There are 68 state parks, seven state recreation areas, eight state waysides, and 22 state trails in the Minnesota state park system, totaling approximately 267,000 acres (1,080 km2).[1][2] A Minnesota state park is an area of land in the U.S. state of Minnesota preserved by the state for its natural, historic, or other resources. Each was created by an act of the Minnesota Legislature and is maintained by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. The Minnesota Historical Society operates sites within some of them. The park system began in 1891 with Itasca State Park when a state law was adopted to "maintain intact, forever, a limited quantity of the domain of this commonwealth...in a state of nature."[3] Minnesota's state park system is the second oldest in the United States, after New York's.[4]:2
Minnesota's state parks are spread across the state in such a way that there is a state park within 50 miles (80 km) of every Minnesotan.[5] The most recent park created is Lake Vermilion State Park, created in 2010. Currently the Parks range in size from Franz Jevne State Park with 118 acres (48 ha) to Saint Croix State Park with 34,037 acres (13,774 ha). Two parks include resources listed as National Natural Landmarks (Big Bog State Recreation Area and Itasca State Park) and six parks encompass National Historic Landmarks (Charles A. Lindbergh, Fort Snelling, Mille Lacs Kathio, St. Croix, Soudan Underground Mine, and Split Rock Lighthouse State Parks). 34 sites or districts among 28 Minnesota state parks are on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP), 21 of which are developments constructed by New Deal-era job creation programs in the 1930s.
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Minnesota's first attempt to create a state park came in 1885, when a 173-acre (70 ha) park was authorized to preserve Minnehaha Falls. The effort was delayed by legal appeals from the various landowners of the desired parkland, and by the time those were settled in favor of the state in 1889, Minnesota no longer had the money to purchase the land. Instead the city of Minneapolis fronted the cash. Owned and operated by Minneapolis, Minnehaha State Park was ultimately absorbed as a city park.[4]:3
Minnesota tried again in 1891, authorizing a state park around Lake Itasca both for its recreational opportunities and to protect the source of the Mississippi River. Interstate Park on the St. Croix River was created in 1895. Other sites were added over the next two decades, but with an inconsistent vision. Modest tracts of scenic land were acquired in Minneopa and Jay Cooke State Parks, but much effort was also expended on creating historical monuments relating to the Dakota War of 1862 and the Great Hinckley Fire. Moreover, most of the sites were being administered by the state auditor, who had many other duties. Itasca State Park, meanwhile, was being administered as a state forest. In 1923, state auditor Ray P. Chase excoriated this situation, calling for wiser selection of park lands and a dedicated commissioner. Chase's comments had an impact, and two years later the Department of Conservation was created to manage the state's natural resources, including the state parks. Originally part of the forestry division, the state parks received their own division in 1935 to take advantage of federal programs such as the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC).[4]:82 In 1971, the department became the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.[6]
The state parks were closed for almost three weeks in July 2011 due to a shutdown of the state government.
Park name | County or counties | Area in acres (ha)[7] | Date estab- lished[4]:297 |
Body of water | Coordinates | Remarks | Image |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Afton State Park | Washington | 1,600 acres (650 ha) | 1969 | St. Croix River | Lies on a glacial moraine with deep ravines that drop 300 feet (91 m) down to the St. Croix River.[8] | ||
Banning State Park | Pine | 5,597 acres (2,265 ha) | 1963 | Kettle River | Contains 1.5 miles (2.4 km) of whitewater rapids and the remains of a historic quarry operation.[9] | ||
Bear Head Lake State Park | St. Louis | 3,013 acres (1,219 ha) | 1961 | Bear Head Lake | Provides road access and modern camping facilities in an environment similar to the nearby Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.[10] | ||
Beaver Creek Valley State Park | Houston | 715 acres (289 ha) | 1937 | East Beaver Creek | Showcases the rugged topography of the Driftless Area in a narrow valley carved by a trout stream.[11] | ||
Big Bog State Recreation Area | Beltrami | 9,170 acres (3,710 ha) | 2000[7] | Red Lake, Tamarac River | Encompasses part of the largest peatland in the Lower 48 states (a National Natural Landmark) and a prime walleye fishery.[12] | ||
Big Stone Lake State Park | Big Stone | 980 acres (400 ha) | 1961 | Big Stone Lake | Protects two sections of shoreline on Big Stone Lake, the source of the Minnesota River.[13] | ||
Blue Mounds State Park | Rock | 1,567 acres (634 ha) | 1937 | Mound Creek | Protects an escarpment of Sioux Quartzite and Minnesota's only public bison herd.[14] A district of WPA structures is on the NRHP.[15] | ||
Buffalo River State Park | Clay | 1,068 acres (432 ha) | 1937 | Buffalo River | Preserves one of the state's largest and best tallgrass prairies together with an adjacent property of The Nature Conservancy.[16] A district of WPA structures is on the NRHP.[17] | ||
Camden State Park | Lyon | 1,855 acres (751 ha) | 1935 | Redwood River | Preserves a forested river valley in the midst of prairie and farm country.[18] A district of VCC and WPA structures is on the NRHP.[19] | ||
Carley State Park | Wabasha | 209 acres (85 ha) | 1949 | Whitewater River | Donated by State Senator James A. Carley to protect a stand of white pines. Used as an overflow campground for nearby Whitewater State Park.[20] | ||
Cascade River State Park | Cook | 2,867 acres (1,160 ha) | 1957 | Lake Superior and Cascade River | Stretches along 10.5 miles (16.9 km) of Lake Superior coastline in land rehabilitated after construction of Minnesota State Highway 61.[21] A WPA highway wayside is on the NRHP. | ||
Charles A. Lindbergh State Park | Morrison | 417 acres (169 ha) | 1931 | Mississippi River | Contains the restored home of Congressman Charles August Lindbergh and his son Charles Lindbergh, the famous aviator.[22] The house is a National Historic Landmark, and a district of WPA structures is on the NRHP.[23] | ||
Crow Wing State Park | Crow Wing, Cass, and Morrison | 2,335 acres (945 ha) | 1959 | Mississippi and Crow Wing Rivers | Interprets the site of Old Crow Wing, an important town and trading center in the mid-19th century. The entire park is on the NRHP.[24] | ||
Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area | Crow Wing | 6,850 acres (2,770 ha) | 1993 | Chain of small lakes and streams, filled pit mines | In development as the land is rehabilitated from open-pit iron mining. Includes Portsmouth Mine Pit Lake, the state's deepest lake.[25] | ||
Father Hennepin State Park | Mille Lacs | 275 acres (111 ha) | 1941 | Mille Lacs Lake | Provides lakeside recreation in the region visited by Father Louis Hennepin during a French expedition in 1680.[26] | ||
Flandrau State Park | Brown | 840 acres (340 ha) | 1937 | Cottonwood River | Created to provide water recreation near New Ulm.[27] Entire park is a district of CCC and WPA structures on the NRHP.[28] | ||
Forestville/Mystery Cave State Park | Fillmore | 3,163 acres (1,280 ha) | 1963 | South Branch Root River and tributaries | Encompasses the historic townsite of Forestville, the state's longest explored cave, and three blue-ribbon trout streams.[29] | ||
Fort Ridgely State Park | Nicollet and Renville | 537 acres (217 ha) | 1911 | Fort Ridgely Creek | Surrounds Fort Ridgely, site of the Battle of Fort Ridgely during the Dakota War of 1862. Includes the only golf course in a Minnesota state park and a large district of CCC structures on the NRHP.[30][31] | ||
Fort Snelling State Park | Ramsey, Hennepin, and Dakota | 1,825 acres (739 ha) | 1961 | Mississippi and Minnesota Rivers | Contains historic Fort Snelling, built in 1819, and floodplain forest in the heart of Minneapolis – Saint Paul. The fort is a National Historic Landmark and the entire park is part of the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area.[32] | ||
Franz Jevne State Park | Koochiching | 118 acres (48 ha) | 1967 | Rainy River | Features scenic property on the Canada – United States border, donated by the sons of Franz Jevne, a lawyer, on the condition that the park be named after their father.[33] | ||
Frontenac State Park | Goodhue | 2,226 acres (901 ha) | 1957 | Lake Pepin on Mississippi River | Attracts 260 species of year-round and migrant birds with its variety of habitats. Includes a natural arch atop a 430 ft (130 m) bluff.[34] | ||
Garden Island State Recreation Area | Lake of the Woods | 715 acres (289 ha) | 1998[7] | Lake of the Woods | Comprises a nearly undeveloped island, [35] | 15 mi (24 km) from the closest mainland marinas, that once bore Native American gardens.||
George H. Crosby Manitou State Park | Lake | 6,200 acres (2,500 ha) | 1955 | Manitou River | Contains undeveloped North Woods wilderness geared towards backpackers.[36] | ||
Glacial Lakes State Park | Pope | 1,857 acres (752 ha) | 1963 | Several kettle lakes | Preserves rolling tallgrass prairie amidst the glacial landforms of the Leaf Hills Moraines.[37] | ||
Glendalough State Park | Otter Tail | 1,924 acres (779 ha) | 1991[7] | Six kettle lakes | Developed from the former private retreat and game farm of the owners of the Star Tribune newspaper, with a heritage fishery of large game fish.[38] | ||
Gooseberry Falls State Park | Lake | 1,741 acres (705 ha) | 1937 | Lake Superior, Gooseberry River | Serves as the gateway to the scenic North Shore. Features five waterfalls, an agate beach, and a large district of CCC structures on the NRHP.[39][40] | ||
Grand Portage State Park | Cook | 278 acres (113 ha) | 1989 | Pigeon River | Features a 120-foot (37 m) waterfall, Minnesota's tallest, on the Canada – United States border. Co-managed with the Grand Portage Indian Reservation, the only state – tribal collaboration of a U.S. state park.[41] | ||
Great River Bluffs State Park | Winona | 2,122 acres (859 ha) | 1971 | Mississippi River | Features 500-foot-high (150 m) bluffs and steep goat prairies. Formerly named O.L. Kipp State Park.[42] | ||
Greenleaf Lake State Recreation Area | Meeker | 1,230 acres (500 ha) | 2004 | Greenleaf and Sioux Lakes | In development and open for limited day-use recreation.[43] | ||
Hayes Lake State Park | Roseau | 2,118 acres (857 ha) | 1967 | Hayes Lake, North Fork Roseau River | Provides fishing and swimming opportunities in an exclusively recreational reservoir free of agricultural runoff or water level fluctuations for irrigation or power generation.[4]:250 | ||
Hill-Annex Mine State Park | Itasca | 634 acres (257 ha) | 1988 | Filled pit mine | Offers tours of a former open-pit iron mine and fossil collecting. A district of mine structures is on the NRHP.[44] | ||
Interstate State Park | Chisago | 288 acres (117 ha) | 1895 | St. Croix River | Created in conjunction with a state park in Wisconsin to protect a basalt gorge and glacial potholes.[45] Two districts of CCC and WPA structures are on the NRHP.[46] | ||
Iron Range Off-Highway Vehicle State Recreation Area | St. Louis | 1,864 acres (754 ha) | 2002 | Lake Ore-be-gone | Provides 36 miles (58 km) of trails for off highway vehicles.[47] | ||
Itasca State Park | Hubbard, Clearwater, and Becker | 30,553 acres (12,364 ha) | 1891 | Lake Itasca | Minnesota's oldest state park, which preserves the headwaters of the Mississippi River. The entire park is on the NRHP for numerous prehistoric to 20th Century sites. An area of the park is a National Natural Landmark.[48] | ||
Jay Cooke State Park | Carlton | 8,125 acres (3,288 ha) | 1915 | Saint Louis River | Showcases a rocky, whitewater-strewn river churning through the North Woods.[49] Three districts of CCC and WPA structures are on the NRHP.[50] | ||
John A. Latsch State Park | Winona | 409 acres (166 ha) | 1925 | Mississippi River | Features three steep river bluffs.[51] | ||
Judge C. R. Magney State Park | Cook | 4,323 acres (1,749 ha) | 1957 | Lake Superior, Brule River | Contains the geologically unexplained Devil's Kettle, a large glacial kettle into which half of the Brule River disappears.[52] | ||
Kilen Woods State Park | Jackson | 202 acres (82 ha) | 1945 | Des Moines River | Preserves a riverside parcel of forested hills on the Coteau des Prairies.[53] | ||
La Salle Lake State Recreation Area | Hubbard | 1,000 acres (400 ha) | 2011 | Mississippi River, La Salle Lake | In development around the second-deepest lake in Minnesota.[54] | ||
Lac qui Parle State Park | Lac qui Parle and Chippewa | 897 acres (363 ha) | 1959 | Lac qui Parle, Minnesota and Lac qui Parle Rivers | Attracts thousands of migrating waterfowl, earning it the name "Lake that Speaks."[55] A district of WPA buildings is on the NRHP.[56] | ||
Lake Bemidji State Park | Beltrami | 1,653 acres (669 ha) | 1923 | Lake Bemidji | Features a recreational lakeshore and a spruce-tamarack bog.[57] A district of CCC and National Youth Administration structures is on the NRHP.[58] | ||
Lake Bronson State Park | Kittson | 2,806 acres (1,136 ha) | 1937 | Lake Bronson, South Branch Two Rivers | Features a reservoir created during a drought in the 1930s. A district of WPA structures is on the NRHP.[59] | ||
Lake Carlos State Park | Douglas | 1,175 acres (476 ha) | 1937 | Lake Carlos | Preserves diverse habitats from prairie to hardwood forest to tamarack bog in a transition zone.[60] Two areas of WPA structures are on the NRHP.[61] | ||
Lake Louise State Park | Mower | 849 acres (344 ha) | 1963 | Lake Louise, Upper and Little Iowa Rivers | Features a reservoir surrounded by oak savanna and patches of hardwood forest. Minnesota's oldest continuous recreation area, formerly a town park since the 1860s.[62] | ||
Lake Maria State Park | Wright | 1,475 acres (597 ha) | 1963 | Several kettle lakes | Provides a lightly developed wilderness area near Minneapolis – Saint Paul in a morainal landscape of Big Woods.[63] | ||
Lake Shetek State Park | Murray County | 1,109 acres (449 ha) | 1937 | Lake Shetek | Features remnants of pioneer history around the largest lake in southwestern Minnesota.[64] A district of WPA structures is on the NRHP.[65] | ||
Lake Vermilion State Park | St. Louis | [7] | 2,875 acres (1,163 ha)2010[7] | Lake Vermilion | Recently purchased and in development on the fifth-largest lake in Minnesota.[66] | ||
Maplewood State Park | Otter Tail | 8,127 acres (3,289 ha) | 1963 | Several kettle lakes | Preserves a forest/prairie transition zone in the Leaf Hills Moraines.[67] A Native American archaeological site is on the NRHP. | ||
McCarthy Beach State Park | St. Louis | 1,908 acres (772 ha) | 1945 | Sturgeon and Side Lakes | Features a .5-mile-long (0.80 km) beach on an isthmus between two lakes.[68] | ||
Mille Lacs Kathio State Park | Mille Lacs | 9,786 acres (3,960 ha) | 1957 | Mille Lacs Lake, Rum River | Preserves 19 identified archaeological sites dating back 9000 years. The entire park is a National Historic Landmark.[69] | ||
Minneopa State Park | Blue Earth | 1,617 acres (654 ha) | 1905 | Minnesota River, Minneopa Creek | Showcases the largest waterfall in southern Minnesota. The 1864 Seppman Mill and a district of WPA structures are each on the NRHP.[70] | ||
Minnesota Valley State Recreation Area | Hennepin, Dakota, Scott, Carver, Sibley, and Le Sueur | 6,442 acres (2,607 ha) | 1969 | Minnesota River | Comprises non-contiguous sections interspersed with units of the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge in the valley formed by Glacial River Warren.[71] | ||
Monson Lake State Park | Swift County | 343 acres (139 ha) | 1937 | Monson and West Sunberg Lakes | Established as a memorial to settlers who died in the Dakota War of 1862.[72] A district of CCC and WPA structures is on the NRHP.[73] | ||
Moose Lake State Park | Carlton | 829 acres (335 ha) | 1971 | Moosehead and Echo Lakes | Provides water recreation and an exhibit hall on Lake Superior agates (the state gemstone) and the geology of Minnesota.[74] | ||
Myre-Big Island State Park | Freeborn | 1,578 acres (639 ha) | 1947 | Albert Lea Lake | Features two islands with old growth hardwood forest since they were out of reach of prairie fires. Also houses one of the state's largest research collections of Native American artifacts.[75] | ||
Nerstrand-Big Woods State Park | Rice | 1,646 acres (666 ha) | 1945 | Prairie Creek | Preserves a remnant stand of Big Woods.[76] | ||
Old Mill State Park | Marshall | 287 acres (116 ha) | 1951 | Middle River | Features two mills and a log cabin from the late 19th Century.[77] The Larson Mill and a district of WPA structures are each on the NRHP.[78] | ||
Red River State Recreation Area | Polk | 104 acres (42 ha) | 1997 | Red River of the North and Red Lake River | Reclaims land devastated by the 1997 Red River Flood as part of the Greater Grand Forks Greenway, which serves the dual purpose of holding back river waters during floods and providing recreational opportunities.[79] | ||
Rice Lake State Park | Steele and Dodge | 712 acres (288 ha) | 1963 | Rice Lake | Surrounds a shallow lake which attracts migrating waterfowl.[80] | ||
St. Croix Islands State Recreation Area | Washington | 25 acres (10 ha) | 1935 | St. Croix River | Comprises five islands near the St. Croix Boom Site that came under state control but were never developed. Leased to the Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway.[4]:318 | ||
St. Croix State Park | Pine | 31,775 acres (12,859 ha) | 1943 | St. Croix River | Developed as a Recreational Demonstration Area by the CCC and the WPA to repurpose land too poor to farm. The entire park is a National Historic Landmark.[81] | ||
Sakatah Lake State Park | Le Sueur and Rice | 810 acres (330 ha) | 1963 | Sakatah Lake on the Cannon River | Features a transitional zone between prairie and Big Woods on a natural widening of the Cannon River.[82] | ||
Savanna Portage State Park | Aitkin and St. Louis | 15,277 acres (6,182 ha) | 1961 | East and West Savanna Rivers, numerous kettle lakes | Preserves a historically important and legendarily difficult 6-mile (9.7 km) portage over a continental divide between the watersheds of the Mississippi River and Lake Superior.[83] | ||
Scenic State Park | Itasca | 2,370 acres (960 ha) | 1921 | Sandwick and Coon Lakes | Features pristine lakes and old-growth pines. Two districts of structures built by the first CCC state park camp in Minnesota are on the NRHP.[84] | ||
Schoolcraft State Park | Cass and Itasca | 141 acres (57 ha) | 1959 | Mississippi River | Honors Henry Schoolcraft, who charted the origins of the Mississippi River with the Ojibwe guide Ozawindib. Preserves virgin pine forest that includes a white pine over 300 years old.[85] | ||
Sibley State Park | Kandiyohi | 2,540 acres (1,030 ha) | 1919 | Lake Andrew and other kettle lakes | Honors Henry Hastings Sibley, the first governor of Minnesota, with a popular recreational lakeshore and a morainal landscape.[86] A district of CCC structures is on the NRHP.[87] | ||
Soudan Underground Mine State Park | St. Louis | 974 acres (394 ha) | 1963 | Lake Vermilion | Offers tours of Minnesota's oldest, deepest, and richest iron mine and a modern high energy physics laboratory. The mine is a National Historic Landmark.[88] | ||
Split Rock Creek State Park | Pipestone | 947 acres (383 ha) | 1937 | Split Rock Lake | Features a recreational reservoir on the Coteau des Prairies.[89] | ||
Split Rock Lighthouse State Park | Lake | 2,112 acres (855 ha) | 1945 | Lake Superior, Split Rock River | Surrounds the clifftop Split Rock Lighthouse, one of the most photographed lighthouses in the United States.[90] The lighthouse is a National Historic Landmark and the Madeira shipwreck is on the NRHP. | ||
Temperance River State Park | Cook | 1,134 acres (459 ha) | 1957 | Lake Superior, Temperance and Cross Rivers | Showcases the deep, narrow gorge of the Temperance River (so named for its lack of a "bar" at its mouth) and Carlton Peak, a rock climbing area.[91] | ||
Tettegouche State Park | Lake | 8,998 acres (3,641 ha) | 1979 | Lake Superior and Baptism River | Encompasses the tallest waterfall within the state's borders, the iconic headlands of Palisade Head and Shovel Point, and a historic fishing camp which is on the NRHP.[92] | ||
Upper Sioux Agency State Park | Yellow Medicine | 1,065 acres (431 ha) | 1963 | Minnesota and Yellow Medicine Rivers | Interprets the site of the agency that administered a Dakota Indian reservation until it was destroyed during the Dakota War of 1862.[93] | ||
Whitewater State Park | Winona | 1,672 acres (677 ha) | 1919 | Whitewater River | Showcases a popular steep-sided river valley in the Driftless Area.[94] A large district of CCC and WPA structures is on the NRHP.[95] | ||
Wild River State Park | Chisago | 6,574 acres (2,660 ha) | 1973 | St. Croix River | Follows 18 miles (29 km) of one of the first waterways designated a National Wild and Scenic River.[96] | ||
William O'Brien State Park | Washington | 1,783 acres (722 ha) | 1947 | St. Croix River | Provides outdoor recreation opportunities near Minneapolis – Saint Paul.[97] | ||
Zippel Bay State Park | Lake of the Woods | 2,826 acres (1,144 ha) | 1959 | Lake of the Woods | Provides water recreation and birdwatching opportunities on the shore of the country's sixth largest lake.[98] |
The state park system includes eight waysides, most of them along Minnesota State Highway 61 on the North Shore.[99] These are parcels of land too small to be full-fledged parks, but with cultural or natural resources greater than would be overseen by the Minnesota Department of Transportation as highway waysides. Generally development is limited to a parking area and a short trail; sometimes there are sanitation facilities and picnic tables as well.[4]
Wayside name | County | Date estab- lished[4]:299 |
Coordinates | Remarks[100] | Image |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Caribou Falls State Wayside | Lake | 1947 | Includes a waterfall on the Caribou River. Formerly Caribou Falls State Park.[4]:166 | ||
Devils Track Falls State Wayside | Cook | 1961 | A nearly inaccessible gorge on the Devil Track River within Superior National Forest. Formerly Devils Track Falls State Park.[4]:209 | ||
Flood Bay State Wayside | Lake | 1965 | A rocky Lake Superior beach just outside Two Harbors.[4]:248 | ||
Inspiration Peak State Wayside | Otter Tail | 1931 | The highest point of the Leaf Hills Moraines.[4]:95 | ||
Joseph R. Brown State Wayside | Renville | 1937 | The ruins of Joseph R. Brown's three-story mansion, destroyed during the Dakota War of 1862.[4]:134 | ||
Kodonce River State Wayside | Cook | 1947 | Lake Superior shoreline around the mouth of the variably spelled Kadunce River. Formerly Kodonce River State Park.[4]:166 | ||
Ray Berglund State Wayside | Cook | 1951 | A memorial at the mouth of the Onion River to a St. Paul businessman and conservationist, on land donated by his friends.[4]:173 | ||
Sam Brown State Wayside | Traverse | 1929 | Created to honor Joseph R. Brown's son Samuel J. Brown, "the Paul Revere of the West," who rode 120 miles (190 km) through a storm on April 19, 1866 to warn of an expected Dakota attack. Formerly Sam Brown State Park.[4]:88 |
Trail name | Trailheads[7] | Length in miles (km)[7] | Surface | Remarks |
---|---|---|---|---|
Arrowhead State Trail | Tower – International Falls | 135 miles (217 km) | Unpaved | Serves primarily as a winter snowmobile route, branching off the Taconite State Trail.[101] |
Blazing Star State Trail | Albert Lea – Myre-Big Island State Park | 6 miles (9.7 km) | Paved | Planned to continue to Austin and connect with the Shooting Star State Trail.[102] |
Blufflands State Trail: Harmony-Preston Valley Segment | Harmony – Preston | 18 miles (29 km) | Paved | Climbs out of the Root River Valley.[103] |
Blufflands State Trail: Root River Segment | Fountain – Houston | 42 miles (68 km) | Paved | Extends along the Root River.[104] |
Casey Jones State Trail | Pipestone – Murray County, Lake Shetek State Park – Currie |
19 miles (31 km) | Partly paved | Invokes legendary train engineer Casey Jones in three unconnected segments that reflect railroad and pioneer history.[105] |
Central Lakes State Trail | Osakis – Fergus Falls | 55 miles (89 km) | Paved | Skirts a series of glacially formed lakes in Central Minnesota and connects to the Lake Wobegon Trails.[106] |
Cuyuna Lakes State Trail | Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area | 6 miles (9.7 km) | Paved | Wends through a regenerating open-pit mining area and connects with several mountain biking trails.[107] |
Douglas State Trail | Pine Island – Rochester | 13 miles (21 km) | Parallel paved and unpaved | Stretches through the rural scenery of a rich agricultural region.[108] |
Gateway State Trail | St. Paul – Pine Point Regional Park | 18 miles (29 km) | Paved with 10 miles (16 km) of parallel unpaved | Extends from an urban setting to a rural park near Stillwater.[109] |
Gitchi-Gami State Trail | Gooseberry Falls State Park – Beaver Bay, Schroeder – Tofte |
25 miles (40 km) | Paved | Runs along the shore of Lake Superior in multiple unconnected segments. Planned to run continuously from Two Harbors to Grand Marais.[110] |
Glacial Lakes State Trail | Hawick – Willmar | 22 miles (35 km) | Parallel paved and unpaved | Traverses gently rolling glacial landforms.[111] |
Goodhue Pioneer State Trail | Red Wing – Hay Creek Township, Zumbrota |
10 miles (16 km) | Paved with some parallel unpaved | Exists in two sections, but planned to run from Red Wing to Pine Island.[112] |
Great River Ridge State Trail | Plainview – Eyota | 13 miles (21 km) | Paved with some parallel unpaved | Wends past the river bluffs of the Driftless Area.[113] |
Heartland State Trail | Park Rapids – Cass Lake | 49 miles (79 km) | Paved with some parallel unpaved | Passes through mixed northern forests, intersecting with the Paul Bunyan State Trail.[114] |
Luce Line State Trail | Plymouth – Cosmos | 63 miles (101 km) | Unpaved | Stretches from the Minneapolis suburbs out to a rural landscape.[115] |
Minnesota Valley State Trail | Shakopee – Belle Plain | 42 miles (68 km) | Mostly unpaved | Follows the Minnesota River.[116] |
North Shore State Trail | Duluth – Grand Marais | 146 miles (235 km) | Unpaved | Traverses the inland backcountry of the North Shore, primarily as a winter snowmobile route.[117] |
Paul Bunyan State Trail | Brainerd – Lake Bemidji State Park | 112 miles (180 km) | Paved | Comprises one of the country's longest continuously paved trails, with a planned extension to Crow Wing State Park. Intersects with the Heartland State Trail.[118] |
Sakatah Singing Hills State Trail | Faribault – Mankato | 39 miles (63 km) | Paved with some parallel unpaved | Follows the Cannon River and passes through Sakatah Lake State Park.[119] |
Shooting Star State Trail | LeRoy – Adams | 14 miles (23 km) | Paved | Crosses open country and passes through Lake Louise State Park.[120] |
Taconite State Trail | Grand Rapids – Ely | 155 miles (249 km) | Mostly unpaved | Serves primarily as a winter snowmobile route, intersecting with the Arrowhead State Trail.[121] |
Willard Munger State Trail | Hinckley – Duluth, Wrenshall – Carlton, Chengwatana State Forest – Holyoke |
76 miles (122 km) | Paved | Honors state legislator and trail advocate Willard Munger with a trail system of three segments.[122] |
Several units added to the Minnesota state park system over the years have since been redesignated or transferred to other agencies, including the system's very first unit, Camp Release State Memorial Wayside, created in 1889. In most cases these decisions were due to the unit being too small for a state park with little chance of expansion, or largely local use rather than attracting visitors from all over the state and beyond.[4] Four of these units were redesignated as state waysides and are listed above.[4][100] The other former units were:
Former name | Date established |
Date redesignated |
Result |
---|---|---|---|
Alexander Ramsey State Park[4]:43[123] | 1911 | 1957 | Transferred to Redwood Falls as a city park. |
Birch Cooley Battle Field State Memorial Park[4]:15 | 1929 | 1976 | Transferred to Minnesota Historical Society. |
Camp Release State Memorial Wayside[4]:337 | 1889 | 1975 | Redesignated Camp Release State Monument. |
Chippewa Mission State Memorial Wayside[4]:94 | 1931 | 1973 | Transferred to Minnesota Historical Society. |
Horace Austin State Park[4]:44[124] | 1913 | 1949 | Transferred to Austin as a city park. |
Garvin Heights State Park[4]:76 | 1922 | 1961 | Transferred to Winona as a city park. |
Kaplan Woods State Park[4]:98[125] | 1935 | 1963 | Part demolished to build a highway, remainder transferred to Owatonna as a city park. |
Little Elbow Lake State Park[4]:230 | 1963 | 1989 | Transferred to White Earth Indian Reservation. |
Old Crossing Treaty Historic Wayside[4]:96 | 1931 | 1987 | Parts transferred to Red Lake County and University of Minnesota Crookston, remainder added to Huot Wildlife Management Area. |
Oronoco Park (later Oronoco State Scenic Reserve)[4]:130[126] | 1937 | 1965 | Transferred to Olmsted County. |
Pine Tree State Park[4]:165 | 1947 | 1965 | Transferred to Blackduck as a city park. |
Pomme de Terre Recreational Reserve[4]:122 | 1937 | 1965 | Transferred to Morris as a city park. |
Sleepy Eye State Park[4]:70 | 1921 | 1965 | Transferred to Sleepy Eye as a city park. |
Toqua Lakes State Park[4]:51 | 1921 | 1965 | Transferred to Big Stone County as a county park. |
Traverse des Sioux State Park[4]:29 | 1905 | 1981 | Transferred to Minnesota Historical Society and city of St. Peter. |
Watson State Wayside[4]:136 | 1941 | 1959 | Transferred to Watson as a city park. |
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