Campsite Sniper
Minnesota · Recreation.gov

Sandy Lake Campground

46.7874° N / 93.3197° W · Data Sep 18 2026, checked hourly
Next open date Sep 18Next open weekend Sep 1819 detected openings this week61 monitored sites

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Every site at Sandy Lake, colored by availability across the tracked window. Tap a site for its calendar.
Sandy Lake

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Booking reality
Campsite Sniper detected 19 site openings here in the last 7 days
Set a free alert →
01 · Detected Opening History · the openings record · file CS-233620

When Sandy Lake reopens

Sandy Lake's openings record: every site-date Campsite Sniper detected turning available, logged and time-stamped. Refreshed hourly.
Openings · last 7 days
19
Openings · last 30 days
101
Openings · last 90 days
118

Weekday pattern

Detected openings by day of week · 90d
010203040501441207234MONTUEWEDTHUFRISATSUNOPENINGS RECORDED · LAST 90 DAYS · N = 118

No strong weekday pattern is evident in the openings Campsite Sniper has detected: 118 openings spread across the week.

Hour-of-day pattern

First detected by hour · local time · last 90 days
01020301527000408121620HOUR OF DAY (24H) · CT · LAST 90 DAYS

The largest concentrations of detected openings were first detected during the 04:00 and 15:00 local-time hours. Those hours contained 42 of 118 detected openings (35.6%). Hours show when Campsite Sniper first detected each opening, in Central Time, not when the change was made upstream.

Lead-time profile

Days before stay date · percentiles
P25 · 14.2DMEDIAN · 29 DAYS OUTP75 · 36D0306090120150180DAYS BEFORE STAY DATE

Half of the openings Campsite Sniper detected appeared at least 29 days before the stay date; the middle 50% land 14.2–36 days out. Set an alert if you want Campsite Sniper to monitor future openings.

Highest-churn sites

Most openings · 90d
SiteOpeningsShare of all openings
30  2722.9%
24  1916.1%
01  1613.6%
43  97.6%
14  75.9%

Site 30 had the most detected openings in the last 90 days: 27. One free watch covers every site here.

02 · Availability Outlook · Sep 18 – Oct 15, 2026 · of 61 monitored sites

Of the 1,650 tracked site-dates (Sep 18 – Oct 15, 2026): 1,234 open for online reservation · 350 reserved · 63 closed · 3 unavailable (cause unspecified).

Where the open windows are

25.2% of tracked site-dates are not currently open for online reservation. 1,234 of 1,650 remain open; here is where they are.

Load status

Sep 18 – Oct 15, 2026
Not open online25.2%
Open site-dates1,234 / 1,650
Reserved (of online inventory)350 / 1,584
Weekday openings728
Weekend openings479

Of the open site-nights on mapped sites, 728 fall on weekdays and 479 on weekends (Fri–Sun). The split covers the 1,207 open site-nights on mapped sites; 1,234 site-dates are open across all monitored inventory.

Open dates by month

Sep 2026 – Oct 2026
02004006008001,000536698SEPOCTSOLID = OPEN SITE-DATES · DASHED OUTLINE = TOTAL BOOKABLE

October holds the most room. 698 of 857 site-dates are still open there.

Holiday windows

Sites open per night · of 60 sites
WindowNightSites openStatus
Labor DaySAT Sep 50None open
SUN Sep 60None open
MON Sep 70None open

Labor Day: no online availability on any tracked night.

Holiday windows — day use

Units open per date · of 1 day-use unit
WindowDateUnits openStatus
Labor DaySAT Sep 50None open
SUN Sep 60None open
MON Sep 70None open

Labor Day: no online availability on any tracked date.

Best-availability sites

Most open site-nights · tracked window
SiteOpen site-nights
23  27
Camper Cabin  27
N-GROU  27
Tent 2  27
Tent 5  27

The 5 sites with the most open site-nights in the current snapshot. Pair a bookable date with a free alert to cover everything else.

Availability by day-use unit

Most open reservation dates · tracked window
UnitOpen reservation dates
GRPSHL  27

This day-use unit currently has 27 reservation dates available.

Next windows

As of Sep 18, 2026 snapshot
Next open dateFri · Sep 18
Next open weekendFri · Sep 18

The next bookable night is Sep 18; the first open weekend starts Sep 18. Campsite Sniper can watch later dates for you.

Stays and site detail

1,207 open site-nights across 58 sites at Sandy Lake, from the same hourly snapshot as everything above.

60 overnight sites and 1 day-use unit are represented in the current inventory. Day-use inventory is excluded from every night-based figure on this page — site-nights, longest runs, multi-night stays, holiday stays and RV fit; its reservation dates are listed separately below.

Multi-night stays. 125 2-night, 120 3-night, 68 7-night openings where a single site is free for every night, per Campsite Sniper's current snapshot — soonest Sep 18 at site 23.

RV length. Longest recorded site here is 92 ft. 49 sites take 25 ft, 42 sites take 35 ft, 39 sites take 40 ft. 9 sites of 60 have no recorded maximum and are not counted.

All 58 sites with current availability
SiteMax RVHookupsOpen site-nightsLongest runDates
2347 ftYes2727 nightsSep 18, Sep 19, Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 25, Sep 26, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29 +15 more
Camper CabinNot recordedYes2727 nightsSep 18, Sep 19, Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 25, Sep 26, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29 +15 more
N-GROU92 ftYes2727 nightsSep 18, Sep 19, Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 25, Sep 26, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29 +15 more
Tent 2Not recordedYes2727 nightsSep 18, Sep 19, Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 25, Sep 26, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29 +15 more
Tent 5Not recordedNone2727 nightsSep 18, Sep 19, Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 25, Sep 26, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29 +15 more
Tent 6Not recordedNone2727 nightsSep 18, Sep 19, Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 25, Sep 26, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29 +15 more
Tent 7Not recordedNone2727 nightsSep 18, Sep 19, Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 25, Sep 26, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29 +15 more
Tent 8Not recordedNone2727 nightsSep 18, Sep 19, Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 25, Sep 26, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29 +15 more
0824 ftYes2518 nightsSep 18, Sep 19, Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1 +13 more
2748 ftYes2518 nightsSep 18, Sep 19, Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1 +13 more
Tent 1Not recordedYes2518 nightsSep 18, Sep 19, Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1 +13 more
Tent 3Not recordedYes2518 nightsSep 18, Sep 19, Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1 +13 more
1556 ftYes2413 nightsSep 18, Sep 19, Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 25, Sep 26, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29 +12 more
2140 ftYes2418 nightsSep 18, Sep 19, Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 2 +12 more
3072 ftYes2417 nightsSep 18, Sep 19, Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 2 +12 more
3142 ftYes2415 nightsSep 18, Sep 19, Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 25, Sep 26, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 2 +12 more
4154 ftYes2418 nightsSep 19, Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 2 +12 more
0244 ftYes2312 nightsSep 18, Sep 19, Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1 +11 more
2452 ftYes2319 nightsSep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 26, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 2, Oct 3 +11 more
4572 ftYes2318 nightsSep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 2, Oct 3 +11 more
4654 ftYes2318 nightsSep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 2, Oct 3 +11 more
4845 ftYes2321 nightsSep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 25, Sep 26, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1 +11 more
Tent 4Not recordedYes2314 nightsSep 18, Sep 19, Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 25, Sep 26, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29 +11 more
0922 ftYes2218 nightsSep 18, Sep 19, Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 2, Oct 3, Oct 4 +10 more
1025 ftYes2212 nightsSep 18, Sep 19, Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 2 +10 more
1858 ftYes2211 nightsSep 18, Sep 19, Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 4 +10 more
1958 ftYes2211 nightsSep 18, Sep 19, Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1 +10 more
2958 ftYes2215 nightsSep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 25, Sep 26, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 2, Oct 3, Oct 4 +10 more
3539 ftYes2217 nightsSep 18, Sep 19, Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 2, Oct 3, Oct 4 +10 more
3640 ftYes2218 nightsSep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 2, Oct 3, Oct 4 +10 more
4030 ftYes2211 nightsSep 18, Sep 19, Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 4 +10 more
4452 ftYes2218 nightsSep 18, Sep 19, Sep 20, Sep 24, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 2, Oct 3, Oct 4 +10 more
S-GROU78 ftYes2211 nightsSep 18, Sep 19, Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 4 +10 more
1660 ftYes2111 nightsSep 18, Sep 19, Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 4, Oct 5 +9 more
3860 ftYes2120 nightsSep 19, Sep 25, Sep 26, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 2, Oct 3, Oct 4, Oct 5 +9 more
0632 ftYes2015 nightsSep 18, Sep 19, Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 2, Oct 3, Oct 4, Oct 5, Oct 6 +8 more
2656 ftYes208 nightsSep 18, Sep 19, Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1 +8 more
3968 ftYes2018 nightsSep 18, Sep 19, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 2, Oct 3, Oct 4, Oct 5, Oct 6 +8 more
4969 ftYes2011 nightsSep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 2, Oct 3, Oct 4 +8 more
0431 ftYes1911 nightsSep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 2, Oct 3, Oct 4 +7 more
2550 ftYes1913 nightsSep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 2, Oct 3 +7 more
4361 ftYes1911 nightsSep 19, Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 2, Oct 3, Oct 4 +7 more
0340 ftYes189 nightsSep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 2, Oct 3 +6 more
0535 ftYes189 nightsSep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 6, Oct 7, Oct 8 +6 more
1131 ftYes189 nightsSep 18, Sep 19, Sep 20, Sep 23, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 6, Oct 7, Oct 8 +6 more
1335 ftYes1817 nightsSep 23, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 2, Oct 3, Oct 4, Oct 5, Oct 6, Oct 7, Oct 8 +6 more
1760 ftYes187 nightsSep 18, Sep 19, Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 4, Oct 5 +6 more
3480 ftYes189 nightsSep 18, Sep 19, Sep 24, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 2, Oct 3, Oct 4, Oct 5 +6 more
1441 ftYes177 nightsSep 18, Sep 19, Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 2, Oct 3 +5 more
2047 ftYes1717 nightsSep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 2, Oct 3, Oct 4, Oct 5, Oct 6, Oct 7, Oct 8, Oct 9 +5 more
3776 ftYes1710 nightsSep 22, Sep 26, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 2, Oct 3, Oct 4, Oct 5, Oct 9 +5 more
0152 ftYes159 nightsSep 26, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 2, Oct 3, Oct 4, Oct 9, Oct 10, Oct 11 +3 more
4765 ftYes158 nightsSep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 27, Sep 28, Oct 3, Oct 7, Oct 8, Oct 9, Oct 10, Oct 11 +3 more
0727 ftYes139 nightsSep 18, Sep 19, Sep 20, Sep 21, Oct 6, Oct 7, Oct 8, Oct 9, Oct 10, Oct 11, Oct 12, Oct 13 +1 more
3275 ftYes105 nightsSep 18, Sep 19, Sep 24, Sep 25, Sep 26, Oct 10, Oct 11, Oct 12, Oct 13, Oct 14
3366 ftYes106 nightsSep 24, Sep 25, Sep 26, Oct 1, Oct 2, Oct 3, Oct 4, Oct 5, Oct 6, Oct 14
1233 ftYes84 nightsSep 19, Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Oct 3, Oct 12, Oct 13, Oct 14
4273 ftYes43 nightsSep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 30

Day-use inventory

27 available reservation dates across 1 day-use unit. Day-use inventory is reserved by the date, so it carries no stay length.
All 1 day-use unit with current availability
UnitOpen reservation datesConsecutive datesDates
GRPSHL2727 datesSep 18, Sep 19, Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 25, Sep 26, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29 +15 more

About Sandy Lake

Overview

The Sandy Lake Dam and Recreation Area is situated at the outlet of Big Sandy Lake in northern Minnesota, 13 miles north of McGregor, MN. The dam is a part of the Mississippi Headwaters Project, one of the first reservoir systems in the country, and the Sandy Lake Dam structure dates back to 1895. Today the grounds have been developed into a park and campground that is noted for its clean, family-friendly environment and access to fishing and boating on both the lake and nearby Mississippi River. It offers the only public campground and beach on Big Sandy Lake. The area is also a part of the historic canoe route that connected the Mississippi River to Lake Superior and major fur trading companies. Artifacts from the area's long history are kept in a small museum located near the dam.

Recreation

Sandy Lake offers many recreational opportunities including camping, boating, swimming, picnicking, birding and hiking. Anglers enjoy fishing the lake and river for Northern pike, walleye, small mouth bass, bluegill, crappie and even catfish. Playgrounds are located on both sides of the dam and are located near the beach and visitor museum areas. The old lock house has been converted into a free small museum containing historical artifacts from the area. Educational programs are offered seasonally and are open to the public.

Facilities

This recreation area and campground offers a variety of facilities with water access to Big Sandy Lake and the Sandy & Mississippi rivers. The campground features 43 single family sites, five double family sites and two group sites - all with electric hookups. Eight primitive walk-to tent sites (four of which have electrical hookups), a camper cabin with bunk beds and a day-use group picnic shelter are also available. The campground is divided by the Sandy Lake Dam into a north and south side, each with separate vehicle access roads. Only pedestrian traffic is permitted across the dam. Amenities include flush and vault restrooms, showers, drinking water, laundry facilities and a dump station. Day use facilities are intertwined within the campground and contain two lake boat ramps, one river boat ramp, docks, a fishing pier, beach, playgrounds and a short hiking trail.

NOTE: Campsites 1-21, tent sites 1-4, and the south group campsite are accessed via the “South Entrance”. Campsites 22-49, tent sites 5-8, the north group campsite, and the camper cabin can be accessed via the “North Entrance”.

Natural Features

Big Sandy Lake is a reservoir that was created in the late nineteenth century from the waters of a naturally exisiting lake and the Sandy River. A forest of mixed hardwoods and towering red and white pine covers the area. An abundance of wildlife can be found including bald eagles, white-tail deer, black bears, chipmunks, loons, mink, river otters and many others. Wild rice is harvested from the lake seasonally and wild berries are occasionally found.

Nearby Attractions

Nearby attractions include golf courses, shopping and dining venues, Savannah Portage State Park, Rice Lake National Wildlife Refuge, and many acres of state and county forest land.

61 monitored sitesRVs up to 92 ft56 with hookups50 shadedPets OKFire pitsMax party 25

Getting there

22205 531st Lane McGregor, MN 55760 Take Highway 65 for 13 miles north of McGregor, Minnesota. *Follow "South Entrance" signs for campsites 1-21, tent sites 1-4, and south group campsite. *Follow "North Entrance" signs for campsites 22-49, tent sites 5-8, north group campsite, and camper cabin. If you need assistance finding your campsite, follow "South Entrance" signs to the campground office.

22205 531St Lane, Mcgregor, MN 55760651-290-5850
BoatingCampingCanoeingDay Use AreaFishingHikingHistoric & Cultural SiteInterpretive ProgramsRanger StationSwimming SiteVisitor CenterWildlife Viewing

View on Recreation.gov ↗   Get directions ↗

FAQ

How do I get a reservation at Sandy Lake?

Reservations for Sandy Lake are made through Recreation.gov. The current snapshot shows substantial availability: 1,234 of 1,650 tracked site-dates are open (74.8%), though availability can change. Campsite Sniper has also detected 118 site openings here in the last 90 days, so further dates may appear. Pick a site or unit on the map to see its calendar, or set a free Campsite Sniper alert. You complete the reservation yourself on Recreation.gov.

Does Campsite Sniper book this facility for me?

No. Campsite Sniper sends alerts and direct Recreation.gov links. It never books, pays for, holds, hoards, or resells reservations.

How current is this availability data?

Campsite Sniper re-checks public Recreation.gov availability for this facility every hour and republishes whenever anything changes. This facility's data last changed at Sep 18, 2026 16:19 UTC; an older timestamp means nothing has changed since that time, not that checking stopped. Always confirm final availability on Recreation.gov when you book.

How often do new openings appear at Sandy Lake?

Campsite Sniper detected 19 site-date openings at Sandy Lake in the last 7 days, 101 over 30 days and 118 over the last 90.

Can I get a multi-night stay at Sandy Lake?

120 three-night openings are showing, counting only runs where the SAME site is free for all three nights. The soonest starts Sep 18 at site 23. Confirm and book on Recreation.gov.

Which sites at Sandy Lake fit a 35-foot RV?

42 of the 60 sites that support RV analysis have a recorded maximum of 35 ft or more; the longest recorded is 92 ft. 51 of those 60 sites have a recorded maximum length and 9 do not; they are not counted as fitting.

Which month has the most availability at Sandy Lake?

October 2026, with 698 open site-dates in the current snapshot of 857.

How far ahead of a stay do openings appear at Sandy Lake?

Half of the openings Campsite Sniper detected appeared at least 29 days before the stay date; the middle 50% landed 14.2-36 days out. Campsite Sniper can monitor future changes for dates you select.

When is the next open date at Sandy Lake?

As of the Sep 18, 2026 snapshot: the next open date is Fri, Sep 18 and the next open weekend starts Fri, Sep 18. Detected openings can add earlier dates at any time; a free Campsite Sniper alert catches those the moment they appear.

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