Parks around Brainerd

You will find something unique about a vacation in Minnesota's lake country. The six unique lakes, Gull Lake, the Whitefish Chain (Cross Lake), Big Sandy Lake, Pokegama Lake, Leech Lake, and Lake Winnibigoshish, are roughly bounded by a triangle from Brainerd to Bemidji to Grand Rapids in central Minnesota. Campfires and sunsets and the peacefulness of the water make each day a special event. Fro...

Mille Lacs National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1915 and is known as the smallest refuge in the National Wildlife Refuge System. The refuge is comprised of two small islands (0.57 acres total) over a mile from shore on Lake Mille Lacs in north-central Minnesota. The islands are boulder and gravel outcrops important for colonial nesting birds, including common terns, ring-billed and herring...

Crane Meadows National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1992 to preserve a large, natural wetland complex. The 1,825-acre refuge is located in central Minnesota and serves as an important stop for many species of migrating birds. It harbors one of the largest nesting populations of greater sandhill cranes in Minnesota. Habitats include native tallgrass prairie, oak savanna, and wetlands with de...

The country's longest continuous system of public urban parkways, this has been the preeminent urban parkway system for more than a century. Lovely parks, trails, lakes and parkways surround the city of Minneapolis. Enjoy the Chain of Lakes, Lake Nokomis, Lake Hiawatha, Minnehaha Falls, and much more.

####Outdoor Excitement in a Relaxing Setting#### The Gunflint Trail passes through the northeastern corner of Minnesota near the Canadian border. The pastoral landscape of the Superior National Forest is a quiet nature destination where animals outnumber people. Travel the Gunflint Trail and experience views of beautiful Lake Superior in the byway's starting point, Grand Marais, and from the 1...

In the small communities and scenic beauty of this byway, visitors find art galleries, antique shops, Amish tours, historic sites, cave tours, and museums. Parks, forests and the Root and Mississippi Rivers provide opportunities for many recreation options, including canoeing, cross-country skiing, horseback riding, cycling, wildlife watching, fishing, and photography.

The Lady Slipper Scenic Byway runs through the same forest, lake, and river country where the Ojibwe tribe of Native Americans lived at the head of the Mississippi River. Chief Oziwindib (Chief Yellowhead), who guided the explorer Schoolcraft to the true headwaters of the Mississippi, lived in villages on Star Island and at Knutson Dam. The natural scenery along the byway includes close forests ...

Like nature's table of contents, the lakes and woods of the Paul Bunyan Scenic Byway are chapters filled with many recreational opportunities and adventures just waiting to be discovered. With the wink and wit of Paul Bunyan lore slipped in for fun, sites and events turn easily into sparkling memories.

The 18,064-acre Rice Lake National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1935 and is located in the scenic forest and bog area of northern Minnesota. Visitors can enjoy a range of habitats, including lake, river, bog and hardwood forest. The Refuge's history centers around the 4,500-acre Rice Lake which, for thousands of years, has supplied an abundant wild rice crop. Each fall, the bountiful...

The Headwaters Lakes Project is located in Minnesota?s lake country. Campfires and sunsets and the peacefulness of the water make each day a special event. The dams were originally constructed of native materials (earthen embankments filled with puddled clay, and timber control structures) in the early 1880s, except Gull Lake, which was constructed in 1912, using concrete. Sandy Lake Dam had the n...

Explore the Mississippi from the headwaters of Lake Itasca through unique landscapes of northern forests, central lakes, rolling farmland, metropolitan Minneapolis/St. Paul, and scenic bluff country. Relive history aboard a nostalgic steamboat. Fish the shores of Minnesota's many waters. Savor the culture of the Twin Cities and robust river towns.

Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge is located in the east central region of the state, approximately 50 miles northwest of the Minneapolis/St. Paul metropolitan area and 30 miles southeast of St. Cloud. The refuge protects 30,665 acres of habitat for migratory birds and other wildlife. The primary mission of the refuge is to represent a diverse biological community characteristic of the transit...

Avenue of Pines Byway cuts right through the heart of Chippewa National Forest and borders the large Lake Winnibigoshish, revered by Minnesota anglers for walleye, northern pike and most other game fish. Other fine fishing waters include Cut Foot Sioux Lake, Squaw Lake, and many smaller lakes. Nine forest service campgrounds, as well as countless resorts and private campgrounds, provide a wealth ...

Chippewa National Forest -  Recreation Program Fee Accomplishment Report 2010As you visit the Chippewa National Forest you will quickly notice that water orientated recreation such as fishing, canoeing, camping, water-skiing and swimming are popular! Twenty-one developed campgrounds, located on the major lakes, offer a place to relax or to fish muskie, walleye, northern pike, bass or sunfish. To "...

Litchfield Wetland Management District is located on the eastern edge of the Prairie Pothole Region in central Minnesota. Here, just a little south of the famous mythological Lake Wobegone where "all the women are strong, all the men are good looking, and all the children are above average," more than 33,000 acres of Service-owned land and 8,000 acres of wetland easements provide outstand...

Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge covers 42,724 acres and lies in the glacial lake country of northwestern Minnesota in Becker County, 18 miles northeast of Detroit Lakes. It was established in 1938 as a refuge breeding ground for migratory birds and other wildlife. Refuge topography consists of rolling forested hills interspersed with lakes, rivers, marshes, bogs and shrub swamps. The toke...

Detroit Lakes Wetland Management District is located in northwest Minnesota and includes the counties of Becker, Clay, Mahnomen, Norman, and Polk - an area of approximately 6,000 square miles. The district is divided into three general landscape areas, roughly equal in size. From west to east, these are: the Red River Valley floodplain, the glacial moraine/prairie pothole region, and the har...

The Tamarac Wilderness now contains a total of 2,180 acres and is managed by the Fish & Wildlife Service. All of the Wilderness is in the state of Minnesota. In 1976 the Tamarac Wilderness became part of the now over 110 million acre National Wilderness Preservation System. In wilderness, you can enjoy challenging recreational activities and extraordinary opportunities for solitude. In an age of "...

Travel this spectacular, winding byway by many pristine lakes, forests, swamps, rolling hills, and other unique features. Outdoor recreation, interpretive sites, and other exciting opportunities await the traveler. During fall, the northwoods is adorned with the brilliant colors of red sugar maples, bronze oak trees and glowing gold aspen and birch.

The St. Croix and Namekagon Rivers offer 255 miles of clean water gliding or rushing past a lush green landscape, with glimpses of human presence. Choose to canoe and camp amid the Northwoods, or boat and fish surrounded by wooded bluffs and historic towns. This river corridor provides bountiful scenic views and a haven for wildlife near a major metropolitan area. Plan a visit!

The Fergus Falls Wetland Management District was established in 1962 with the initiation of the Accelerated Small Wetlands Acquisition Program. It includes the counties of Douglas, Grant, Otter Tail, Wadena and Wilkin. The mission of the district is to identify, protect, and restore the tallgrass prairie/wetland ecosystem and associated habitats and to provide opportunities for outdoor rec...