Minnesota State Parks · Minnesota

McCarthy Beach State Park

Minnesota State Parks · Minnesota, United States

Open on the map Drive there Reserve Directions
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

MonthTypical highTypical lowColdest nightHottest dayYears with a night below 32°F
January16°-3°-29°41°11 of 11
February20°-1°-31°47°11 of 11
March37°18°-12°62°11 of 11
April43°30°9°69°11 of 11
May63°43°30°80°1 of 11
June71°55°44°87°0 of 11
July78°61°50°93°0 of 11
August75°59°54°88°0 of 11
September69°54°40°84°0 of 11
October53°39°24°70°3 of 10
November35°25°3°58°9 of 10
December24°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

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.