3 Reasons to Camp in a State Park

Some of my fondest memories stem from camping in Minnesota state parks.
Our family trips consisted of weekends camping at Zippel Bay State Park on the shore of Lake of the Woods on the very northern tip of the state.
Although the trips were always great, my brothers, dad and I mostly sat in a boat all day. And by all day I mean all day -- 5 a.m. to dusk, which was usually 8:30 p.m. or so. On a side note, we did go ashore from time to time for bathroom breaks, but there was little exploring.
Now, I've always known that state parks have hiking trails and interesting wildlife, but I've never really taken advantage of those aspects of the parks.
For example, I grew up only about 20 miles from Lake Bronson State Park, home of the tallest Jack Pine in the U.S. Have I ever taken the time to hike to the middle of the wildest part of the park to see this tree? NO. Why? Well, dozens of reasons, mainly mosquitoes. Not a good reason.
Lake Bronson State Park also is home to several miles of hiking trails. I never hiked these trails because I was terribly afraid of being attacked by a bear and of falling in a patch of poison ivy -- both reasonable fears as black bears do live in the wilder parts of the park and poison ivy is EVERYWHERE.
I have, however, visited the many structures built through the Works Progress Administration during The Great Depression.
In the future, as my husband and son enjoy camping, I plan to enjoy some of those features on our trips.
Here are my top three reasons to camp in a state park.

Moose, bald eagles and Timber wolves can be seen
at many Minnesota State Parks. 

1. WILDERNESS. Lake Bronson State Park may be small, but it's actually larger than Zippel Bay State Park. With 4,375 acres, LBSP has several camping sites in a few different locations, great fishing, lots of activities that are either free or at minimal cost. The park features more than 20 miles of trails, which for the winter enthusiast also includes snowmobile trails.
Zippel Bay has 3,054 acres and is much more wild than LBSP. Zippel Bay has only 6 miles of hiking trails and 3 miles of snowmobile trails.
Birders will have a heyday in both parks, which are ripe with fascinating species. In LBSP, you can see ducks, falcons, grouse, hawks and owls. Bald eagles have made a great comeback in recent years at LBSP as well, and can be seen pretty often in both winter and summer.
At Zippel Bay, birders can see a variety of water fowl including Sandhill cranes and the endangered piping plover.
Both parks, of course, are host to a variety of wildlife like deer, bears, elk and moose -- the latter two are more rare. Becoming less rare than in recent years is reports of Timber Wolves at both parks.
On top of the wildlife, there is also beautiful plantlife, including the state flower, the Showy Ladyslipper. You CANNOT pick this flower. Please just enjoy it and take pictures.

At left, the Lake Bronson State Park water tower is a point of pride the park.
At right, this lighthouse welcomed my family and me each time we puttered
back to Zippel Bay State Park after a long day of fishing on Lake of the Woods.

2. HISTORY. As mentioned above, all state parks in Minnesota have pretty fascinating histories. For me, LBSP and Zippel Bay's histories are pretty cool. LBSP's history actually influenced the renaming of the town of Lake Bronson. And the good people who run the Kittson County Historical Society have greatly helped preserve the history, giving nerds like me a chance to learn more about it.
Zippel Bay's history is just as interesting, the area having been first inhabited by various American Indian tribes and later settled by French Canadian fur traders. A feature I didn't know about until recently is the original homestead site of Wilhelm Zippel is preserved in the park. Despite only ghosts of the structures remain, it would be interesting to see the site.
I hope to convince my husband to systematically visit different state parks throughout Minnesota and gain a better grasp on my home state's history.

Most state parks in Minnesota have modern facilities like toilets and showers.

3. MODERN FACILITIES. Okay. So I'm not an entirely pure camper. I like to have a shower facility nearby, and in LBSP, the campgrounds have modern facilities, including toilets. There are also outhouses if needed, but I'll take the toilets over the outhouse. Who knows what's hiding in the vaults below. I can go a day or two without a shower, but for the most part, I like a shower once a day.
Even Zippel Bay has modern facilities, although they are far removed from the campsites compared to LBSP. The last time was was at Zippel Bay, the campground we stayed in did not have a shower facility and it only had a vault toilet (outhouse). I made sure I peed right before bed AND didn't drink anything. I wasn't about to venture to the toilet at the edge of the woods in the middle of the night to encounter God only knows what.

While camping may not be for everybody, it's pretty common these days for people to own or rent campers with the comforts of home.
So although you may not be the tent-popping type, I encourge everyone to take a trip to a state park - whether that's in Minnesota or your own state - this summer. It's totally worth it.