Buffalo River Campground

A highlight of staying in the campsites at the Buffalo River Campground is their access to the recreational pursuits of Buffalo State Park. It encompasses the closest swimming lake to the Fargo-Moorhead metropolitan area, which makes it an incredibly popular destination for residents to come and swim, picnic, and relax. When the park was originally founded, the focus was on its natural swimming hole, although the quality and rarity of its surrounding prairie were later recognized for their natural significance. In addition, there’s also a cluster of rustic-style buildings that were constructed by the National Park Service during the early years and later added to the National Register of Historic Places. Bird lovers should coincide their visit with spring to see the courtship ritual of the greater prairie chicken that’s a highlight on the annual birding calendar. Around an hour’s drive south of the Buffalo River State Park is the Maplewood State Park, which encompasses 9,250 acres scattered with eight lakes. It’s renowned for its sugar maple, American elm, and oak trees that ignite with color during the fall season, as well as being home to several small villages constructed by Jim Fletcher, the author of The Lore Adventure trilogy. A highlight of the park is the Maplewood archaeological site that was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978 and preserves a habitation site that is believed to have been occupied as early as the 7th century. Aside from its hiking, horseback riding, and cross-country skiing trails, the park is also frequented by myriad birdlife that attracts local enthusiasts. The Buffalo River Campground is also within easy access of the Smoky Hills State Forest, which is carved by the Shell River and dotted with several shallow lakes. Aside from its 13 miles of hiking trails and 30 miles of snowmobile trails, the park is also accessible to ATVers, with over 15 miles of trails. They utilize portions of the Navillus, Hanna Ore, and Wolf Lake State Forest roads. If you enjoy hunting, it’s also possible to find deer and grouse during the fall season in the Smoky Hills State Park.