Minnesota State Parks · Minnesota
McCarthy Beach State Park
Minnesota State Parks · Minnesota, United States
- Sites
- 86
- Hookups
- 44 electric, 42 no hookups
- Max RV length
- 40 ft
- Group sites
- Yes
- Drinking water
- Yes
- Restrooms
- Yes
- Showers
- Yes
- Dump station
- Yes
- Pets
- Yes
- Elevation
- 1,421 ft
- Dark sky
- Bortle class 1
- Cell coverage
- T-Mobile good · AT&T good · Verizon good (carriers' 4G LTE filings to the FCC, 2025-12; not measured here)
- Nearest town
- Side Lake
- Address
- 7622 McCarthy Beach Road
- Phone
- 218-274-7200
86 numbered sites are mapped one by one - open the site map to pick yours.
About
McCarthy Beach State Park is a Minnesota State Park campground offering 86 sites (44 electric) near Side Lake.
Fees
Minnesota DNR (dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/fees.html) publishes the same statewide camping rate bands on its own fees page (a real, confirmed statewide schedule, not a per-park guess; tax is additional): Drive-in campsites $20-$35/night; cart-in/walk-in campsites (under 1/2 mile from parking) $20-$25/night; backcountry campsites (backpack/watercraft over 1/2 mile) $20-$23/night; equestrian campsites $22-$25/night; wall tents $35-$40/night; yurts $80/night; group campsites $50-$300/night. Electric hookup adds $10/night; water and sewer hookup (where available) adds $8/night; an EV charging site adds $7.50/night. A non-refundable reservation fee applies per site reserved in advance: $8 online, $10 by phone (no fee for same-day reservations). Minnesota residents with a qualifying physical disability receive a half-price campsite rate Sunday-Thursday. A separate statewide vehicle permit is required: $35/year; $7/day; $26/year for an additional vehicle; $30/year motorcycle permit; $12/year for persons with disabilities; $5/day for groups of 10+ vehicles. Pets are allowed in campgrounds. For the comfort and safety of your pet, other visitors, and wildlife, pets must be attended at all times and restrained on a leash or in an enclosure. (Minnesota DNR statewide policy, published on multiple state park pages, e.g. Itasca, Lake Bemidji and La Salle Lake SRA.)
Weather, month by month
| Month | Typical high | Typical low | Coldest night | Hottest day | Years with a night below 32°F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 16° | -3° | -29° | 41° | 11 of 11 |
| February | 20° | -1° | -31° | 47° | 11 of 11 |
| March | 37° | 18° | -12° | 62° | 11 of 11 |
| April | 43° | 30° | 9° | 69° | 11 of 11 |
| May | 63° | 43° | 30° | 80° | 1 of 11 |
| June | 71° | 55° | 44° | 87° | 0 of 11 |
| July | 78° | 61° | 50° | 93° | 0 of 11 |
| August | 75° | 59° | 54° | 88° | 0 of 11 |
| September | 69° | 54° | 40° | 84° | 0 of 11 |
| October | 53° | 39° | 24° | 70° | 3 of 10 |
| November | 35° | 25° | 3° | 58° | 9 of 10 |
| December | 24° | 11° | -23° | 46° | 10 of 10 |
Mid-month figures from 2016–2026 of daily weather at this spot (ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, CC BY 4.0), in °F. Typical is the median; coldest and hottest are the extremes seen.
Nearby campgrounds
- Stony Brook Horse Campground · State Forest · 5 mi · 17 sites
- Bear Lake Campground and Day-Use Area · State Forest · 11 mi · 27 sites
- Togo Horse Campground · State Forest · 13 mi · 12 sites
- Thistledew Campground and Day-Use Area · State Forest · 13 mi · 23 sites
- Chisholm Iron Trail Campground · City, County & Regional Parks · 14 mi
All public campgrounds in Minnesota · Every state and province · Facts read from the operator 2026-08-25. Confirm fees, rules and current status with the operator before you go.