State Parks of Minnesota can be a great experience for people of all ages. This is particularly true of state parks within the Lake of the Woods area. Trails, trees, lakes and education make a great family excursion. Plan a whole trip visiting state parks in 2024 where you will find beautiful sites and education as well. Lake of the Woods is fortunate to have many state parks in the county and have a great neighbor south of us on Hwy 72, the Big Bog State Park.

The Minnesota DNR is the place to contact when looking to purchase your yearly sticker. A $35 year-round vehicle permit provides unlimited visits to all 75 Minnesota state parks and recreation areas for a full year from the month of purchase. Day permits are $7.00.

By purchasing a vehicle permit, you help maintain and improve the natural resources, facilities, and education and outreach programs that make Minnesota’s state parks among the best in the nation. Vehicle permits are valid for one year from the month of purchase. Plus, you can receive a discount on additional year-round permits for other vehicles you own. In order to buy a permit you must follow one of two ways: Call: • DNR Information Center at 651-296-6157 (Twin Cities area) • Toll free 1-888-MINNDNR (646-6367)

Lake of the Woods has a few state parks and forests. A year-round pass would be perfect with all the time you could spend inside these beautiful parks. A few of the closest ones include Zippel State Park, Franz Jevne State Park, and Beltrami Island State Forest. The outdoor activities you can do in the parks are endless, from fishing, canoeing, hiking, mushroom hunting, biking, camping, etc.

The Big Bog State Recreational Area  is just a few miles south of Lake of the Woods County on Hwy 72. This very unique and educational experience is one of a kind. The boardwalk itself is 1 mile long and reaches far into the swamp while having benches and teaching plaques along the way. It’s a must to put on your vacation list.

It’s time to get outdoors now and get some fresh air and sit and enjoy the beauty of creation as it comes to life in the springtime. Zippel Bay State Park is a beautiful spot to visit at any season, but springtime has special beauty. With miles of groomed trails, you will enjoy wildflowers peeking through the undergrowth and the aspens and birch trees coming alive with their bright green leaves and beautiful white bark. This State Park is located at 3684 54th Avenue Northwest, Williams, MN 56686 on Hwy #8 northwest of Baudette. This park provides a great opportunity to take the family on a walking tour.

The State Park at Zippel Bay is also known for its sandy beach reaching out into Lake of the Woods. It’s a perfect place for children to build sand castles and explore the shoreline. The bay itself is very shallow there so it is the best place for visitors to swim and walk out a long distance. You may obtain a State Park Sticker online before you visit or right at the entrance. A great family experience while practicing social distancing.

Zipple Bay State Park also manages the Blueberry Hill and Faunce campgrounds inside the Beltrami Island State Forest. For information on these units, please contact the Zippel Bay State Park office at (218) 783-6252. Blueberry Hill State Forest is located 3.5 miles west of Williams on the south side of Highway 11 and is one of the highest points of elevation in the county.

If you’re looking for remote, check out Franz Jevne State Park located on Highway 11. Here there is primitive camping with access to the Rainy River. This is located a few miles east of Birchdale, home of one of the last unique General Stores.

Other state parks in the area include an excursion by boat to the northern-most park of Garden Island on Lake of the Woods.

Garden Island State Park Boat docks and picnic grounds are available three seasons of the year. Here you can explore and do some walleye fishing and even enjoy a shore lunch on these beautiful grounds. Here’s a link to see what you can expect. Don’t forget that if you’re a birding fanatic, you are able to see many species at this untouched landscape. http://files.dnr.state.mn.us/destinations/state_parks/virtual_tours/garden_island/vt_gardenisland.html

Other recreation areas are also available in the Baudette, Lake of the Woods area. Baudette is fortunate to be located on the waters of Baudette Bay off of the great Rainy River that flows from Rainy Lake at International Falls to Lake of the Woods. This forms the border between the United States and Canada. So, whatever park you visit, you are able to feast your eyes on beautiful waterways.

There are three major parks within the City of Baudette. As you travel into the city on Hwy 11, you first come to Timbermill Park which is the city park. Here you will find a great campground equipped for tent camping or RV camping with full water and electric hookups. Great amenities at the park include a boat ramp onto the Rainy River, a fish cleaning house, a beautiful shower house, and an outside water spicket.  There is a sand volleyball court, basketball hoops, softball fields and a state of the art children’s playground.

Local people enjoy the park for its great pavilion. The other feature of this beautiful park is the incredible walking trail. This surrounds the park and is paved for your walking experience. Adjacent to the park is also a great skatepark where all ages find their skills using skateboards or even small bikes.

Further into town at the junction of Hwy 11 and 172 north is Willie Walleye Park. This park is a beautiful area to sit on benches there and enjoy the scenery. There is a pier that juts out into Baudette Bay where people jump off to swim or cast a line to see what species frequent the Bay. A fairly new boat ramp allows you to tie your boat and shop around Baudette.

The third beautiful park is known as Peace Park and is very unique as it sits on the land right next to the Canadian Border Crossing. Locals enjoy this park all year round as they gaze on the Rainy River, the International Bridge and also the land of Canada. It’s not unusual to find people enjoying their lunch break there or having an ice cream while enjoying the view in the evening. There are a number of cement picnic tables available and also bathroom facilities.

The greatest feature of Peace Park is the boat ramp which accesses the Rainy River.  It’s quite a sight to see the boat ramp full of boat trailers parked in a line at the parking area. The view is spectacular and the park is always a great place to drive through just to gaze at the water and the bridge.

Venture to the northland very soon to enjoy the rich beauty spring offers in state parks and recreational areas.

For more information and lodging availability, please see out website at ww.lakeofthewoodsmn.com/lodging. Feast your eyes on the beauty nature has to offer.

See our Face Book page at: www.facebook.com/lakeofthewoodsmn

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons dry bread crumbs
• 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 pound perch or fish fillets of your choice
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted

Directions

1. In a shallow bowl, combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, paprika and basil. Brush fish fillets with butter, then dip into the crumb mixture. Place in a greased baking pan. Bake, uncovered, at 500° for 10 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

Advertisement

Nutrition Facts

1/4 pound: 158 calories, 6g fat (2g saturated fat), 52mg cholesterol, 176mg sodium, 4g carbohydrate (0 sugars, 1g fiber), 23g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 2-1/2 lean meat, 1/2 fat.

It’s that time of year where snowmobile riders start getting that itch again to get out on the snow and ride. Now is the time to start making plans to do so. Lake of the Woods and surrounding communities offer miles upon miles of riding trails for snowmobilers. Plenty of lodging makes staying and playing easy to be accommodated with. As of this writing, there is no snow on the ground but that just gives snowmobilers extra time to groom their machines.

Enjoy hundreds of miles of connected groomed trails. Our trails are true wilderness trails, as there is less than 5 miles of ditch riding on our trail system. Trails go as far up as the Northwest Angle, as far west as Warroad, south to Waskish and as far east as Big Falls and north up to International Falls.

To the west our trail system hooks up to the Roseau County groomed trails, as well as Kittson County groomed trails and on into North Dakota. To the south we hook up to Beltrami Island State Forest Trails, as well as hundreds of miles of logging trails.

Northwest Angle and Island areas are accessible from Lake of the Woods or the Can-Am Trail by snowmobile. To the east, the Northern Connection hooks up to the groomed Voyageur Trail West and Arrowhead Trail. Our area is unique by having Lake of the Woods and Rainy River, which both provide ample ice riding.

This area is very fortunate to have two dealers offering two very famous brands of snow machines. These machines are not only durable but are set up with some of the most impressive features for pleasurable riding. Polaris Industries is located in Roseau, a neighboring community, where snowmobiles are produced and shipped all over the country. Artic Cat is also produced and distributed in a nearby town and dealerships are available in Baudette.

We are also fortunate to have two great snowmobile clubs who not only ride for fun, but work very hard at maintaining trails and bridges before the season starts and grooming many many miles of trails throughout the season.

Lake of the Woods Drifters Snowmobile Club is located in Lake of the Woods County. They are a very active club and have their own website at www.lakeofthewoodsdrifters.org and FaceBook page at www.facebook.com/lakeofthewoodsdrifters. You can also contact them at lakeofthewoodsdrifters@gmail.com. Each of those sites will provide you with great current information about the trails and great photos that the club has taken. The Northern Connection Trail is very famous as it was carved out of the forest area going east and south of Baudette.

Lake of the Woods Drifters is a non profit community organization that welcomes members at any time. They also own and maintain shelters throughout the trails to warm up or stop to have lunch and fellowship on the ride. The Club produces a great snow map which is available through the club or through requesting one from Lake of the Woods Tourism. There are over 273 miles of groomed trails to offer adventure through this winter wonderland.

Further north in Lake of the Woods County at the northernmost part of the United States you will find the home of the Northwest Angle Edge Rider Snowmobile Club. Their website is: www.nwaedgeriders.org. There you will find information about the club, about snow conditions, trail conditions, club events, and even places to stay at Angle Inlet. Their FaceBook page is  www.facebook.com/NorthwestAngleEdgeRiders.

This snow club proudly proclaims they groom over 172 miles of trail during the season. As of this writing,  they state that they are “chomping at the bit” to get out onto the frozen waters of Lake of the Woods and travel many many miles over the frozen waters. This Snow Club stakes trails and produces a great snow map of trails throughout the lake, up to Oak and Flag Island and even into the Canadian part of the lake. The map even features depths of the lake which even open water anglers find very helpful.

This club also hosts a great event during the winter season. Every year they host an Annual Northwest Angle Edge Riders Snowmobile Rally from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. at Flag Island. Food, fun, and door prizes will be available. Keep posted for the 2024 date of this great event.

For more information see our website at: www.lakeofthewoodsmn.com/snowmobiling.

For lodging information see: www.lakeofthewoodsmn.com/lodging.

See Lake of the Woods Face Book page here: www.facebook.com/lakeofthewoodsmn

You can also download the official Snowmobile Regulations at the MN DNR Website.

Click Here for an interactive snowmobile map from the MN DNR

Fishing in Northern Minnesota and especially Lake of the Woods is the extreme adventure and enjoyment for many. During the past three years, more and more people have turned to this great sport to enjoy the great outdoors, enjoy family, establish a tradition with children and also minister to their mental health.

Yes, if you’re feeling down or burnt out, it might be time to get back into nature. Just think of the beautiful pristine waters of Lake of the Woods where you can hardly see the shoreline. Now imagine yourself in a large charter boat with a guide, who is professional at navigating the waters, and sit back and leave the driving to him. He’ll fix you up with a line to catch some great walleye, perch, northern, sturgeon, or more and then help you land them in the boat.

Now pick up your favorite beverage and snack and wait for the next bite. All the while the glistening waters speak peace to you and the rocking of boat eases any stress that you might have been experiencing through your job or other circumstances. It’s important for our mental health to “kick back” and allow ourselves this time to decompress from the daily grind. What better way than to spend time gazing at the beautiful water.

According to Niels Eék, psychologist and co-founder of mental wellbeing and self-development platform Remente, spending time in nature may be the key to good mental health.

“Several researchers have looked into the health benefits connected to spending time out in nature. One study specifically, which was recently published in BioScience Journal, found that daily exposure to nature can, among other things, help reduce feelings of stress and even improve your self-esteem, for up to seven hours. Reconnecting with nature can also help you become more mindful and present in the moment,” Eék said in a statement.

Moreover, a study from the University of Michigan suggests that being in nature not only improves your mood for the time but also has positive long-term effects when it comes to depression and memory, as well as decreasing the risk of certain cancers and high blood pressure.

So what should you do to boost your mental health effectively in nature? Well, there is always camping, biking and hiking, but some experts believe the best way to take care of your mind is to go on a fishing trip.

An Australian survey funded by the Recreational Fishing Initiatives Scheme reports relaxation and stress relief are the main benefits people get from recreational fishing, according to reps for Fishbrainthis link opens in a new tab, a mobile app and social network for people who love to fish.

The free app has attracted millions of users who have discovered fishing as their newfound self-care hobby. The app uses an interactive map to allow users to find the best places to fish, as well as record their catches, plan trips, share tips and techniques, and purchase the latest gear.

“Fishing is one of the most popular sports in the world and one of only a few truly global hobbies,” Johan Attby, CEO and founder of Fishbrain, said in a statement “With data and sophisticated technology at its core, and an engaged community as its heart, Fishbrain has become a social network that both inspires and equips users across the globe to have more fun by fishing smarter, not harder.”

So, it’s easier than ever to go fishing, even if you’re a newbie, without the added stress of not catching anything.

Fishbrain’s users can attest to the mental health benefits of fishing. “Fishing has become critical to my mental health. My job as a sales/production manager can be quite stressful at times, and nothing relieves stress and centers me like fishing,” said Gabe Beaudry of Central Oregon.

“Going fishing outdoors increases your vitamin D, which helps regulate the amount of calcium and phosphate in your body, keeping your bones and teeth healthy. It boosts your immune system and has been linked to fighting depression,” added Chasten Whitfield of Cortez, Florida.

Large numbers of fish and some monsters are possible. There is a tradition in these parts tracking the open water in the river and dropping that boat in for the first time of the season. Results are often time incredible.

The Rainy River also is famous for it’s Lake Sturgeon fishery. These fish live to over 100 year old and reach weights of over 100 lbs. Arguably, the river and 4 Mile Bay offer the top sturgeon fishing in the Midwest. This is an adventure all of its own as these fish take a long time to be reeled into the net. Lake of the Woods has an ample supply and during the sturgeon season, multitudes of anglers increase their enjoyment when catching this species.

Start planning your next Lake of the Woods fishing trip here.

For Lodging see: www.lakefthewoodsmn.com/lodging

See our Face Book page at: www.facebook.com/lakeofthewoodsmn