Richard J. Dorer Memorial Hardwood State Forest

Richard J. Dorer Memorial Hardwood State Forest

Geography
Location Dakota, Goodhue, Wabasha, Winona, Olmsted, Houston, and Fillmore counties, Minnesota, United States
Area 1,016,204 acres (4,112.43 km2; 1,587.819 sq mi)
Established 1961
Governing body Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Private
Ecology
WWF Classification Upper Midwest forest-savanna transition
EPA Classification Driftless Area
Map
Richard J. Dorer Memorial Hardwood State Forest

The Richard J. Dorer Memorial Hardwood State Forest is a 1,016,204 acres (4,112.43 km2) reserve of current and former forest in Minnesota's Driftless Area. Only 45,000 acres (180 km2) of the land is state owned, with the remainder owned by private individuals and community groups, governed by easements. Non-contiguous units are spread over seven counties ( Dakota, Fillmore, Goodhue, Olmsted, Houston, Wabasha, and Winona Counties), generally in areas just west of the Mississippi River, but extending much further west into the valleys of the Root and Zumbro Rivers.

A wide variety of recreational activities are offered. Camping, fishing, horseback riding trails (including horse picket lines and corrals); an extensive network of hiking and nature trails (including a wheelchair-accessible trail), and off-highway vehicle trails.

It is named in honor of a former Commissioner of Conservation.

Sources