1,322 acres of natural wilderness, woods with the Buffalo River flowing through it and a man-made swimming pool are some of the attractions for both regular visitors and occasional travelers.
Buffalo River State Park near Glyndon Minnesota is a beautiful natural area that has many attractions. You can walk south on great trails in the prairies or spend the weekend at one of the park’s over seventy camping sites.
Buffalo River State Park was started in 1937 as a state natural park. In 1982 Prairie Bluestem was designated a State Scientific and Natural Area to help restore and preserve natural prairies.
Along with Prairie and Bluestem and Buffalo River State Park is a total of 5,000 square acres of land that is protected by prairie. The Republic has undertaken the duty of preserving it for the future.
The park is fourteen miles east of Route Ten from Moorhead, Minnesota, along the Buffalo River. It is about 230 miles from Minneapolis, Minnesota.
The park has recently undergone some major improvements, mostly a man-made swimming pool with disabled access, rooms, and filtered water a> system.
It is a great private park for physicists, outdoor enthusiasts and viewers. There are twelve miles of hiking trails for you to see along the Buffalo River and the prairies of the Midwest.
There are over 300 species of native plants in the grassland area along with 200 species of birds and 40 species of mammals. Lawn restoration has been an important part of the park since it began in 1982.
A NATURAL GRASS is an area between the Midwest and the Western United/a> natural ecosystems. Meadows contain natural grasses and wild plants and animals and have an importance in nature.
natural food and breeding areas for many animal species, such as Buffalo, Red Deer and Prairie Chicken. These animals were an abundant source of food for the colonists passing through the great mountains westward.
Prairies are interesting ecosystems that require care and management to preserve them for future generations. Each year the state with The Natural Conservancy manages the burning of prairie areas to ensure necessary prairie regeneration.
Combustions are needed for many reasons. Some species of plants and shrubs need to be burned to open the seeds, which invades shrubs and trees from prairie areas. he eats the litter, so that the litter does not suffocate the grass and the nutrients return to the ground.
Friends of Buffalo River State Park is a large not-for-profit group that helps the park raise funds so that the park can be enjoyed here for generations to come.
The state park fee is $7 or a $25 annual State Parks permit, good for any Minnesota State Park.
The park has year round access and camp facilities available with both winter and summer restroom facilities.
You can make reservations at the campsite for a non-fundable $8.50 charge. Camping fees are $111 for rural sites with no showers or electricity and $15 for recreational ones. Electric and garbage hook ups are available for extra fees.
There is a list of fees on the park’s website.
http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/fees.html
Group camps are available for $45 to $75 for large groups and must be reserved in advance. There is also an enclosed picnic shelter that can be reserved by calling the park or reserving online. You can go to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources to reserve campsites or picnic shelters.
http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/reservations.html
The park has a variety of occasional activities at various orchards and they can be found here.
http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/events/index.html?keywords=stpk
While I was there over the past few weeks, there was a display of aquatic reproduction by volunteers and staff from the Minnesota State University Moorhead neighborhood Science Center.
The center is a large place in 300 acres of meadows and forests where year activities for schools and the public. including wildlife research, geology and astronomy.
They have a mirrored telescope in the adjacent planetarium, and programs at the center as well as self-guided nature trails and youth. nation program.
It is only half way down the road from the public park, about a mile from the front gate. You can find out more about The Regional Science Center here.
http://www.mnstate.edu/regsci/
The trails are open during the winter for cross-country skiing along with a heated picnic area nearby. The park maintains six miles of ski trails and snow shoe snow is allowed anywhere in the park other than the ski trails.
When I arrived at the park, I was going to enjoy some hiking trails, I saw not only chipmunks, squirrels, and various species of birds, but I was following a white-tailed deer not thirty feet away.
Kids swimming in the pool is very nice with the sidewalk access and life guards watching. Our stay with picnic, area for day activities in pro shop and all the fun.
Fargo Moorhead is fifteen miles away and there are many things you can do there. The two cities have many shopping opportunities and other activities that you can check out here.
http://www.fargomoorhead.org/
Buffalo River State Park is a great trip, whether for an afternoon, day or weekend event. If you’d rather not brave the big outdoor camping, you can stay in nearby Fargo-Moorhead or Detroit Lakes. an overnight trip that we will certainly enjoy and remember.
