Big Stone Lake State Park

Facts checked against official sources on November 11, 2026

Photo: Tony Webster, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

At a glance

Location: 7 miles northwest of Ortonville on Highway 7
Campsites: 37 drive-in, 13 lakeside, 10 electric; back-in only
Fishing: Walleye, northern pike, yellow perch, bluegills
Trails: Bluebird, Prairie and Bonanza Hiking Club trails
Vehicle permit: $7 a day or $35 a year
Generators: Not allowed in the campground at any time

In this guide

The park in brief
Camping at Big Stone Lake
Fishing and the lake
Trails and prairie
When to go
Fees and permits
Getting there
Before you go

Short answer: Big Stone Lake State Park sits on Big Stone Lake, the 26-mile-long lake on the South Dakota border that is the source of the Minnesota River, 7 miles northwest of Ortonville on Highway 7. People come to fish for walleye, northern pike, perch and bluegills, to camp at one of 37 drive-in sites (13 lakeside, 10 electric), and to walk mowed prairie trails and an oak-savanna trail in the separate Bonanza Area. A vehicle permit costs $7 a day or $35 a year.

This guide is for anglers and campers in western Minnesota and for prairie and bird watchers. It covers the park's separate units, the campground, trails, fishing rules, seasons, fees and directions. Facts come from the Minnesota DNR park page, the DNR park map and the DNR fee and reservation pages, listed at the end.

The park in brief

Big Stone Lake State Park was established in 1961, after Ortonville business people concerned about lakeshore development pushed for it, according to the DNR. The park record lists 1,131 acres. The park map gives the lake as 12,610 acres.

The park is split into separate units along the lake:

Unit	What is there (DNR)	Location
Meadowbrook Area	Campground, ranger station, Bluebird and Prairie trails, picnic area, boat landing	Southern section; the largest unit (park map)
Overlook Area	Rest stop with a view of the lake	Ten miles northwest of Meadowbrook (park map)
Bonanza Area	Picnic area, boat launch, Bonanza Education Center, Hiking Club Trail, Scientific and Natural Area	A mile northwest of the Overlook (park map); the park page says twelve miles north of Meadowbrook

The Bonanza Scientific and Natural Area protects more than 80 acres of native oak savanna and glacial till prairie, plus 50 acres of oak basswood forest with spring-fed streams, according to the DNR. The Bonanza Education Center serves as an environmental education center for schools and other groups.

Address	35889 Meadowbrook State Park Road, Ortonville, MN 56278
Park hours	8 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily
Phone	320-839-3663
Office (fall/winter 2026)	Closed November 7 to 22, 2026; the DNR says hours vary with staff availability, so call ahead
County	Big Stone
Pets	Leashed; not allowed in buildings or beaches (park map)

Camping at Big Stone Lake

The campground is in the Meadowbrook Area. The DNR says thirteen sites are lakeside, with the boat landing and beach nearby, and that sites are close together.

Site type	Count and details (DNR)
Drive-in sites	37, all back-in; no pull-throughs and no paved pads
Lakeside sites	13
Electric sites	10, near the shower building; 30 amp, each box with a 20 amp outlet
RV length limit	48 feet, tow vehicle included; average site length 40 feet
Showers and flush toilets	Accessible, seasonal, in the campground
Dump station	Seasonal, behind the ranger station
Camper cabins or group camp	None listed by the DNR

No generators: the DNR says you "may not run a generator in the campground at any time, day or night," because the sites are close together.

Season: as of November 2026, the DNR lists the campground, shower building and dump station as closed for the year and the water off for the 2026 season. The campground road is not plowed in winter. Vault toilets stay open year-round at both Meadowbrook and Bonanza.

Reservations: the DNR says reservations can be made by phone or online, and walk-in reservations are also welcome. The DNR reservation FAQ says every state park campsite needs a reservation (call 866-857-2757 or book online), bookings open 120 days ahead, and on a date's first day online booking starts at 8 a.m. Central. Same-day bookings carry no reservation fee. See the state park reservations guide for how it works.

Painted Big Stone Lake State Park entrance sign with shorebirds, set on a pile of boulders in green grass — Photo: Tony Webster, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Fishing and the lake

The DNR says Big Stone Lake "attracts anglers who catch walleye, northern pike, yellow perch and bluegills." The park has a drive-in boat access and docks, and the park map suggests casting from shore at the Meadowbrook or Bonanza boat landings or picnic areas. Two rules to know:

Border water regulations: the park map notes that "special border water regulations apply" on this lake, which straddles the South Dakota line. Check the DNR fishing regulations before you go.
Zebra mussels: as of November 2026, the DNR alert says zebra mussels are confirmed in Big Stone Lake, and asks boaters to follow proper watercraft cleaning procedures when moving a boat from lake to lake.

The ranger station rents canoes and kayaks seasonally (the DNR says on weekends) and lends fishing kits, birding kits, kids discovery kits and horseshoes free.

Trails and prairie

DNR sources give different lengths for each trail, so the table shows both:

Trail	Park map	DNR park page	Notes
Bluebird Trail (Meadowbrook)	1-mile loop	0.8 mile (seasonal update); one mile, two loops (trail list)	Mowed grass through the western prairie, past bluebird boxes
Prairie Trail (Meadowbrook)	2-mile loop	Nearly 3 miles; "up to three miles, depending on which branches you choose"	Mowed grass through prairie reconstruction, then lakeside woods
Bonanza Hiking Club Trail	1 mile one way	2.2 miles out and back (seasonal update); "two-mile trail" (trail list)	Shaded dirt trail through oak savanna by the lake, with a small waterfall

The DNR notes that the Meadowbrook trails are mowed grass "very exposed to the sun," while the Bonanza trail is "largely dirt, and well-shaded" with slight elevation changes. The park map lists big bluestem, Indian grass and switchgrass on the Prairie Trail, with blazing star, wild onion, goldenrods and milkweeds in bloom, and says of the Bluebird Trail that wildflowers "abound in late summer." The DNR's highlights also name spring and summer wildflowers.

Wildlife the DNR lists includes deer, thirteen-lined ground squirrels, meadowlarks, sedge wrens, pheasants, bobolinks and wild turkeys. Picnic areas at Meadowbrook and Bonanza are both lakeside, with no shelters; the Meadowbrook area has a grill, and a playground with a sandbox is near the campground. The park map also points to the Big Stone National Wildlife Refuge auto tour near Ortonville.

When to go

The camping season and water are seasonal; the park map says the ranger station is staffed from April to October. Spring and summer bring the wildflowers the DNR highlights, and the park map says wildflowers on the Bluebird Trail "abound in late summer." In winter, snowshoeing is allowed anywhere in the park, but the campground road is not plowed.

Fees and permits

From the DNR vehicle permit page and fee schedule, before tax. The fee schedule gives statewide ranges; ReserveMN shows each site's exact price.

Item	Price
One-day vehicle permit	$7 (the DNR also sells an overnight permit at the same price, valid through 4 p.m. the next day)
Year-round vehicle permit	$35, every state park for a year
Drive-in campsite	$20 to $35 a night
Electric hookup	add $10 a night
Reservation fee	$8 online, $10 by phone; none for same-day bookings

Two nights at an electric site, worked from the DNR fee ranges: 2 × ($20 + $10) + $8 = $68 at the low end, or 2 × ($35 + $10) + $8 = $98 at the high end, plus a vehicle permit ($7 overnight or $35 year-round). For multi-night stays, ask the park which permit covers your whole stay; the year-round permit covers every visit for a year.

Firewood: DNR sources differ. One note says firewood is "available seasonally at park office"; another says it "is not consistently available for sale in the park" and recommends buying certified wood at a nearby fuel station and keeping the label and receipt. Gathering firewood is not allowed.

Getting there

The DNR directions: "From Ortonville, go 7 miles northwest on Hwy. 7. Follow signs to park." The DNR warns that GPS often sends campers to a county road with no park access; stay on Highway 7 heading north from Ortonville and watch for the large brown signs to the Meadowbrook Area. The ranger station is a quarter mile down the entrance road.

For other parks in the region, see the prairie and Minnesota River guides, including the Lac qui Parle State Park guide, the Monson Lake State Park guide and the Glacial Lakes State Park guide, or use the park finder.

Before you go

Follow the brown highway signs, not your GPS, on Highway 7.
Leave the generator at home; it cannot run in the campground.
Practice backing in; every site is back-in only.
Check border-water fishing rules and follow boat-cleaning steps for zebra mussels.
Bring certified firewood with the label and receipt.
Pack sun protection for the open Meadowbrook trails.

Sources

Minnesota DNR, Big Stone Lake State Park (camping, trails, history, seasonal update, alerts): https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state-parks/park.html?id=spk00115
Minnesota DNR, Big Stone Lake State Park map and guide (PDF, 2024 edition, updated 2026): https://files.dnr.state.mn.us/maps/state_parks/spk00115.pdf
Minnesota DNR, Reservation FAQ: https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/reserve-faq/index.html
Minnesota DNR, State park fees: https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/fees.html
Minnesota DNR, Vehicle permits: https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state-parks/permit.html

Keep planning

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