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.

Just a fun little museum and historical exhibit a short bike or car ride from Lake Shetek. We…read morestopped by during a camping trip and the kids had a blast climbing around and then picnicking at the tables. I wouldn't go out of my way unless you're a huge railroad buff, but it's a great little stop to break any journey past Currie. And very inexpensive, totally worth it at $5 per.

End-O-Line Railroad Park & Museum is a hidden gem! If you are in the area this is worth the stop…read more It is off the beaten travel path a bit, but worth the effort to drive a short distance to see this location. A lot of history here with many out buildings, but the focal point here is railroad history. The town of Currie marked the end of the line for the Chicago Northwestern Railroad. This line was originally supposed to go through to South Dakota but with lines going through Tracy on the north and Slayton on the south, they didn't see a need to continue the tracks past Currie. The turntable was built in 1901 and was used to turn the steam engines around to head back to Bingham Lake. The turntable is on the National Register of Historic Sites and is the only one left in the state of Minnesota, on the original site, still operable, and always turned by man power - it was never hooked up to steam or horses. This is a seasonal museum (Memorial Day - Labor Day) and is open 10 am to 5 pm Wednesday - Saturday and 1 - 5 pm on Sunday's. They do offer off season tours for groups but you need to make prior arrangements. Allow plenty of time when stopping here. There is a lot of history to see and absorb. They also offer picnic grounds, very nice and clean restrooms, a gift shop and playground area for the kids. Our family was so very glad we took the time to tour this museum. It is fun for all ages and very informative. There is an admittance fee of $5 for those 18 and over, students 6 - 17 receive a $3 reduced fee and kids 5 and under are free. Well worth the stop if you are in the Currie area. Beautiful grounds and well kept exhibits. So heart warming to see a small town be able to maintain such a wonderful historic attraction. A must see!

Another stop on our quest to visit all MN state parks. This was the third of three parks in a day…read moreso we were very tired and only saw a small part of the park. We checked out the remains of the fort and learned about the people who lived there. The visitor center was still closed due to the pandemic but there were many placards around to read and learn. We took a short hike to a lookout point and found these amazing communal cocoons (my bug people say they are either gypsy or tent caterpillars). Views were beautiful. The area looked hilly and would have liked to see more. Best part about visiting all the parks is we get to see which areas are our favorites and visit again.

This is a state park and historic site as well, thus the name. There are ruins showing a much…read morelarger fort at one time and one preserved building and monument. Plenty of interpretive signs that have obviously been rewritten to reflect modern values of inclusive history. There are plenty of camping sites available in this seemingly very quiet park. The walking trails are generally in good shape until you go deeper in to the adjoining trails . There are steep hills and damp valleys and warning signs that trails are rougher. For reasons unknown many sections are closed and certainly it's not from flooding as the summer of 21' is drought stricken. One less star because of some poor or lacking signage and guide maps while at trail intersections. Pick up a paper map at the closed headquarters, (they are in a box), and use your phone compass if need be.

Just wow. It was my first time being on this side of South Dakota, having visited the Badlands and…read morethe Black Hills last year, and I had no idea what to expect! We headed out to South Dakota to attend a family wedding and added on a couple of days to go camping. I didn't know anything about this park but when we got there I was delighted by the maintenance, and the care of the park. It looks like there are areas where people can visit the park for day use and areas where people can stay, either in the cabins, the campgrounds, or the lodge. I was impressed by how many people we came across that come here to visit during the day. We saw many guests hiking the trails, relaxing in the water, and enjoying the outdoor grills. We found our campground and I loved that they made each campsite pretty private next to other campgrounds. We stayed at the King Campground, the newer one of the two campground areas, and you walk up to your area and it's a large flat grassy area with a picnic table and extra green space before walking down to the parking area. You have a good amount of privacy from the next campground over. I loved that, it was easily the most well thought out campground I've ever stayed in. We loved the fire pit and used it each night and morning. My boyfriend also managed to set up our hammocks on the trees near by for us to nap in in the shade. We brought our dog along for this trip and she did so well hiking with us along the trails and hanging out at the camp ground. The trails got a little iffy since there were off shoots from the trail that -seemed like it was part of the original course but we managed to make it through all trails without getting lost!! There are also a mixture of outhouse/compost like toilets that were cleaner than some I've come across at parks and hand sanitizer that was full as well. The main bathrooms and showers were a short distance from the campground and were clean! It was nice to be in nature but still have the option to use a regular toilet and shower! Another thing to note, the campground host here is wonderful! I can't remember his name now but he was great to talk to and learn how he and his wife got into hosting! This area of the camp was probably the best area to see the sunset. We got to see a couple of beautiful sunsets looking out over the park as our campground area was on a hill with no view obstruction. I was so impressed by this campground that I'm already hoping we go back sometime!

Absolutely beautiful area! We were there in 30 degree weather and will definitely be back in the…read morespring/summer to check things out again, we had a great time walking and checking out all the sites!

The park was great. It was very clean, and the people there were very friendly…read more I loved that there was no trash on the ground, and I loved all of the park equipment

Best known as one of the largest yet peaceful parks in Le Mars, West Floyd Park is home to…read moreplayground equipment, a picnic shelter with restrooms, a large baseball complex, a BMX race track and an extensive disc golf course. The West Floyd River, which flows near the park's Western Border, was named after Sergeant Floyd of the American Corps of Discovery Expedition. In addition to all of the amenities West Floyd Park has to offer, you can also take advantage of a well maintained paved trail. On a pleasant Summer day, you will find bikers and walkers trekking from the Le Mars Golf course, through West Floyd Park and out to the Wells' Enterprises Corporate Office and back again.

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.

It's hard for me to use the word "monument" here... When I think monument...I consider a monument…read moreto be something man made. To me this is more of just a gorgeous cutout of well kept and preserved natural landscape... A park. A vibrant scene. With over 400 native plant species, including big bluestem, little bluestem, and buffalo grass, the area teems with natural beauty. Stunning red stone bluffs and cliffs of Sioux Quartzite, a hard rock formed between 1.6 and 1.7 billion years ago.. A highlight of the area is Winnewissa Falls, a beautiful waterfall that cascades into Pipestone creek. Two main trails allow you to navigate this park. The Circle trail is a paved, 3/4-mile loop trail guides visitors to the key natural highlights including the quarries, historical markers, Old Stone Face, Winnewissa Falls, and the tallgrass prairie. The South Quarry trail is about 1/2 mile roundtrip, out and back on the same path, and it provides a look into the active quarrying pits where Indigenous people have been extracting pipestone for thousands of years. Both trails are easy to navigate and I'd consider them to be a very easy hike... And I'm not exactly athletic. Lol The paths are both paved and are considered wheelchair accessible. Parking is free, the lot is nice sized, and near the visitor center and restrooms. As you leave the lot heading towards the park you are basically at the starting point of the Circle trail. If you like a nice little walk... This is a great place to get out to and witness the enduring natural beauty of it's prairies, cliffs, and waterfalls, and explore remarkable geological formations... I'm willing to bet parts of the park are spectacular at sunset! And as long as you are in the area... Visit nearby Fort Pipestone and it's gift shop along with Keepers Gift Shop & Gallery!

We are enroute to Brookings, SD for football game and left a day early. Due to government shutdown,…read morethe visitor center is closed. I guess I missed a video and other displays. IDK. Stopped at a store in Pipestone and worker talked some about it. Today was a nice day in October and the place was very sparce with other visitors. The walking trail was short at .75 mile, so my spouse could handle it. It was very scenic and pretty. I read more about the monument from the brochure at the store downtown. It is also free to attend at all times.

This park is full of history and legend, combined with the beauty of the gulch and stream...!…read more The highlight of the park...! The legend of Jesse James's leap across the chasm to evade a posse! You can now walk across a bridge that spans the gap which brings this jump into perspective. The steep, quartzite walls, and rushing water make it easy to understand the legend's persistence. The feat's impossibility adds intrigue to the natural landscape! The park also features hiking trails with views of the river, wildflowers, and prairie grasses. A narrow path has been etched into the landscape by Split Rock Creek! A two-tiered waterfall creates a symphony of rushing water amidst the terrain. The path offers various viewing points of the rock formations and stream. The park offers discoveries, including the historical marker about Jesse James, the waterfall, and multiple rock formations. Devil's Gulch offers an adventure for those who appreciate local lore and natural beauty!

I went for the first time yesterday with my man and our Frenchie, "Bobo" after work and let me just…read moresay, it was a beautiful day. Meeting families enjoying the weather and the trails was a highlight as well. Get out there and enjoy!!!

Great park to spend a few hours in. There is a little zoo with elk, bison, goats and some birds…read more Lots of playgrounds and trails to burn your kiddos energy down. On top of that, there is a nice little walk to a small water fall. No entrance or parking fees. Rustic camping is an option as well if you are looking for a place to stay. Big hadd to find, the park is right on town. A good use of a few hours if you want to get outside.

The zoo is a nice touch. My 4 year absolutely loved it. Lots of trails for folks if all ages plus a…read moregood driving path to the waterfall if that's all you want to see. We had fun and can't wait to go back to explore more.