Lake Maria State Park



Lake Maria State Park



Enjoying the golden leaves autumn in Minnesota



On the look out for the Blandings turtle!



Lake Maria State Park is part of an area in Minnesota known by the fur traders as"Bois Grand" or "Bois Fort."  Translated to English, "The Big Woods" is a historic old forest that once comvered about 3000 square miles in South Central Minnesota.  In this Woods were lots of maple, basswood, white elm, red elm, red oak, tamarack, and red cedar.   As you can see by my photographs, The Big Woods turns to gold in the autumn months.  Of course, there are other colors, too, so for those looking for a palette of color, early October provides gorgeous hues of red, purple, gold, yellow, orange, and more!  The park is home to many marshes and lakes making it an excellent habitat for wildlife. There are about 205 species of birds in, or passing through on seasonal migrations. Visitors have seen bald eagles, Cooper's hawk, Franklin's gull, osprey, common egret, common loon, trumpeter swans, great blue heron, marsh hawk, and goldfinch. Owl species include the screech, great-horned, snowy, and barred.  Mammals include shrews, bats, moles, rabbits, woodchucks, red and grey squirrels, pocket gophers, beaver, mice, fisher, muskrats, mink, striped skunk, red fox, and white-tailed deer.  It is also possible to see the endangered Blandings turtle, too.  Geologically, the park is relatively new.  It was formed during the most recent glacier, The Wisconsin Age, about 10,000 years ago.  

This is the Big Woods...really!



Sunset over Lake Maria



There is a lot to do in this park.  For those that like the solitude, peace, and quiet, this park provides lots of opportunity for hiking and biking along the many trails.  Wildlife is easy to spot and photograph.  Although this park is near the Metro suburb of Monticello, the park is very quiet and serene.  Enjoy a sunset along the lakeshore or bring a horse for a ride along the trails.  Explore the landscape and live among the remainder of the glaciers!