Lake Maria State Park - Monticello, Minnesota

Address:11411 Clementa Avenue Northwest
Monticello, Minnesota

This 1,580-acre park is filled with maple, basswood, and elm (named "Big Woods" by French explorers), as well as countless old growth oaks. With forest and wetland habitats home to deer, foxes, beavers and muskrats, this park provides a wilderness getaway perfect for hikers, backpackers, and horseback riders. Lake Maria is home to approximately 205 species of birds including osprey and common egret as well as the endangered, yellow-spotted Blandings turtle. Backpack sites as well as group camping are available here as are camper cabins that sleep six. With all of this plus great naturalist programs, interpretive exhibits, and gift shops, Lake Maria State Park is a great getaway for all.

Visitors who come to Lake Maria State Park will enjoy one of the few remaining stands of the "Big Woods," a maple, oak and basswood forest that once covered part of southern Minnesota. The park is perfect for hikers, backpackers, horseback riders, and cross-country skiers who enjoy the challenge of the rolling terrain. Take a stroll on the boardwalk which winds through a marsh. Backpack sites, located on remote lakes and ponds throughout the park, are just two miles from the trailhead parking lot. New log camper cabins, located near lakes and ponds, provide bunk beds for six people and a table and benches for campers who want more of the creature comforts. Lake Maria State Park is home to the Blandings turtle, easily identified by bright yellow spots on its shell. It is one of Minnesota's threatened species.