The setting and surroundings of Olson Park are absolutely fantastic!…read more I tell ya...for just quickly visiting and hanging out here for a couple of hours, this Olson Park was so well maintained! I'll say it again, lol, very well maintained!! The park is flush with green grass and is situated right by a scenic lake. Too bad I wasn't spending the night here because they offer camping. And...I am a camping enthusiast! I was here at Olson Park back at the end of June 2021 and the conditions were truly pleasant. I honestly felt like taking a blanket out of my car and having a midday nap underneath a tree, lol. I really can't say enough good things about this park. Before I do...I'll just provide some insight and details about where Olson Park is located and some of the worthwhile benefits it offers that make it such a worthwhile destination for enjoying nature and the outdoors. Olson Park is located in the town of Worthington, Minnesota. Worthington sits about 175 miles southwest of Minneapolis and only 10 miles north from the border with Iowa. It's situated about 3 miles outside downtown Worthington. I was traveling down through Minnesota along my 2021 cross country road trip. Eventually I was heading into Sioux Falls, South Dakota and further west towards Badlands National Park and the Mount Rushmore area. Along my driving for half the day, I was just a little fatigued and pulled off Interstate 90 and figured why not take some time to relax at a park and rest up before continuing on my journey. I discovered Olson Park through the wonderful app on my phone called Campendium. Upon arriving here, I was surprised they offered camping. I just figured this place was a quiet town park where you could come play some ball, have a picnic or just simply go fishing by the lake. Well cool...this Olson Park was perfect and ideal for camping! The best part being that you can set up your tent along all the fluffy and lush green grass which definitely make a for comfortable night sleep. Plus...I can't tell you enough how clean this park was! Seriously it was like out of a fresh springtime catalogue for a photo album! Lol, just reflecting back on my pictures invoke warm memories. Too bad...I should have just camped out for the night. But instead, I took it easy for a few hours before returning back to Interstate 90. Also...there wasn't a cloud in the sky during my time here. The sun reflected down on the lake's waters making for a wonderful ambiance. The campsites located next to the lake were efficiently set up. Just taking pictures of the park with the lake in the background was beautiful. For camping... - Campsites 1 - 12 w/ electric hook-up was $33 for the night. - Campsites 13 - 63 w/ electric hook-up was $28 per night. - Campsites 64 - 68 without electric hook-up was only $22 per night. All these sites were very reasonable and fairly priced for camping out at such a well-maintained park! You can book a reservation by calling 507-372-8600 Monday thru Friday. If there isn't a campsite occupied, then it's first come, first served. For spontaneous campers coming here on a whim, once you find an unoccupied site, simply claim it and then drop the fee into the courtesy box on the east side of the office if no attendant is around. And that's it, you're good to go! Here are some other terrific amenities about Olson Park... - They have a shower house with flush toilets, so no vault toilets are always a good thing, lol. - Cell phone reception worked perfectly here. - You can bring swimming apparel to enjoy the waters of the lake. - There were picnic tables situated all around. During my visit here on June 30, the park was empty. It was so quiet for such a picturesque park. And btw, it's always a benefit not having too many campers occupying the grounds. Overall...having tons of green grass, trees situated all around, good shade and a calm setting made this Olson Park to be an absolute winner in my book. I can't remember finding a better campground along my entire 5-month journey across the United States! For those who happen to be driving Interstate 90 and or making their way through the southern portion of Minnesota during their travels, I can't recommend Olson Park enough, so refreshing to discover this hidden gem of a park and campground.

Beautiful park and very nice for camping. Stayed here on our way out to South Dakota. Will…read moredefinitely stay again.

Another stop on our quest to visit all MN state parks. This was the third of three parks in a day…read moreso we were very tired and only saw a small part of the park. We checked out the remains of the fort and learned about the people who lived there. The visitor center was still closed due to the pandemic but there were many placards around to read and learn. We took a short hike to a lookout point and found these amazing communal cocoons (my bug people say they are either gypsy or tent caterpillars). Views were beautiful. The area looked hilly and would have liked to see more. Best part about visiting all the parks is we get to see which areas are our favorites and visit again.

This is a state park and historic site as well, thus the name. There are ruins showing a much…read morelarger fort at one time and one preserved building and monument. Plenty of interpretive signs that have obviously been rewritten to reflect modern values of inclusive history. There are plenty of camping sites available in this seemingly very quiet park. The walking trails are generally in good shape until you go deeper in to the adjoining trails . There are steep hills and damp valleys and warning signs that trails are rougher. For reasons unknown many sections are closed and certainly it's not from flooding as the summer of 21' is drought stricken. One less star because of some poor or lacking signage and guide maps while at trail intersections. Pick up a paper map at the closed headquarters, (they are in a box), and use your phone compass if need be.

Not a ton of trails. Has some nice hills which provides an overlook of the prairie. Part of the…read moretrail was along the river, which with recent rain, was too waterlogged for us to use. We were able to find a 2-3mile path which took us through the woods and onto the prairie. Not the best of MN State Parks but still nice and well maintained.

Beautiful campground! All areas around the campground were…read morevery well maintained. Restrooms/showers were spacious, clean and plenty of hot water during showers. Campsite spots are Huge! Pretty sure the biggest spots of any campground I've been to and #9 the spot we camped has its own road leading to it so it's completely private from foot/vehicle traffic. Around 5 miles of trails from prairie hills to wooded trails across streams leading to the Des Moines River. Well marked and wide paths make it an enjoyable hike. Can't go wrong with a weekend at this campground

After a meandering walk on the paved trail, we noticed that they are beginning to lrepare for Light…read moreUp the Night, hosted yearly here. The park was devoid of other children this early Friday morning, and we have been here other times where it has acoommodated 20 to 30 children easily. The pond at the center of the park is picturesque, and there is a cute, 4 person, fishing dock to teach your young fishermen and women.

We started with a hike on Loon Island. Liked this part of the park. The causeway provided a bridge…read moreto get to the island. The path on the island was nice and shady. There were also nice educational stops along the way. We then hiked around Smith Lake. It's a nice distance of over three miles but the greenery between the path and lake cut out most lake views. There is also this odd section where the trail takes you into a corn field for a bit. There were lots of amazing birds in and around the lake. I think the large white birds were Pelicans. We also saw pheasants and many others. We liked this park with its many trails and water features.

We camped at Flandreau in the off season (fall). The electric campsite wasn't particularly wooded,…read morebut the spots were pretty spacious. It's nice being so close to a town without seeing/hearing much. Be forewarned - you will need to go up and down a significant hill, which can be challenging with some vehicle/camper setups. Overall, it was a peaceful experience and we will need to further explore in the future. I wish the man made pool was open more than the limited time in the summer. The road within the dump station is very rough - it could use resurfacing.

A super fun area to bring kids during the summer months! There is a "swimming pond" which is like a…read moreman made lake (with no fish!) There is also lots of trails to explore and hike on

Great paved trail that cuts through the park. The play area for the children has accessible…read morerestrooms in the non-freezing months. Play area has wood chips and mulch for padding. Age range for park is 2+ for the small slide and 6+ for the taller climbjng area.

Just a fun little museum and historical exhibit a short bike or car ride from Lake Shetek. We…read morestopped by during a camping trip and the kids had a blast climbing around and then picnicking at the tables. I wouldn't go out of my way unless you're a huge railroad buff, but it's a great little stop to break any journey past Currie. And very inexpensive, totally worth it at $5 per.

End-O-Line Railroad Park & Museum is a hidden gem! If you are in the area this is worth the stop…read more It is off the beaten travel path a bit, but worth the effort to drive a short distance to see this location. A lot of history here with many out buildings, but the focal point here is railroad history. The town of Currie marked the end of the line for the Chicago Northwestern Railroad. This line was originally supposed to go through to South Dakota but with lines going through Tracy on the north and Slayton on the south, they didn't see a need to continue the tracks past Currie. The turntable was built in 1901 and was used to turn the steam engines around to head back to Bingham Lake. The turntable is on the National Register of Historic Sites and is the only one left in the state of Minnesota, on the original site, still operable, and always turned by man power - it was never hooked up to steam or horses. This is a seasonal museum (Memorial Day - Labor Day) and is open 10 am to 5 pm Wednesday - Saturday and 1 - 5 pm on Sunday's. They do offer off season tours for groups but you need to make prior arrangements. Allow plenty of time when stopping here. There is a lot of history to see and absorb. They also offer picnic grounds, very nice and clean restrooms, a gift shop and playground area for the kids. Our family was so very glad we took the time to tour this museum. It is fun for all ages and very informative. There is an admittance fee of $5 for those 18 and over, students 6 - 17 receive a $3 reduced fee and kids 5 and under are free. Well worth the stop if you are in the Currie area. Beautiful grounds and well kept exhibits. So heart warming to see a small town be able to maintain such a wonderful historic attraction. A must see!

This is a great spot to begin an adventure in Hutchinson, Mn. You can visit the animal sanctuary…read moreor walk trails, go fishing, or even launch a canoe or kayak. During the winter when the river freezes, people can be seen skating. The park is beautiful year-round!

Fresh, clean water spigot with bowl. Open year round. Dog clean-up baggies always full, trash…read moretypically empty. Paved area for picnic table seating. All dog run area separate from small dog run area. Smiling pup faces and wagging tails. Many,many, sniffing noses.