Minnesota by region

Eight parts of the state, each with its state parks and our planning guides.

Cliffs above Lake Superior on the North Shore
North Shore

Lake Superior's shore from Duluth to the Canadian border at Grand Portage, along Highway 61.

8 state parks

The St. Louis River below the swinging bridge at Jay Cooke State Park
Duluth & I-35

From Duluth south along I-35: the St. Louis River gorge at Jay Cooke and the Kettle and St. Croix rivers around Hinckley and Sandstone.

5 state parks

A lake at the Bower Trout Lake portage in the Boundary Waters
Boundary Waters & Iron Range

Ely, the Iron Range and the edge of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness: lake country and mining history.

5 state parks

The Mississippi River headwaters at Itasca State Park
Itasca & the Northwest

The Mississippi headwaters at Itasca, Bemidji, and the country west to the Red River and north to Lake of the Woods.

9 state parks

Mille Lacs Lake
Lakes Country

Brainerd, Mille Lacs and Alexandria: the central Minnesota lakes and the upper Mississippi.

6 state parks

The Dalles of the St. Croix at Interstate State Park
Twin Cities & St. Croix

State parks within an easy drive of Minneapolis and St. Paul, including the St. Croix River valley.

6 state parks

Bluffs above the Mississippi at Great River Bluffs State Park
Bluff Country

Southeast Minnesota's river bluffs, trout streams and caves along the Mississippi and its tributaries.

12 state parks

Prairie and farmland from the cliff at Blue Mounds State Park
Prairie & Minnesota River

Southwest and west-central Minnesota: native prairie, the Minnesota River valley and the lakes along the South Dakota border.

13 state parks