Camping at Oak Lake Campground in Minnesota

We had the chance to connect with Alan to gain some insights in to camping at Oak Lake Campground up in northeast Minnesota. He shared with us what guests like to do at the campground, their proximity to Duluth and their new rental cabin overlooking two lakes.

Get To Know Oak Lake Campground

How long has your business been there and how did it get it’s start?
This a great story! My great grandfather, Henry C Hoffman purchased the property in 1915 for the purpose of hunting. He lived with his family in Hankinson ND where he ran a large blacksmith shop. During the depression, he lost his shop and his home. He packed up his family including his three youngest children and moved to the area. In the 30’s, our resort became known as the “Oak Lake Resort” where the business was basically boat rentals for fishing. It was handed down through the generations with modest expansion until my father Henry Hoffman took over in 1969. With the increasing popularity of camping, Henry grew the park to what it is now. Today we have 207 sites located on about 1 mile of lake shore.

What are the most popular activities at the campground for your guests?
Our guests enjoy fishing, swimming, boating, golf, four wheeling, walking trails, hanging out in our lodge, and the kids really enjoy the new playground equipment that was added 2013. We also have the occasional Karaoke night! We give tractor-pulled wagon rides on most weekends that are enjoyed by all ages. There are specific events planned for certain weekends. We post these activities on our Facebook page at Oak Lake Campground.

What are some other attractions in the area worth checking out?
The Nemadji State Forest is about two miles away. The Munger bike trail can be entered as close as 8 miles away. We are a short drive to Canal Park in Duluth, Jay Cooke State, Banning State Park to name a few. Including our own smaller chip/putt type golf course, there are at least six golf courses that our guests regularly visit.

Which of those attractions is your favorite and why?
I would have to say my favorite would be taking the family to the Munger bike trail. On a nice summer day it is beautiful! You can take a break and go down to the river that runs just south of Carlton and climb on the rocks and just really soak in the natural beauty of the area.

What are the campsites like? Are they more open or secluded?
The overnight sites are pretty much right on the water. They are more open. We do have a section of 8 sites reserved just for tents that each site is right on the water. All sites including the tent sites have water/electric and a few have sewer and we have a dump station for those that don’t have sewer. Some of the RV sites are easy pull through sites and it is a clean, quiet park.

If you could spend just one night at Oak Lake Campground, which specific campsite or cabin would you choose, and why?
We just added to our park by purchasing the campground across the lake that was preexisting. It came with the previous owner’s house that sits on top of the hill on the highest point of property we have. It overlooks the lake in both directions- incredible view! We turned it into a cabin rental. While we can’t just rent it for one night, this is definitely what I would want to do with my night. Invite some friends over and just catch up with them!