Baxter, Minnesota is a quaint small town of roughly 7,000 inhabitants. The area upon which the town sits was only cleared in the 1920s to make room for a railroad plant that made ties. The town wasn't incorporated until 1939. For such a small town, the shopping is notable. There are both a Costco and a Walmart Supercenter in town where you can restock your RV's larder. Nearby, there is the Northland Arboretum. At 583 acres, it's larger than some of the smaller state parks in the country. The arboretum contains 20 miles of hiking and cross-country skiing trails. Several of them are even lit for night hiking or skiing.
For a combined experience of informal dining and boutique shopping, try Christmas Point Wild Rice Company. It serves breakfast and lunch daily and has a wide assortment of products from furniture to fudge. For a variety of craft beers and down-home, stick-to-your-ribs fare, try the Boulder Tap House. Nearby Red Sand Lake is stocked with all manner of fish if you'd prefer to catch your own dinner.
In this area of Minnesota, you can catch a bonspiel. That's a match in the sport called curling. It's a sort of "shuffleboard on ice," only instead of throwing your stones at numbered areas, you try to get them as close to the center as possible. It's an Olympic sport, and the games take place at the nearby Brainerd Lakes Curling Club. There is also the Brainerd Basketball Association, which sponsors a developmental amateur league of youth teams in the area around Baxter, Minnesota.
Campgrounds Near Baxter, Minnesota
Crow Wing Lake Campground has 100 RV sites, 80 of which have full hookups that include sewer, electric, and water. The other 20 sites have just electric and water without a sewer hookup. For anglers, the campground provides a fish-cleaning house before you put your catch of the day on the barbecue. The campground also has a well-stocked on-site store and laundry facilities.
Shady Hollow Resort is an environmentally conscious RV campground on the shores of Hardy Lake. The staff of the resort helps maintain the reclamation projects along the shore of the lake. The park is dedicated to visitors who love the water. Kayaks, rowboats, canoes, and paddle boats are available. There is no cost to use them. The sites at this campground are very small, however, and accommodate only popup campers and tiny rigs.
Crosby Memorial Park is very small — only 20 RV sites. The sites have full hookups and three amperage levels: 20, 30, and 50. You can even rent a cook shack that has a fully stocked kitchen and big tables for a big family dinner party. You can also challenge your neighbors to a game of softball at the nearby field.
State Parks Near Baxter, Minnesota
Crow Wing Park is just a few minutes drive from Baxter, Minnesota. The park is huge and covers more than 3,000 square miles. There is a 19th-century town preserved within the park so that you can get an idea of what life there was like 200 years ago. Birding and wildlife photography are popular within the park as is hiking. Weather at the park can require windbreakers at night and T-shirts and shorts during the day, so plan appropriately.
Fishing is the main draw at Glendalough State Park, which is 71 miles due west of Baxter, Minnesota. Anglers cast their lines for trout, bullhead, and bass among other species. You can fish from the shore or "put to sea" in a boat that's available for rent. Bring your bikes along to enjoy the Glendalough Trail. The entire park covers 354 acres. There are several trails throughout the park, including an interpretive hiking trail. The park also used to be a private game preserve that was run by the Minnesota Tribune. You can learn about the park's history at the lodge.
If you drive around Mille Lacs Lake and continue a total of 85 miles east of Baxter, Minnesota, then you will find Banning State Park. For 10 miles along the Kettle River, the park provides exceptional boating and fishing. If you enjoy running the rapids in kayaks, canoes, or rafts, then the river provides 1.5 miles of up to Class IV rapids for your excitement.
National Sites Near Baxter, Minnesota
On the Wisconsin border, 136 miles from Baxter, Minnesota, you will find the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area. It's one of 60 such areas along the length of the Mississippi River. The Mississippi River Trail cuts through this area. Although it's fairly flat, the going is treacherous and even runs along the shoulder of major highways. The Winchell Trail is much easier. The "hills" are actually staircases. If you'd like to ride your bike instead of hike, then the area at and around Coon Rapids Dam is the place to do that.
Southeast of Baxter, Minnesota, 133 miles distant, is the Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway. It stretches for 252 miles of the Mississippi River. The hiking is flat and easy even on the long trails through the Riverway. Boating on the Mississippi itself is popular, and so is biking some of the easy trails. If you like primitive camping, then you can pitch your tent in almost any designated area within the Riverway. Fishing for that night's dinner is a thrill too.
The Pipestone National Monument contains the red rock that is sacred to the First Nations tribes of the area. They use it to craft both pipes and other ceremonial accouterments by hand. There are more than four dozen quarries within the boundaries of the monument. The hiking trails are easy, and you can see the Nicollet Expedition Marker along the very short Circle Trail. The monument is 229 miles from Baxter, Minnesota and lies on the South Dakota border.
National Forests Near Baxter, Minnesota
Just east of Bemidji, 97 miles from Baxter, Minnesota, Chippewa National Forest provides some of the oldest "old-growth" forests in the entire United States. Back when loggers were clear-cutting large swaths of forest in the 19th century, some anonymous map maker made a mistake. About 140 or so acres of old-growth trees were never mapped to be logged, and those trees still exist today in the protected "Lost 40" area. The Civilian Conservation Corps operated in this area during the Depression, and you can tour their camp today.
Duluth, Minnesota is the western terminus of all Great Lakes shipping. It's about 114 miles from Baxter, Minnesota. Superior National Forest is right next to Duluth. The area is called the Boundary Waters because of its proximity to the Ontario border. The hiking trail between Caribou Lake and the Lutsen Ski Resort is a strenuous 6.5 miles, but the Kadunce River Wayside Trail is much easier. In the warm weather, you can wade in the water on the Wayside Trail, and in the winter, you can hear the water rushing under the ice. If you travel into Duluth, then you can see lake freighters coming and going. You might even catch the "Queen of the Lakes" underway, her majestic 1,014-foot shape well worth a photograph.
Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest is 220 miles from Baxter, Minnesota. It covers 1.5 million acres, and it was home to some of the first aboriginal peoples in North America after they crossed the Bering Strait land bridge. If you walk the Anvil Lake Trail, 6.6 miles of medium-difficulty terrain, then you will walk in the same footsteps as the people of 10,000 years ago during the last Ice Age. It's a lonely trail, not very busy, and so is perfect for solitude if that's what you seek.
