Minnesota's Greatest State Parks

Few other states have park systems that can compare to Minnesota’s 72 state parks and recreation areas. Our largest parks, such as Itasca and St. Croix, rival some national parks for size and features. You don’t have to travel far—hardly any spot in Minnesota is more than 50 miles from a state park. These are our 10 favorite parks for just about any pastime.

Itasca
Itasca is Minnesota’s oldest state park and, at 32,690 acres, its second-largest. Certainly it has the most to do, with trails to hike and bike, lakes to swim and canoe, and plenty of sites for camping and backpacking. You can rest in century-old Douglas Lodge. Or hop stone-to-stone across the Mississippi headwaters, a mere brook with 2,552 miles to go to reach the Gulf of Mexico. On 11-mile-long Wilderness Drive you’ll wind beneath towering red and white pine. Follow the Aiton Heights Trail to the old fire tower, which you can climb for a tremendous view. Even better than taking Wilderness Drive by car is riding it by bicycle. Don’t have a bike of your own? Rent one from Itasca Sports near the headwaters. 

Pillow & Plate: Stay at Douglas Lodge (866-857-2757, www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/itasca/lodging/index.html). Its restaurant serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner, including wine and beer.

Tettegouche
Tettegouche is the biggest park on the North Shore (9,346 acres), with the greatest range of stuff to do, from hiking to sea kayaking. A short walk onto Shovel Point provides spectacular views of Lake Superior and the shoreline cliffs. Kids love exploring the cobble beach at the mouth of the Baptism River. Hiking trails lead along the river to views of rapids and waterfalls. Twenty-three miles of trails include a 12-mile section of the Superior Hiking Trail that runs the length of the park, with overlooks to the lake and wooded valleys. Kayakers can camp along the shoreline. 

Pillow & Plate: Plan far in advance or travel in the off-season to a hike-in cabin on Mic Mac Lake (866-857-2757, www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/tettegouche/tettegouche_camp/index.html). If the cabins are booked, Lutsen Lodge (5700 W. Hwy. 61, Lutsen, 218-663-7212, lutsenresort.com) is the classic North Shore lodge on Superior. Its dining room does the basics proud.

Forestville/Mystery Cave
Forestville/Mystery Cave State Park (3,170 acres) sits on the edge of Minnesota’s “coulee country,” a land of deep valleys, tall bluffs, hardwood-covered hills, and rolling farmland. Groundwater has honeycombed the limestone bedrock, creating trout streams and caverns. Hard-core spelunkers explore the deepest crannies of Mystery Cave, but most visitors opt for the one-hour cave tour. Be prepared for the 48-degree chill. Also worth checking out is the ghost town of Forestville. Walk the streets of town as they might have existed in 1899. Costumed guides play townspeople. Seventeen miles of hiking trails lace the park. 

Pillow & Plate: Rest your head at the James A. Thompson House B&B (401 Parkway Ave. S., Lanesboro, 507-467-2253, jamesathompsonhouse.com). For dinner, visit Old Village Hall Restaurant and Pub (111 Coffee St., 507-467-2962, oldvillagehall.com).

Blue Mounds
This state park (1,826 acres) erupts unexpectedly from the farmland of the southwest. A long cliff of Sioux quartzite, 100 feet high and the color of a raw steak, affords a breathtaking view of the surrounding countryside—clear into Iowa and South Dakota. Follow 13 miles of hiking trails through big bluestem grass, prickly-pear cactus, and other native prairie plants to get a feel for what the area’s land once looked like. Adding to the illusion is a herd of about 80 bison roaming a 500-acre grassland pasture. Visitors can tour the one-time home of the late Minnesota author Frederick Manfred. 

Don’t Miss: About four miles south of the park entrance is the gallery of Minnesota nature photographer Jim Brandenburg (213 E. Luverne St., Luverne, 507-283-1884).

Jay Cooke
Jay Cooke State Park (8,818 acres) near Duluth is an ideal destination for trail lovers, with 50 miles of hiking trails, 13 miles of mountain bike trails, and 8 miles of paved trail crisscrossing the rugged landscape along the St. Louis River. The dark bedrock here tilted to nearly vertical, creating an otherworldly aspect to the river gorge. Right outside the visitors’ center, a trail leads to a swinging suspension footbridge that stretches over the rapids of the St. Louis. The Ogantz Trail leads to an overlook that gives a view upstream to the steep, broad cataracts of the lower St. Louis, one of the most impressive river vistas in the state. Park trails join Willard Munger State Trail, a popular biking route that runs between Hinckley and Duluth. 

Pillow & Plate: Five rustic year-round one-room camper cabins with electricity are open for Jay Cooke visitors (866-857-2757, www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/camper_cabin_list.html). Northern Waters Smokehaus (394 Lake Ave. S., Duluth, 218-724-7307, nwsmokehaus.com) is the place for provisions—a wide range of meats, from local bison and pork to lake trout and whitefish, is smoked on the premises.

George Crosby Manitou
George Crosby Manitou (6,682 acres) is unique among Minnesota state parks. It’s a backpacking and hiking park—no cars go past the parking lot. Your reward is peace and quiet, and some of the finest day hiking in the state. One trail leads into the rapids-filled gorge of the Manitou River, nearly to Lake Superior, through the deep shade of old-growth cedar and birch. Other trails cross the high granite hills overlooking the river canyon. Bare outcrops provide broad vistas of Lake Superior. Backpackers can pitch their tent along the Manitou. It’s one of the great camping experiences in the state park system. Fish for trout in the river or nearby Benson Lake. 

Pillow & Plate: Bluefin Bay Resort (7126 Hwy. 61, Tofte, 218-663-8032, bluefinbay.com) is a nice reward after a day of trail work. Its Coho Cafe offers great pizzas and other casual fare.

Garden Island State Recreation Area
As parks go, Garden Island State Recreation Area isn’t great, but it is the place to get away—from just about everything. It’s a low, sandy island (just 734 acres) on Lake of the Woods, about four miles offshore from the Northwest Angle, the odd bump at the top of Minnesota. About the only people who visit are anglers. The long sand beach is the place to watch pelicans, cormorants, gulls, terns, and bald eagles. Other island critters include deer, bears, beavers, mink, otters, and even wolves. The island got its name from the gardens Ojibwe Indians tended here since the earliest days of the fur trade, before the dam at Kenora raised the water level and cut the place off from the mainland. Two things to keep in mind: There is no camping on Garden Island, and travel to the Northwest Angle (through Canada) requires a passport. 

Pillow & Plate: Sleep and sup at Angle Outpost Resort (8206 Dawson Rd., Angle Inlet, 218-223-8101, angleoutpost.com).

Maplewood
Maplewood is a big park (9,250 acres) with plenty to see and do. But because it’s located in west-central Minnesota, off the beaten vacation path, it doesn’t draw as many visitors. Too bad, because the landscape is beautiful, with rugged glacial hills, hardwood forest, patches of open woodland and prairie, and sparkling lakes set among hills. The variety of landscape makes for great wildlife and bird watching. The park has 25 miles of hiking trails and 20 miles of horseback riding trails. Campsites are available on several lakes. The south arm of Lake Lida is a good spot for picnicking and swimming. Lakes in the park offer fishing for walleye, northern pike, largemouth bass, and even some big muskie. 

Pillow: Two seasonal camper cabins are a great choice (866-857-2757, www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/camper_cabin_list.html).

Minnesota Valley State Recreation Area
Even though it’s located just a short drive from the Twin Cities, this recreational area (5,490 acres) southwest of Shakopee is an uncommonly wild area of sprawling bottomland forests and wetlands flanking the Minnesota River. Common woodland denizens include white-tailed deer, Canada geese, wild turkeys, red and gray fox, beavers, and raccoons. Even cougars have been spotted in the area. It’s wild! Hiking trails total 47 miles, mountain bike trails 35 miles. There are also 30 miles of horseback riding trails. 

Family Fun: Don’t have horses of your own? Go trail riding with River Valley Horse Ranch (16480 Jonathan Carver Pkwy., Carver, 952-361-3361, rivervalleyhorseranch.com). A two-hour ride ($45) takes you on private trails along the Minnesota River.

St. Croix
The state’s biggest park (more than 34,037 acres) stands out as a great place for canoeing, and you can rent a canoe right at the park office (320-384-6591). The St. Croix National Scenic Riverway slides down the eastern border of the park. The Kettle River, Minnesota’s first designated Wild and Scenic River, flows in from the northwest. Both make for great day trips—and fast-paced boulder-dodging runs when the water is high enough. Several canoe camping sites make overnights possible. St. Croix has plenty of wild terrain, with bears, deer, bobcats, and even timber wolves. Climb a fire tower at the western end for a dramatic view of the Bear Creek valley. You would need days to cover all the trails—127 miles by foot, 21 miles by mountain bike, and 75 miles by horseback. 

Pillow: One cabin and two larger guesthouses are available (866-857-2757, www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/st_croix/camping.html).