Glacial Lakes State Park

Glacial Lakes State Park is not ‘on the way’ to another destination, so people who come here want to stay a while. Several spring-fed lakes surrounded by rare virgin prairie and a virgin oak forest reward visitors with a glimpse of what this part of Minnesota looked like before settlement. Signalness Lake, also called Mountain Lake, at 56 acres the park’s largest, is tucked in a rectangular valley rimmed by high hills. The last glacier formed the hills, lakes, ponds and marshes in this nearly 2,500-acre park as it receded some 11,000 years ago. Glacial Lakes State Park is located 5 miles south of Starbuck just off the Glacial Ridge Trails Scenic Byway in Minnesota’s Pope County.

Trails

Some 16 miles of hiking trails wait to be explored at Glacial Lakes State Park and take you around Mountain Lake on the northwestern edge of the park to Kettle and Baby Lake on the southeastern end. The High Peak Trail starts at the group campsite and works its way to a 1,325-foot scenic overlook. Most trails are shared with equestrians, which have 11 miles of trail to ride on. The 5-mile paved Starbuck Trail connects the park to nearby Starbuck.

Hiking trail to one of the overlooks

The Starbuck Trail connects the park to town

Camping

Campers can choose from 37 regular campsites split up between two clusters. The lower campground is near the Lake and Oakridge campground sits on a plateau surrounded by oak trees. For a little more of a challenge, hike out to one of four backpack sites. For a less rustic experience, you can rent a camper cabin. There are two seasonal cabins and four year-round cabins. A group camp area has room for groups up to 50 and the special horse camp has four sites with room for trailers and horses.