Lake Shetek State Park

This guide is for RV and tent campers choosing between the park's campgrounds, anglers and paddlers, and anyone interested in the area's 1862 history. It covers sites and cabins, trails, the water, what the DNR says about seasons, fees and directions. Facts come from the Minnesota DNR park page and the 2026 park map unless a line says otherwise; sources are listed at the end.

The park in brief

The DNR says "Shetek" is the Ojibwe word for pelican, a bird that visits in summer and fall, and that Lake Shetek forms the headwaters of the Des Moines River. The park map says the park was created in 1937. The DNR gives two sizes: 1,152 acres in its park record and 1,108 acres in its landscape description.

The area's history is a large part of a visit. The park map notes that people of the Great Oasis culture farmed and settled here around 900 to 1100 A.D., and that a settlers' community on the lake ended during the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862. The DNR says the Shetek Monument marks the burial place of 14 early settlers, and the Koch Cabin, from the 1850s, belonged to one of the area's earliest settler families.

Camping and lodging

The DNR's campsite figures, from the park record and seasonal update:

The DNR's numbers do not quite reconcile: 64 electric and full-hookup sites plus 6 non-electric sites make 70 (a derived sum), against the 66 drive-in sites listed. ReserveMN shows the current inventory. The park map adds that each site holds up to 6 people, one camping shelter and one vehicle. The DNR says the shower buildings are in Oak Woods Campground and flush toilets are in Oak Woods and Sunrise; both serve campers registered in either campground.

Camper cabins: four cabins, open year-round: daily from April to October and Thursday to Sunday in the winter season. Cabins C2 and C3 are wheelchair accessible and sleep five, C1 sleeps five, and C4 sleeps six. No pets.

Zuya Group Center: overlooks the lake, holds up to 84 people, and is rented from mid-May to the end of September. As of November 2026, a June 1, 2026 DNR notice says it has a new accessible restroom and shower building, and that group center reservations are taken up to 365 days ahead by calling the park office.

Reservations: every Minnesota state park campsite needs a reservation, made up to 120 days ahead, with new dates opening at 8 a.m. Central, per the DNR reservation FAQ. See the state park reservation guide for how the window works.

Loon Island and the trails

The DNR gives different trail totals in different places. The trail listing counts 14 miles of hiking trail, including 6 miles of the bike trail, and 4.5 miles of accessible trail; the seasonal update says 8 miles of summer hiking trail and 7.5 miles of wheelchair-accessible trail. The 2026 park map names these routes:

At Eastlick Marsh, an observation deck with a spotting scope looks over a wetland where the DNR lists coots, grebes, ducks, herons and pelicans. The park also has a mobility track chair that the DNR says can be checked out free at the park office, with a free reservation.

Fishing, paddling and the beach

The DNR lists a swimming beach, a picnic area and playground, a wheelchair-accessible fishing pier, and a drive-in boat landing with a large trailer lot. The ranger station rents rowboats, canoes, single and tandem kayaks, stand-up paddleboards and paddleboats, and lends fishing kits free. A canoe access on Smith Lake is part of a canoe route with marked portages to Lake Shetek. Look for the WPA-built stone beach house, which the DNR calls the only one of its kind. For other fishing parks, see Minnesota fishing guides.

Seasons and winter

As of November 2026, the DNR seasonal update has not been refreshed for the off season (its water and shower dates are for spring 2026, now past). It says the campgrounds stay open "until the first significant snowfall." It does not give a fall closing date for water or showers, so call the park before an off-season trip. What it does state:

• Winter water: drinking water is available at the park maintenance shop in winter.
• Toilets: vault toilets are open year-round.
• Winter trails: about 5 miles of groomed snowmobile trail linking to the Murray County system; snowshoeing anywhere except the snowmobile trails, plus two marked snowshoe trails of 3/4 mile and 2 1/4 miles from the picnic area lot. Snowshoes can be rented.
• Warming house: the enclosed stone picnic shelter, with electricity and a woodstove.

Fees and permits

From the DNR vehicle permit page and fee schedule, tax not included:

Example (derived from the fee ranges above): the DNR fee page does not list a full-hookup price, so this example assumes a Sunrise site is charged the drive-in rate plus both the electric ($10) and water-and-sewer ($8) add-ons; check ReserveMN for the actual price. On that assumption, two nights at a Sunrise full-hookup site cost 2 × ($20 + $10 + $8) + $8 = $84 at the low end, or 2 × ($35 + $10 + $8) + $8 = $114 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.

Getting there

The DNR's directions are short: north of Currie on County Road 38. Currie is the nearest town, and the paved bike loop connects the park to it. Browse other Prairie and Minnesota River parks or use the park finder.

Before you go

1. Book a Sunrise full-hookup site if you need sewer; Oak Woods sites are electric only.
2. Confirm your rig is under the 70-foot limit, tow vehicle included.
3. Off season, call the park about water and showers; the DNR gives no fall shutoff date.
4. Buy your vehicle permit online before you arrive.
5. Bring binoculars for Eastlick Marsh and Loon Island.
6. Buy firewood at the park office or through the Yodel app; gathering it is against park rules.

Related guides: Minneopa State Park · Camden State Park · Blue Mounds State Park · Split Rock Creek State Park

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Sources

• Minnesota DNR, Lake Shetek State Park (camping, trails, seasonal update, alert, narratives): https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state-parks/park.html?id=spk00220
• Minnesota DNR, Lake Shetek State Park map and guide (PDF, 2026): https://files.dnr.state.mn.us/maps/state_parks/spk00220.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