Campgrounds and RV parks near Clara City, MN

Clara City sits in west-central Minnesota's Chippewa County, on the prairie between the Minnesota River Valley and the glacial lake country to the north. RV travelers use it as a base for state park camping, lake fishing, and short drives to Willmar and Granite Falls. The surrounding region is flat to gently rolling farmland, with wooded state parks concentrated around lakes near New London and Sunburg. One important note for trip planners: Upper Sioux Agency State Park, formerly southeast of Clara City near Granite Falls, closed permanently to the public in February 2024 when the Minnesota DNR transferred those lands to the Upper Sioux Community. Any listing that references the former Riverside campground at that park is out of date, and visitors should route to still-operating alternatives. The closest developed options include Prairie View RV Park and Campground in Granite Falls, plus Minnesota state park campgrounds within roughly an hour of Clara City: Monson Lake State Park north of Willmar, and the Lakeview and Oak Ridge campgrounds inside Sibley State Park near New London.

State park campgrounds at Sibley and Monson Lake use the Minnesota DNR reservation system. All state park and recreation area campsites in Minnesota are 100 percent reservable. Bookings can be made online any time at mndnr.gov/reservations, or by phone at 866-857-2757, with call center hours running daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. April through September and shorter hours the rest of the year. Sites can be reserved up to 120 days in advance, and holiday weekends in the Lakeview and Oak Ridge campgrounds fill quickly. A Minnesota state park vehicle permit is required in addition to any camping fee, sold as a daily permit or a year-round permit that is valid for 12 months from the date of purchase. Private RV parks handle their own reservations. Prairie View RV Park and Campground takes bookings directly through its own office.