Parks & Monuments
Minnesota State Parks
Open year-round, Minnesota State Parks and recreation areas showcase the diverse and abundant natural resources of the “Land of 10,000 Lakes.” State parks offer a variety of educational and recreational programs, and activities such as camping, swimming, fishing, hiking, picnicking, birdwatching, canoeing, kayaking, biking, and cross-country skiing.
For a complete list and maps, visit the Department of Natural Resources' (DNR) park finder.
Afton (Metro) Hastings
Banning (NE) Sandstone
Bear Head Lake (NE) Ely
Beaver Creek Valley (S) Caledonia
Big Bog State Recreation Area (NW) Waskish
Big Stone Lake (S) Ortonville
Blue Mounds (S) Luverne
Buffalo River (NW) Glyndon
Camden (S) Lynd
Carley (S) Altura
Cascade River (NE) Lutsen
Charles A. Lindbergh (NW) Little Falls
Crow Wing (NW) Brainerd
Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area (NW) Ironton
Father Hennepin (NE) Isle
Flandrau (S) New Ulm
Forestville/Mystery Cave (S) Preston
Fort Ridgely (S) Fairfax
Fort Snelling (Metro) St. Paul
Franz Jevne (NE) Birchdale
Frontenac (S) Frontenac
Garden Island State Recreation Area (NW) Williams
George H. Crosby Manitou (NE) Silver Bay
Glacial Lakes (NW) Starbuck
Glendalough (NW) Battle Lake
Gooseberry Falls (NE) Two Harbors
Grand Portage (NE) Grand Portage
Great River Bluffs (S) Winona
Greenleaf Lake State Recreation Area (S) Hutchinson
Hayes Lake (NW) Roseau
Hill Annex Mine (NE) Big Fork
Interstate (Metro) Taylors Falls
Iron Range Off-Highway Vehicle State Recreation Area (NE) Gilbert
Itasca (NW)Park Rapids
Jay Cooke (NE) Carlton
John A. Latsch (S) Winona
Judge C.R. Magney (NE) Grand Marais
Kilen Woods (S) Lakefield
La Salle Lake State Recreation Area (NW) Park Rapids
Lac qui Parle (S) Watson
Lake Bemidji (NW) Bemidji
Lake Bronson (NW) Lake Bronson
Lake Carlos (NW) Carlos
Lake Louise (S) Preston
Lake Maria (Metro) Monticello
Lake Shetek (S) Currie
Lake Vermillion (NE) Soudan Underground Mine State Park
Maplewood (NW) Pelican Rapids
McCarthy Beach (NE) Side Lake
Mille Lacs Kathio (NW) Onamia
Minneopa (S) Mankato
Minnesota Valley State Recreation Area (Metro) Jordan
Monson Lake (NE)Sunburg
Moose Lake (NE) Moose Lake
Myre-Big Island (S) Albert Lea
Nerstrand Big Woods (S) Nerstrand
Old Mill (NW) Argyle
Red River State Recreation Area (NW) East Grand Forks
Rice Lake (S) Owatonna
St. Croix Islands State Recreation Area (Metro) Marine on St. Croix
St. Croix (NE) Hinckley
Sakatah Lake (S) Waterville
Savanna Portage (NE) McGregor
Scenic (NE) Bigfork
Schoolcraft (N) Deer River
Sibley (S) New London
Soudan Underground Mine (NE) Soudan
Split Rock Creek (S) Jasper
Split Rock Lighthouse (NE) Two Harbors
Temperance River (NE) Schroeder
Tettegouche (NE) Silver Bay
Upper Sioux Agency (S) Granite Falls
Whitewater (S) Altura
Wild River (Metro) Center City
William O’Brien (Metro) Marine on St. Croix
Zippel Bay (NW) Williams
National Parks, Monuments and Recreation Areas
- Grand Portage National Monument Grand Portage
- Mississippi National River and Recreation Area St. Paul
- North Country National Scenic Trail (runs through several states including Minnesota) Madison, WI
- Pipestone National Monument Pipestone
- Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway (runs through Minnesota and Wisconsin) Saint Croix Falls, WI
- Voyageurs National Park International Falls