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Article and Photographs by Sara Duane
[This article originally appeared in the Vol. 38 - No. 32 Wright County Journal Press' June 8, 2008, edition of The Drummer. It is reprinted here with permission. It would be a violation of copyright law to reprint it without written permission from that publication.]
Though it is easy to get caught up in the fast pace of modern life, it is important to take a step back and relax – probably more often than many of us do. Add to this the fact that this is Minnesota, where cold temperatures, snow, and ice dominate the landscape for about half of each year. The result is that when summertime rolls around, Minnesotan’s tend to spend many warm days outside at parks, swimming at beaches, and tooling around 10,000 lakes in all manner of watercraft. When it comes to facilitating these popular activities, the park system in Wright County can give many others in the state a run for their money. Whether one is seeking a well manicured green space with modern restrooms, picnic areas along a sandy beach, or a rough and rugged unpaved trail into uninhibited nature, there is a park in Wright County to accommodate nearly every taste. What is more, there is one a short drive from any town within its boarders. * * *
The Environmental Education Center at the Robert Ney Regional Park is a popular destination for school classes, conservation clubs, and youth organizations.
The Otsego Regional Park, just one mile outside of Elk River off of Great River Road, is small at 70 acres, but this park is unique in Wright County as it is the only one which has a canoe access to the Mississippi River. This park has modern restroom facilities and a picnic area with two reservable shelters, making it perfect for a family reunion or other large gathering. Otsego Regional Park also has sand volleyball courts, a play field, and handicap accessible play structures. Though many parks and preserves focus on protecting Minnesota’s forests, this park has a prairie restoration area. One wouldn’t know it now, but some of the farmlands throughout Wright County used to be rolling prairies, lush with native grasses which grew to over six feet in height. Two miles of paved trails around this restored prairie allows visitors a look back in time to what this area might have looked like over 100 years ago.
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Six miles east of Buffalo and on the edge of St. Michael’s city limits on County Road 34 is Beebe Lake Regional Park. This park is quite popular during the summer, as it features a swimming beach, a fishing pier, and it is very close to a public boat access. It has amenities to entertain people of all ages, with just over a mile of paved hiking trails, a sand volleyball court, playing fields, horseshoe pits, and a creative play area for the little ones. Dogs are welcome on the trails of Beebe Lake Regional Park, but Fido is not allowed in many areas, including the beach and picnic areas. Like Otsego Regional Park, this park also has a prairie restoration area. * * *
Beebe Lake Regional Park in St. Michael has a great picnic area next to the beach and fishing pier.
Three miles southwest of Cokato off of State Highway 12 is Collinwood Regional Park and Campgrounds. This park’s most prominent feature is its 49-unit overnight campgrounds, which have electrical hookups, modern bathrooms, and showers. With a boat launch, fishing pier, and swimming beach on Collinwood Lake, this park is a popular location for water recreation. Collinwood Regional Park also has 5 miles of trails, sand volleyball courts, horseshoe pits, and a creative play area for smaller children.* * *
Along County Road 2, on the northwestern edge of Wright County in French Lake Township, is Stanley Eddy Memorial Park Reserve. The 655 acres of rolling hills, lakes, and marshes which make up this park have been divided into three sections: North, Middle, and South. The Middle area has a public boat access to Lake Francis, which is popular with anglers for its abundance and variety of fish. Both the North and the South areas have restroom facilities, picnic areas, and miles of hiking and skiing trails. Beginning on May 15th, the Stanley Eddy Memorial Park Reserve horseback riding trails, which few other parks have, will be open to equine enthusiasts in the North and South sections.
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The Clearwater / Pleasant Regional Park is probably one of the most versatile parks located within Wright County. Just one mile north of Annandale off of State Highway 24 and County Road 39, one could spend an entire day on its 210 acres enjoying many activities and not become bored. A well-maintained park area with a swimming beach and a sand volleyball court has been developed along Pleasant Lake. Just yards away, a brand new playground, built in 2005, with multiple slides, swings, a jungle-gym, fantasy bridges, and more is sure to be a hit with young children. This park has the usual paved trails, vast picnic areas with grilling stations, horseshoes pits, and a reserveable shelter. Like many Minnesota parks near lakes, there is a fishing pier as well as a public access. Clearwater/Pleasant Regional Park also has a very popular 12 hole of disc golf course. In fact, there is at least one amateur disc golf league which meets here once per week during the summertime. * * *
Clearwater / Pleasant Regional Park's modern playground, built in 2005, is sure to be a hit with imaginative and rambunctious youngsters.
For those who want to go camping, but don’t feel like roughing it or traveling very far, Schroeder Regional Park and Campgrounds in Annandale may be just the ticket. Just off of County Road 39, this park has a 50-unit campground with electric hookup and showers available. The park area features hiking trails, picnic grounds, a boat launch, and a permanent fishing pier on Cedar Lake. Schroeder Regional Park has a relatively large and very well manicured swimming beach to beat the heat on those lazy Minnesota summer days!
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If one isn’t paying attention while driving down County Road 8 just outside of Maple Lake, the sign for Robert Ney Memorial Park Reserve could be easily missed. However, these 735 acres are prime wildlife habitat. Spend the afternoon boating or fishing on Lake Mary, to which this park provides public access. Around lunchtime, enjoy a picnic lunch as birds chirp in the trees. Afterwards, take the dog on a walk or the family on a hike through forests and marsh land on 3 ½ miles of gravel trails. The Environmental Education Center at Robert Ney Regional Park, developed to encourage learning about the environment and nature, is a popular destination for school field trips, conservation club activities, and youth groups such as 4H, Girl Scouts, and Boy Scouts.
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Parks in Wright County offer many miles of trails both paved and not, like this one at Lake Maria State Park. Trails often double as cross-country skiing paths in winter.
Finally, on County Road 111 just a few miles west of Monticello is Wright County’s solitary state-run park: Lake Maria State Park. When Minnesota was first being settled over 150 years ago, parts of it were covered with what was referred to as the "Big Woods." The Big Woods was a forest which blanketed thousands of square miles of the state and neighboring Wisconsin with maple, elms, basswood, cedar, and old-growth oak. The trees were so tightly packed in some places, it was said that sunlight could not reach the forest floor. Today, farms, homes, businesses, and industries occupy the land where the Big Woods once stood. Lake Maria State Park contains some of the last remaining stands of what is left of this giant forest. Lake Maria State Park’s 1,590 acres were set aside in 1963 so residents of the Twin Cities could have a patch of wilderness to visit within a short drive. About 73,000 people visit this park each year. Because Lake Maria isn’t used as much as other state parks, this is the perfect place to get away from civilization without straying too far from home. When hiking, backpacking, horseback riding, or cross-country skiing along its miles of unpaved trails, one can’t help but notice the specific absence of all noise associated with cars, trucks, trains, or city life in general. Strolling on the boardwalk which winds through the marsh, one can see wildlife such as pelicans, herons, beaver, deer, and the threatened Blandings turtle. Feel like staying the night? This park offers log cabins located on lakes and ponds, traditional campsites with easy access, and backpacking sites which require some hiking to reach. Though Wright County is one of the fast growing rural counties in the state of Minnesota, careful consideration has ensured there are many great parks and natural areas within its boarders for generations to follow. Those mentioned here are just a few of the most popular parks in Wright County, but there are certainly more. Most of them are open from May through September, but some are open as early as April. Be sure to check out some of Wright County’s parks this summer for fun and relaxation.To see more pictures that were taken in the making of this article, please visit the Wright County Parks album at Flickr.Sara Duane is as a freelance writer living just outside of Minneapolis & St. Paul in central Minnesota. She graduated in 2003 from the University of Minnesota, Morris, with a BA in English and has been working in the writing & marketing fields for over 5 years. She also writes and maintains the True to Words language blog and Sam Can Shoot photography blog.
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