Pick a site on the map to see its availability calendar.
No strong weekday pattern is evident in the openings Campsite Sniper has detected: 118 openings spread across the week.
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.
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.
| Site | Openings | Share of all openings |
|---|---|---|
| 30 | 27 | 22.9% |
| 24 | 19 | 16.1% |
| 01 | 16 | 13.6% |
| 43 | 9 | 7.6% |
| 14 | 7 | 5.9% |
Site 30 had the most detected openings in the last 90 days: 27. One free watch covers every site here.
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).
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.
October holds the most room. 698 of 857 site-dates are still open there.
| Window | Night | Sites open | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Labor Day | SAT Sep 5 | 0 | None open |
| SUN Sep 6 | 0 | None open | |
| MON Sep 7 | 0 | None open |
Labor Day: no online availability on any tracked night.
| Window | Date | Units open | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Labor Day | SAT Sep 5 | 0 | None open |
| SUN Sep 6 | 0 | None open | |
| MON Sep 7 | 0 | None open |
Labor Day: no online availability on any tracked date.
| Site | Open 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.
| Unit | Open reservation dates |
|---|---|
| GRPSHL | 27 |
This day-use unit currently has 27 reservation dates available.
The next bookable night is Sep 18; the first open weekend starts Sep 18. Campsite Sniper can watch later dates for you.
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.
| Site | Max RV | Hookups | Open site-nights | Longest run | Dates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 | 47 ft | Yes | 27 | 27 nights | Sep 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 Cabin | Not recorded | Yes | 27 | 27 nights | Sep 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-GROU | 92 ft | Yes | 27 | 27 nights | Sep 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 2 | Not recorded | Yes | 27 | 27 nights | Sep 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 5 | Not recorded | None | 27 | 27 nights | Sep 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 6 | Not recorded | None | 27 | 27 nights | Sep 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 7 | Not recorded | None | 27 | 27 nights | Sep 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 8 | Not recorded | None | 27 | 27 nights | Sep 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 |
| 08 | 24 ft | Yes | 25 | 18 nights | Sep 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 |
| 27 | 48 ft | Yes | 25 | 18 nights | Sep 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 1 | Not recorded | Yes | 25 | 18 nights | Sep 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 3 | Not recorded | Yes | 25 | 18 nights | Sep 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 |
| 15 | 56 ft | Yes | 24 | 13 nights | Sep 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 |
| 21 | 40 ft | Yes | 24 | 18 nights | Sep 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 |
| 30 | 72 ft | Yes | 24 | 17 nights | Sep 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 |
| 31 | 42 ft | Yes | 24 | 15 nights | Sep 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 |
| 41 | 54 ft | Yes | 24 | 18 nights | Sep 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 |
| 02 | 44 ft | Yes | 23 | 12 nights | Sep 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 |
| 24 | 52 ft | Yes | 23 | 19 nights | Sep 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 |
| 45 | 72 ft | Yes | 23 | 18 nights | Sep 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 |
| 46 | 54 ft | Yes | 23 | 18 nights | Sep 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 |
| 48 | 45 ft | Yes | 23 | 21 nights | Sep 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 4 | Not recorded | Yes | 23 | 14 nights | Sep 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 |
| 09 | 22 ft | Yes | 22 | 18 nights | Sep 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 |
| 10 | 25 ft | Yes | 22 | 12 nights | Sep 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 |
| 18 | 58 ft | Yes | 22 | 11 nights | Sep 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 |
| 19 | 58 ft | Yes | 22 | 11 nights | Sep 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 |
| 29 | 58 ft | Yes | 22 | 15 nights | Sep 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 |
| 35 | 39 ft | Yes | 22 | 17 nights | Sep 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 |
| 36 | 40 ft | Yes | 22 | 18 nights | Sep 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 |
| 40 | 30 ft | Yes | 22 | 11 nights | Sep 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 |
| 44 | 52 ft | Yes | 22 | 18 nights | Sep 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-GROU | 78 ft | Yes | 22 | 11 nights | Sep 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 |
| 16 | 60 ft | Yes | 21 | 11 nights | Sep 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 |
| 38 | 60 ft | Yes | 21 | 20 nights | Sep 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 |
| 06 | 32 ft | Yes | 20 | 15 nights | Sep 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 |
| 26 | 56 ft | Yes | 20 | 8 nights | Sep 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 |
| 39 | 68 ft | Yes | 20 | 18 nights | Sep 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 |
| 49 | 69 ft | Yes | 20 | 11 nights | Sep 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 |
| 04 | 31 ft | Yes | 19 | 11 nights | Sep 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 |
| 25 | 50 ft | Yes | 19 | 13 nights | Sep 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 |
| 43 | 61 ft | Yes | 19 | 11 nights | Sep 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 |
| 03 | 40 ft | Yes | 18 | 9 nights | Sep 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 |
| 05 | 35 ft | Yes | 18 | 9 nights | Sep 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 |
| 11 | 31 ft | Yes | 18 | 9 nights | Sep 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 |
| 13 | 35 ft | Yes | 18 | 17 nights | Sep 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 |
| 17 | 60 ft | Yes | 18 | 7 nights | Sep 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 |
| 34 | 80 ft | Yes | 18 | 9 nights | Sep 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 |
| 14 | 41 ft | Yes | 17 | 7 nights | Sep 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 |
| 20 | 47 ft | Yes | 17 | 17 nights | Sep 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 |
| 37 | 76 ft | Yes | 17 | 10 nights | Sep 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 |
| 01 | 52 ft | Yes | 15 | 9 nights | Sep 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 |
| 47 | 65 ft | Yes | 15 | 8 nights | Sep 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 |
| 07 | 27 ft | Yes | 13 | 9 nights | Sep 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 |
| 32 | 75 ft | Yes | 10 | 5 nights | Sep 18, Sep 19, Sep 24, Sep 25, Sep 26, Oct 10, Oct 11, Oct 12, Oct 13, Oct 14 |
| 33 | 66 ft | Yes | 10 | 6 nights | Sep 24, Sep 25, Sep 26, Oct 1, Oct 2, Oct 3, Oct 4, Oct 5, Oct 6, Oct 14 |
| 12 | 33 ft | Yes | 8 | 4 nights | Sep 19, Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Oct 3, Oct 12, Oct 13, Oct 14 |
| 42 | 73 ft | Yes | 4 | 3 nights | Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 30 |
| Unit | Open reservation dates | Consecutive dates | Dates |
|---|---|---|---|
| GRPSHL | 27 | 27 dates | Sep 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 |
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.
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.
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”.
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 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.
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.
View on Recreation.gov ↗ Get directions ↗












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.
No. Campsite Sniper sends alerts and direct Recreation.gov links. It never books, pays for, holds, hoards, or resells reservations.
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.
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.
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.
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.
October 2026, with 698 open site-dates in the current snapshot of 857.
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.
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.
Lakefront, hookups, your RV length, weekends only - set it as picky as you want.
We run paced availability checks for Sandy Lake. One watch covers every matching site.
When a match opens, you get a push with a Recreation.gov link so you can review and book it yourself.