MINNESOTAS BACKYARD

Northland Outdoors

Spuds, blues, Shakespeare and dragon boats: Minnesota has a community fest for everyone

With the unofficial start of Minnesota summer upon us, we've gathered a list of nine of our favorite historic and quirky community festivals that will have revelers eating, dancing and parading.

Northland Outdoors

After COVID, then flooding, 鈥楾his is the year that we talk about鈥� relief for border waters, Walz says

While Gov. Tim Walz and some legislators are talking flood relief, for some resort owners on Minnesota's northern border, 2023 might be the first "normal" summer season they have had since 2019

Mar 3, 2023

Landscapes and nature in wilderness park

Northland Outdoors

Minnesota's Backyard: Enjoy the North Shore trails without the crowds at George H. Crosby Manitou State Park

Located not far from the more popular parks along Lake Superior, George H. Crosby Manitou State Park is home to wilderness, challenging terrain and real solitude on the wooded trails that reach cascades and waterfalls along the Manitou River.

Aug 29, 2022

Northland Outdoors

Minnesota's Backyard: Amazing ecosystem awaits under the boardwalk at Big Bog State Recreation Area

At 500 square miles, Minnesota is home to the largest peat bog in the lower 48 states, and a mile-long boardwalk at Big Bog State Recreation Area allows visitors to explore this unique and vital ecosystem.

Aug 20, 2022

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Northland Outdoors

Minnesota's Backyard: Just east of Fargo-Moorhead, visitors to Buffalo River State Park find heritage, critical habitat

Just a short drive east of one of western Minnesota's regional centers, visitors will find stop No. 9 on our 20-site tour of Minnesota's state parks. The shallow, rocky and scenic Buffalo River winds through the state park that bears its name, and features some native prairie grass so vital to the plants and animals of the Red River Valley.

Jul 1, 2021

By Jess Myers

Northland Outdoors

Minnesota's Backyard: Just east of Fargo-Moorhead, visitors to Buffalo River State Park find heritage, critical habitat

Jul 1, 2021

By Jess Myers

Northland Outdoors

Minnesota's backyard: Amid rolling farmland, a secret slice of water and woods at Carley State Park

You will be excused if you are unfamiliar with destination No. 8 on our 20-site tour of Minnesota's state parks. Carley is a true hidden gem, less popular than its neighbors with a pretty campground that is only open in the summer months. But if you are seeking solitude along with fishing, hiking and stunning spring wildflowers, it is worth the effort to find.

Jun 24, 2021

By Jess Myers

Northland Outdoors

Minnesota's Backyard: At the tip of the Arrowhead, shared waterfalls at Grand Portage State Park

Destination No. 7 on our 20-site tour of Minnesota's state parks offers history and hiking at the extreme northeast edge of the state. Grand Portage State Park is relatively new, but this site has drawn visitors for literally centuries, at the place where Minnesota and Canada meet, and native cultures met European explorers for the first time.

Jun 17, 2021

By Jess Myers

Northland Outdoors

Minnesota's Backyard: Woods, wildlife, water access, and free A/C, at Zippel Bay State Park

Destination No. 6 on our 20-site tour of Minnesota's state parks brings back a flood of memories for the author, as the beach at Zippel Bay State Park was a family place to find free air conditioning some 40 years ago. Today the park is both a beach destination and an important public access point to Lake of the Woods.

Jun 10, 2021

By Jess Myers

Fall color is abundant at Wolf Creek Falls on the Wolf Creek Trail. Photo courtesy Minnesota Department of Natural Resources

Northland Outdoors

Minnesota's Backyard: Waterfalls, whitewater and a historic quarry site compel a stop at Banning State Park

Too often, people drive right past destination No. 5 on our 20-site tour of Minnesota's state parks on their way to see the wonders of the North Shore. But an hour south of Duluth, Banning State Park offers many of the wonders that ring Lake Superior, like waterfalls and rapid river gorges carved out of rock, in addition to a historic quarry hike.

Jun 3, 2021

By Jess Myers

Northland Outdoors

Minnesota's Backyard: Travel back in time to wonders both natural and man-made at Glendalough State Park

Destination No. 4 on our 20-site tour of Minnesota's state parks is an idyllic spot in west-central Minnesota that was once a private outdoors playground for the rich and famous. Now it is open for all to enjoy. At Glendalough State Park, visitors find a scenic spot to enjoy "silent sports" like biking, paddling and old-school fishing.

May 27, 2021

By Jess Myers

Northland Outdoors

Minnesota's Backyard: A perfect confluence of rivers, history and nature at Crow Wing State Park

The third stop on our 20-site tour of Minnesota's state parks brings us to the center of Minnesota, where two rivers meet and people gathered, traded, battled and passed through, both long before and some time after European settlers came to the region. Crow Wing State Park is a perfectly preserved slice of nature and history.

May 20, 2021

By Jess Myers

Northland Outdoors

Minnesota's Backyard: Stunning vistas, and no glaciers, at Great River Bluffs State Park

The second stop on our 20-site tour of Minnesota's state parks brings us to the Driftless region in the southeast corner of the state, where on a clear day you can see a wide swath of the Mississippi River valley from hundreds of feet above, and well into Wisconsin from the many viewpoints of Great River Bluffs State Park.

May 13, 2021

By Jess Myers

Northland Outdoors

Minnesota's Backyard: Climbing, cacti and purebred bison at Blue Mounds State Park

Our 20-park visit to Minnesota's Backyard begins in the southwest corner of the state, where the stereotypical pines and lakes are replaced by rolling tallgrass prairie, a dramatic quartzite cliff and a massive herd of bison. Blue Mounds State Park offers much of the magic of South Dakota's Black Hills, just five hours closer to home.

May 6, 2021

By Jess Myers

Northland Outdoors

For adventures close to home, let's visit Minnesota's Backyard

Over the course of 20 weeks in May, June and July, we will be introducing readers to a Minnesota state park each week. It is our look at the unique adventures available right here, in Minnesota's Backyard.

May 3, 2021

By Jess Myers

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