where to camp along the mn river near chaska

[bass_hunter]

Where is a good spot to camp overnight along the river near chaska or jordan

[Gordie]

Just about any sandbar along the river can be used if you have a boat if your on foot there are a few spots up from the landing by Jordan and on the other side of the river from it by the bridge. You can also follow the state trail and venture up to the river in places but I havent done this for years and not sure what the terrain is like might be a bit soggy.

Hopefully someone will chime in that travels these areas a bit more than I have lately.

[TR0PHYPHISHIN]

I was taking a walk on the old Bloomington Ferry bridge road and I ran into the DNR while I was down there. I asked them where I could camp and they told me that its legal to camp on any island on the river but you cannot camp anywhere else on the river unless its a designated campground.

Here is a link to one of the states campgrounds on the MN River:

http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/minnesota_valley/camping.html

[clayton08]

Find a sandbar and set up shop. Don't think they would say much but I've never done it but will be this weekend.

[Scott M]

Shakopee Valley RV park has had a few catters on it before, that'd be worth a try if you want something you can drive to then drive away.

[aanderud]

I'm no legal expert but I think camping along the banks is legal and would be held up in a court as long as you're fishing in river-bank sections BELOW the "ordinary high water mark".

Check the following site out:

http://www.nationalrivers.org/states/mn-law.htm

Some notable quotes:

Quote:

...

The states own these rivers up to the "ordinary high water mark." This is the mark that people can actually see on the ground, where the high water has left debris, sand, and gravel during its ordinary annual cycle. (Not during unusual flooding.) It is not a theoretical line requiring engineering calculations. Where the river banks are fairly flat, this mark can be quite a distance from the edge of the water during medium water flows. There is often plenty of room for standing, fishing, camping, and other visits.

...

The three public uses that the courts have traditionally mentioned are navigation, fishing, and commerce. But the courts have ruled that any and all non-destructive activities on these land are legally protected, including picnics, camping, walking, and other activities. The public can fish, from the river or from the shore below the "ordinary high water mark." (Note that the fish and wildlife are owned by the state in any case.) The public can walk, roll a baby carriage, and other activities, according to court decisions.

Now, you will note that later on they mention that the states have a right to restrict some things that may be "destructive", such as fires. So, you might want to check the MN statutes or federal rules regarding restrictions on campfires, but otherwise camping seems pretty legal just about anywhere along the banks during these low water periods.

[BEEFEATER]

ahhhhhhhhh just pitch a tent, stoak up a bonfire, throw a brawt on stick, crack a couple pops and caller good

[Comit 2]

Quote:

State and local restrictions on use of navigable rivers have to be legitimately related to enhancing public trust value, not reducing it. Rivers cannot be closed or partially closed to appease adjacent landowners, or to appease people who want to dedicate the river to fishing only, or to make life easier for local law enforcement agencies.

I think this is the best part!

Three Rivers.?!

[BEEFEATER]

HUNH?

[BEEFEATER]

Throw sum brawts on da grill

[Comit 2]

What is the name of the parks commission in the Chaska area?

Quote:

The states own these rivers up to the "ordinary high water mark." This is the mark that people can actually see on the ground, where the high water has left debris, sand, and gravel during its ordinary annual cycle. (Not during unusual flooding.) It is not a theoretical line requiring engineering calculations. Where the river banks are fairly flat, this mark can be quite a distance from the edge of the water during medium water flows. There is often plenty of room for standing, fishing, camping, and other visits.

As you can see by the next "" The state of Mn thinks it is the ordinary low water level.

http://files.dnr.state.mn.us/waters/watermgmt_section/pwpermits/water_law_questions_and_answers.pdf

Quote:

When a waterbasin or watercourse is navigable under the federal test, the State of Minnesota owns the bed below the natural

ordinary low water level [see Minnesota Statute 84-032; Lamprey v. State, 52 Minn. 1981, 53 N.W. 1139 (1983) and United States

v. Holt State Bank, 270 U.S. 49 (1926)]. The federal test used for navigability is “when they are used, or are susceptible of being

used, in their natural and ordinary condition, as highways for commerce, over which trade or travel are or may be conducted.”

[see State v. Longyear Holding Co., 224 Minn. 451, 29 N.W. 2d 657 (1947).] If a court has found that a lake is non-navigable and

meandered, the shoreland owners own the bed of the lake in severalty. [see Schmidt v. Marschel, 211 Minn. 543, 2d 121 (1942).]

If a stream is non-navigable but has been meandered, the shoreland owners own to the thread (centerline) of the stream. If a

lake or stream is non-navigable and not meandered, ownership of the bed is as indicated on individual property deeds.

Talk about muddying the water. It looks like Mn doesn't want to differentiate between lakes and rivers.

under

http://www.nationalrivers.org/states/mn-law.htm

these laws the parks commission in the Chaska area are over stepping there boundaries. Being state commissions cannot limit your access. Federal law supersedes state law.

[Comit 2]

Quote:

The situation gets confusing when a state agency or commission holds hearings about navigability and public use of rivers. Landowners, sheriffs, and other people tend to think that such an agency or commission can create state standards that determine which rivers are public and which are private. But these are matters of federal law which state agencies cannot change.