Hiking Club Route

Dogs Leashed

Features Birding · Fall Colors · Fishing · Lake · Swimming · Wildflowers · Wildlife

There are designated backcountry, walk-in campsites. Dispersed camping is not permitted.

This park has both summer and winter trails; this description applies only to summer trails. Trails here are not named but rather go between intersections identified with letters. There is typically a trail map and large letter sign at each major intersection. Intersections on the park's west side are designated red; those on it's eastern side are designated blue.

This Hiking Club route uses a piece of the North Country Trail (NCT) to form a loop past and through the lakes, forests, and prairie on the eastern side of this park. This loop starts at the Trail Center parking lot (Blue Intersection A) and goes south 2.4 miles on NCT: MN Segment 1 - Northwest Minnesota through Intersections Y, Z, DD, and CC past Cataract, Grass, Bass, and Little Grass Lakes to the shelter at Intersection M.

Leave the NCT here and go southeast to Intersection L near Cow Lake. A short spur trail here goes to a nice campsite at Cow Lake. From Intersection L, the route goes north along the shore of Beers Lake through Intersections Q, R, and T. Beyond T, the trail curves west around a small unnamed lake, then through open prairie and patches of forest to Intersections U, V, W, and X before arriving, after 4.2 miles, back at the parking lot at Intersection A.

As a result of the varied landscape in the park, 150 bird species breed here, along with 50 species of mammals, and 25 kinds of reptiles and amphibians. Expect to see deer and beavers. Also expect to experience ample mosquitos, horse flies, and black flies during the summer months.