About Camp Ripley

Camp Ripley aerial.jpgCamp Ripley is a state-owned 53,000 acre military training center located on the Mississippi River just north of Little Falls.  While primarily a National Guard facility, it provides year-round training for all military service branches and components.  In recent years, Minnesota state agencies such as the Department of Natural Resources, Department of Transportation, and Minnesota State Patrol have also come to rely on Camp Ripley’s exceptional facilities for their education and training needs.   Community interests across the spectrum of Minnesota life utilize Camp Ripley for its resources, expertise, and commitment to environmental stewardship.

It was opened to troops in 1931 after an exhaustive search for a Minnesota National Guard training site that was centrally located and well suited for tactical maneuvers.  By happy coincidence, the chosen site encompassed the greater part of what had once been old Fort Ripley, a frontier Army post occupied from 1849-1877, and the new post took its name from the old.

Learn more about today's Camp Ripley.
Learn more about Camp Ripley's history.
Learn more about Old Fort Ripley, 1849-1877.