush toilets are available May 6 through mid-October."
• •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.

Best Time to Visit

DNR writes the seasons out: "In the spring, the forest floor is a spectacular wildflower garden where many plants like hepatica, bloodroot, Dutchman's breeches, and the rare dwarf trout lily bloom. Relax by Hidden Falls or take a peaceful hike in the summer. The autumn brings bursts of red, orange, and gold in the maple-basswood forest, one of the last extensive stands of the 'Big Woods.'" Its own highlights are spring wildflowers, fall colour and Hidden Falls. Showers and flush toilets run May 6 through mid-October.