Editor’s note: This is the first of a series on camping opportunities available in southwest Minnesota and northwest Iowa.
JACKSON - Due to its larger size, Brown Park is the most popular of Jackson County’s campgrounds, according to Stacey Schuller of the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce.
“Brown is our most stayed at-park by report numbers,” Schuller said. “However, it is also the largest park site at 31 sites. Robertson Park is also enjoyed by many people ,as it has many lakeside sites on Loon Lake.”
Jackson County, like a substantial portion of southwest Minnesota and northwest Iowa, offers multiple opportunities for residents and visitors alike to camp and otherwise enjoy the outdoors.
Anderson Park
A 25-acre park located on the west shore of Pearl Lake, Anderson Park hosts many facilities such as fresh, regional community water, a boat ramp and dock, a picnic area with grills and tables, a shelter house with a fireplace and electricity, an observation tower and even playground equipment for kids.
Camping in Anderson Park is also pristine, with 25 available units with electrical hookups, a dump station and recently updated flush toilets.
Brown Park
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Brown Park is slightly smaller than Anderson Park, with a healthy size of 15 acres. The park has both a woodland and open grass area, and is located on the shores of both Loon and Pearl Lakes.
A creek runs through the center of the park and also serves as an outlet from Pearl Lake, which enters into Loon Lake. The area has been surveyed by the Minnesota Historical Society and is believed to have been inhabited during a period dating back to 200 B.C.
Facilities at Brown include a picnic area, a shelter house with a fireplace and electricity, a pressure water system, a footbridge, grills, tables, playground equipment, designated handicapped-accessible campsites and docks, and an asphalt bike trail that connects through nearby Robertson Park to a trail in Dickinson County, Iowa - a span of about 55 miles. Campground facilities also include 31 trailer campsites with electricity, hot showers and a dump station.
Brown Park’s sister campground, Brown Park South, offers four cabins and 18 trailer camping sites with electricity. Five of those 18 sites have full hookups for water, sewage systems and electricity. Those services are available at a yearly rate.
The cabins are an 18 feet by 15 feet space and offer two bunk beds (one bunk with a queen on bottom and a twin on top, and one with two twin beds), a mini fridge, floor fan, a table, coat hooks and a ceiling fan.
Robertson Park
A large, 46-acre park located on the southeast shore of Loon Lake, Robertson Park is completely wooded and is rich in local flora and fauna. This park was also surveyed by the Minnesota Historical Society in 1975, and was also deemed to have been inhabited during a period dating back to 200 B.C. Because of this, the park has been added to the National Register of Historic Places.
Facilities at the campground include a picnic area, a shelter house with a fireplace and electricity, grills, tables, an observation tower and various trails. Along with those features, there is also firewood for sale, as well as ice and a pop machine.
Sandy Point
Sandy Point is a healthy 24-acre park located on the west shore of South Heron Lake. South Heron Lake is a well-known waterfowl producing lake featuring pelicans, Canadian geese and many other waterfowl. To increase the quality of waterfowl observation, over 2,000 food-producing trees were added to the park, and a tower was also constructed.
Facilities include a shelter house with a fireplace and electricity, a water supply, picnic tables and grills, and playground equipment. The campground features 12 campsites.
Schuller believes Jackson County has some of the best camping in the area.
“The Jackson County Parks are located in the perfect area, and each has its own natural beauty,” she said. “With Jackson and the Iowa Great Lakes just miles away, the Jackson County Parks are a great place for campers.”
Another site in Jackson County to camp is within the city of Jackson itself, at the Jackson KOA, one of nearly 450 KOA locations in the U.S. Campground amenities include complimentary wi-fi, propane for sale, mini golf, firewood, a heated swimming pool and more.
For more information on the Jackson County Campgrounds, visit the county’s website at co.jackson.mn.us or call (507) 847-2240.
