Not a ton of trails. Has some nice hills which provides an overlook of the prairie. Part of the…read moretrail was along the river, which with recent rain, was too waterlogged for us to use. We were able to find a 2-3mile path which took us through the woods and onto the prairie. Not the best of MN State Parks but still nice and well maintained.

Beautiful campground! All areas around the campground were…read morevery well maintained. Restrooms/showers were spacious, clean and plenty of hot water during showers. Campsite spots are Huge! Pretty sure the biggest spots of any campground I've been to and #9 the spot we camped has its own road leading to it so it's completely private from foot/vehicle traffic. Around 5 miles of trails from prairie hills to wooded trails across streams leading to the Des Moines River. Well marked and wide paths make it an enjoyable hike. Can't go wrong with a weekend at this campground

The setting and surroundings of Olson Park are absolutely fantastic!…read more I tell ya...for just quickly visiting and hanging out here for a couple of hours, this Olson Park was so well maintained! I'll say it again, lol, very well maintained!! The park is flush with green grass and is situated right by a scenic lake. Too bad I wasn't spending the night here because they offer camping. And...I am a camping enthusiast! I was here at Olson Park back at the end of June 2021 and the conditions were truly pleasant. I honestly felt like taking a blanket out of my car and having a midday nap underneath a tree, lol. I really can't say enough good things about this park. Before I do...I'll just provide some insight and details about where Olson Park is located and some of the worthwhile benefits it offers that make it such a worthwhile destination for enjoying nature and the outdoors. Olson Park is located in the town of Worthington, Minnesota. Worthington sits about 175 miles southwest of Minneapolis and only 10 miles north from the border with Iowa. It's situated about 3 miles outside downtown Worthington. I was traveling down through Minnesota along my 2021 cross country road trip. Eventually I was heading into Sioux Falls, South Dakota and further west towards Badlands National Park and the Mount Rushmore area. Along my driving for half the day, I was just a little fatigued and pulled off Interstate 90 and figured why not take some time to relax at a park and rest up before continuing on my journey. I discovered Olson Park through the wonderful app on my phone called Campendium. Upon arriving here, I was surprised they offered camping. I just figured this place was a quiet town park where you could come play some ball, have a picnic or just simply go fishing by the lake. Well cool...this Olson Park was perfect and ideal for camping! The best part being that you can set up your tent along all the fluffy and lush green grass which definitely make a for comfortable night sleep. Plus...I can't tell you enough how clean this park was! Seriously it was like out of a fresh springtime catalogue for a photo album! Lol, just reflecting back on my pictures invoke warm memories. Too bad...I should have just camped out for the night. But instead, I took it easy for a few hours before returning back to Interstate 90. Also...there wasn't a cloud in the sky during my time here. The sun reflected down on the lake's waters making for a wonderful ambiance. The campsites located next to the lake were efficiently set up. Just taking pictures of the park with the lake in the background was beautiful. For camping... - Campsites 1 - 12 w/ electric hook-up was $33 for the night. - Campsites 13 - 63 w/ electric hook-up was $28 per night. - Campsites 64 - 68 without electric hook-up was only $22 per night. All these sites were very reasonable and fairly priced for camping out at such a well-maintained park! You can book a reservation by calling 507-372-8600 Monday thru Friday. If there isn't a campsite occupied, then it's first come, first served. For spontaneous campers coming here on a whim, once you find an unoccupied site, simply claim it and then drop the fee into the courtesy box on the east side of the office if no attendant is around. And that's it, you're good to go! Here are some other terrific amenities about Olson Park... - They have a shower house with flush toilets, so no vault toilets are always a good thing, lol. - Cell phone reception worked perfectly here. - You can bring swimming apparel to enjoy the waters of the lake. - There were picnic tables situated all around. During my visit here on June 30, the park was empty. It was so quiet for such a picturesque park. And btw, it's always a benefit not having too many campers occupying the grounds. Overall...having tons of green grass, trees situated all around, good shade and a calm setting made this Olson Park to be an absolute winner in my book. I can't remember finding a better campground along my entire 5-month journey across the United States! For those who happen to be driving Interstate 90 and or making their way through the southern portion of Minnesota during their travels, I can't recommend Olson Park enough, so refreshing to discover this hidden gem of a park and campground.

Beautiful park and very nice for camping. Stayed here on our way out to South Dakota. Will…read moredefinitely stay again.

Nice addition to the area. It's not in too bad of shape after the mining operation left. The water…read moreis clear and full of fish. Plenty of mature greenery and rolling hills. The beach needs some improvements before I'd recommend it for a family. The water depth drops off quickly, the beach itself is steep and ungraded, and there are no picnic tables/grills or anything like that. Overall, as long as you are OK with and expecting a rustic undeveloped experience, you will like this place! It really is beautiful!

The Spirit Lake Fish Hatchery is located between East Lake Okoboji and Spirit Lake. This facility…read morecollects, spawns, incubates, and raises walleye for use throughout the state. Each year between 60 and 70 million walleye fry are hatched at this facility. My son and I love to come here every year. There's a neat aquarium in the lobby that's stocked with a variety of local fish. And depending on what's going on, many of the fish tanks on the floor are fully accessible for viewing. The DNR staff has always been very friendly and willing to explain almost anything about their jobs. Of course in a resort area such as this, there are many other options, such as Arnold's Amusement Park, swimming at Pikes Point, etc. But also this area is about the Lakes as natural resources and this place kind of grounds our entire experience here.

This is a cute little park just down the road from my parent's cabin on Big Spirit Lake. It's just…read moreNorth of where the old Jeff and Mabel's Grocery Store used to be and features a small play area, a dock and a bench to watch the sunset. The park itself is an unexpected treat and another example of decent lake access for those who aren't lucky enough to own shore line property.

Gull Point State Park is on the west side of West Lake Okoboji and is considered to be the Grand…read moreDame of the state parks within this resort region. It's a large and pretty area with a nice beach, surrounding Burr Oak forest areas, winding hiking trails, and a restored rustic lodge. Lake Patrol and DNR operations are also headquartered here, as is a local scout camp which I attended one summer. Our family prefers Pikes Point State Park because it's closer and easier to work into our day. However, if you want a larger place to play, with a little more to do (including fishing), and on the same blue water Lake, then Gull Point is the place for family fun.

We rented two camp sites for seven people (2 adults and 5 kids). We adhered to the two tents/4…read morepeople per site rule. However, the DNR counted one of our tents as three tents, simply because it was three dome tents, and made us rent a third site. The worst part was how rude the lady was. She wouldn't even listen to me when I tried to show her the tent bag, indicating it was one tent. She acted as if we were criminals. Since there was NO two way conversation allowed, I indicated that we would pay for the extra site but would never be back, at which point she said "That's fine." Worst customer service ever! Three sites for 2 adults and five kids. Really? I don't recommend this place at all! There are way better places to stay in the Okoboji area!

Memorial Park is the one you see on your right as you first drive into Spirit Lake from…read moreEstherville. This is perhaps one of Spirit Lake's larger parks and perhaps its best. There's also a long and scenic walking path along East Lake Okoboji as you also approach the park from that direction. One of my fondest childhood memories was the old toboggan run that you could take from the park to the lake in the winter. Public safety standards would never allow that today, and I'm no worse for wear from my experiences. Besides great lake access, views, and lots of walking opportunities, Memorial park features a shelter house, pedestrian access under the highway, a horseshoe court, playground equipment, 2 handicap-accessible piers, park benches, picnic tables, grills, basketball court, and handicap-accessible restrooms.

We always enjoy coming to Emerson Bay Campground. Lots of sights with different hookups…read more I do wish people would treat this park better. We pay for this park through our tax dollars, why won't you want to keep it clean. The state doesn't have the staff or money to hire people to pickup after all the campers. When we pulled into site 56 I picked up a grocery sack of garbage and the fire pits had trash in it. Thanks to the De Jong family for not caring enough to clean up the site when you left.

This place was an awesome kayaking spot. A bit windy for Spirit Lake so we looked for other…read moreoptions. The DNR was No help. Looked for a map, nada. Not like Wisco there's a map for everything on the DNR website. So we decided to head to the office. Closed but the road led us to this spot. We glamped at Marble Beach and the road I think it's 125th street is right up the road on the left. Pack some cold ones and enjoy.

One evening a few week ago, Gayle and the Kid stayed at home, while I was given permission to…read morewander around to various Iowa Great Lakes sites. I toured around the Lakeside Lab, stopped in at Vic's Corner and then decided to explore the back country a little bit. After you move beyond the major lakes here, there are a lot of small prairie lakes and associated wet lands. And since I didn't hunt or really fish growing up, I actually missed a lot of this cultural territory. It really was a pretty drive, especially late in the day. I went North on Highway 86 and turned right towards Welsh Lake. After that, I angled up to Kettleson Hogsback, and the spine road that travels between Hottes and Marble Lake. There's also a DNR Wildlife HQ (including home and corporate yard) and lots of bird houses. It was fun to pause and look, and then wander on somewhere else. And since Iowa's roads pretty much run on a square grid system, there's at least a gravel road every mile, and very little chance of getting lost. The name Hogsback comes from the linear and glacial plateau which resembles the ridge between the shoulders of a hog. This hogsback rises 40 feet and separates Marble Lake from Hottes Lake and can be seen from the access road. This area has shallow lakes, marshes, uplands, and woods, making it a great wildlife viewing site due to its variety. Hottes Lake is also an excellent site for canoeing and kayaking, and an opportunity to get closer to wildlife. And in the winter, a brisk cross country skiing trip, would complete the 4 season perspective on this hidden backwater jewel of the Iowa Great Lakes Region.

Located on the north shore of Big Spirit Lake, Mini-Wakan State park offers the user a boat ramp…read moreand several areas to fish along the shoreline. Mini-Wakan also borders the area commonly referred to as "the grade", which provides great shoreline fishing access. Mini-Wakan has an open picnic shelter available on a first come/first serve basis. Fundraising for a major upgrade of this park is underway. Mini-Wakan in many ways is a forgotten State Park as it's small, isolated, and limited to occasional picnics and boat launches. Plus the true fisherman are at the Grade down the road. When I drove in a few weeks ago, there was just a lone DNR truck and a lot of No Parking signs (?). However, it's very pretty up here and if you're so inclined the Iowa Great Lakes trail runs right outside the Park entrance and into Minnesota and beyond.