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.

Absolutely beautiful area! We were there in 30 degree weather and will definitely be back in the…read morespring/summer to check things out again, we had a great time walking and checking out all the sites!

Went camping with the whole family and this park really brings out the adventurous side of you…read more Will definitely make plans to come back again!

Okay, so I have to say I was very unsure of this place before we got there. Because there is…read moreliterally nothing for miles, and then suddenly you're in a small town that doesn't seem like it would have a camping spot. But then you hang a corner and boom, adorable campground by a scenic river with lots of open space and a pretty nice shower house. We only stayed one night, and there are two solid reasons I'm not going for five stars: 1. The owner was not there when we arrived, everything was locked up, and for a moment we were at a loss. We decided to just pick a spot since there were only two other campers on site, and if we were wrong then we'd happily move. It turns out the owner was on vacation, and another one of the campers was there to manage while she was out. We found this out when one of their kids was wandering around saying hi and petting the pups and told us all about his cool week of camping. It wasn't a huge deal, but it wouldn't been comforting to get an email or a phone call, or even have it left on the voicemail (we tried to call several times and there was no voicemail set up). 2. The wild life around the area takes shifts, so there is constant noise going around the clock. From my memory while trying to catch some zz's, it begins with dogs barking until dark, then the owls take over, followed by coyotes (or some sort of group howling animal), then around 4am the cows take over for moo-fest, followed by the roosters at daybreak. This probably doesn't bother those sleeping in campers, but the tent walls are paper thin (see what I did there?). Would I stay here again? That's a solid maybe. It is quite out of the way, the nearest grocery store/gas station/sign of life is at least 10 miles/20 minutes away, so be sure to come completely prepared. It is as bad as I was fearing when we pulled up? Not at all. Color me pleasantly surprised.

It may just be the time of the summer that I visited, but overall I have to rate my stay as just…read moreokay. It seems to be a long term summer hang out spot for some locals and you can hear cussing and yelling from people drinking late into the night, like after two am. However, if you're looking for a place where you can have fun without strict rules, this would be the place. As a newcomer, some people were friendly and some were not, but I won't go further in explaining that. The river is pretty, although it's not anywhere near full right now because of drought, so the kayaking is somewhat limited. As I said though, it was a really pretty site to camp on. They have a couple of private shower rooms that are nice. For a one night stay it's okay, especially as a lot of other campsites that are in a less isolated area seem to fill up more quickly. The nearest grocery store is 11 miles away, so I would plan out food before you go into camp. Dell Rapids has a great coffee shop called Ladelle and Fourth Coffeehouse (if you need wifi or to get out) that is fifteen minutes away, which I was surprised to find.

Stayed for one night in the tent camping area. Campground and bathrooms clean, coin laundry room,…read morewalking trail with frisbee golf, two children's playgrounds. The shower was great: clean, the drain was clear, and the water actually stayed in the shower and drained down the drain. I called to reserve the site and was told that there would be a packet in the check-in box with an envelope for me to put cash payment in, since I would be arriving after hours. The packet was where I was told it would be, and the camp hosts came by to make sure I found it, they were very nice. The interstate is noisy, so be aware of that.

Campground is in great shape. Priced right. Friendly staff. We had a few issues that won't allow…read moreus to stay here again. Arrived last Wednesday night on our way to Badlands National Park. It's half way for us. First site was cramped, as there was a tree in the way and I couldn't back up far enough for our electric and sewer to hook up. Had to go back to the office to move a spot over. Not a big deal. We arrived at 5:30 pm. After set up, my girls walked to the pool that was supposed to be open till 8 pm. Well. They closed open swimming at 6 pm for lessons. Disappointing. I confirmed my reservation for Sunday night, July 3rd. When we arrived on Sunday, the office wasn't staffed. My reservation was no where to be found and had no clue what site I was at. We took an open site that was electric only. They only accept checks when the office is closed. So bring a check book. We don't carry checks. We decided to stay anyway. Once we set up, we walked to the steakhouse, which was closed. Website said it would be open, so we didn't stop to eat in Sioux City. . So we went to subway. Nice staff, and the place was super clean. Our experience wasn't as nice as it should have been. But the stay was ok. People around the site were obviously no stranger to the park. When everything gets quiet and you have a 100 set of eyes on you, it's a little uncomfortable. I smiled and waved with no responses. Just weird. We couldn't wait to leave. This was our first and second time, but probably won't be back.

I really enjoyed the 4m hike through this park. The prairie is a beautiful place. We saw lots of…read moreflowers and wild life. I love how the wind blows patterns over the long grass. No trees so bring sunscreen. The nice breeze kept the bugs at bay.

13 miles of trails throughout! When I went I bypassed the main entrance and went straight for the…read moreVisitor Center's entrance which brought me close to the start of the Burr Trail, Upper Cliff Trail, & Lower Cliff Trail. The Burr Trail was my favorite! It has some steep slopes and rocks poking out of the earth. Definitely go when it's dry or slightly moist. Anything super wet might increase your chances of slippage if you don't have sturdy hiking/walking shoes. This trail also has tree coverage which is great for hot sun days. The Burr Trail leads you to the old quarry at the base of it. The Upper and Lower Cliff Trails are parallel to each other. The Upper Cliff Trail allows you to see the old quarry site from above. Bird's eye views are epic. The Lower Cliff Trail is adjacent to the fencing that separates you and approximately 100 bison. They were quite a bit away - hard to capture in pictures, but still majestic creatures nonetheless! The Lower Cliff Trail also has views toward Rock County, MN and you can see wind turbines spinning in the distance. Both the Upper and Lower Cliff Trails intersect some, so you can change it up and they're relatively flat and easy. There are no trees to shade you from the sun; bring ample water and maybe a rimmed hat and sunnies to shield you from it. There are other trails that lead towards the campgrounds there. I did not do them, so I can't suggest or advise you on them. There is a bike path that appears to loop around much of the park's perimeter and quite possibly lead into town. There's also a rock climbing area (permit required) and a separate lot that takes you there directly. There's no set equipment or anything so you're basically free basing and definitely watch out for cacti! I got to see a few snakes, butterflies, grasshoppers, and a herd of bison, as well as listen to different species of birds. There are also lots of flies/gnats, especially if you stay still and rest at one of the (not so) random benches along the way. The daily parking fee is $7.00. They have different increments for various types or durations of visits. There's a QR Code you can scan with your phone - create an account - and then purchase a parking pass. Bring a pen and paper with you unless you want to write out your confirmation number in blood or boogers. Haha! Since COVID-19 they've automated much of it and no one is around to provide you those for your dash. Happy Trails!

Pretty small state park. The two mile hike brings you around the outer edge. The main attraction is…read morethe beach but we weren't swimming. It was a combo of woods and open field hiking. Bugs were a bit annoying.

In the summer of 2018, my husband and I stopped at this park for the Passport stamp and to do the…read moreHiking club trail. Nice pretty park. The historic WPA bridge is made with local stones. There are other WPA era buildings at the park also. This was a fun park for a quick day trip.

Hosts are excellent. Very friendly and helpful. Campground is clean and well cared for. Great…read morelocation for sightseeing. Would stay again!

Catfish Bay is a wonderful local attraction! We thoroughly enjoyed the show and the generations of…read moreskiers performing. From very young to a little over the hill, they all were having so much fun performing and showing what they could do. The first half of the show was meant as a demonstration and instructional type show with the announcer explaining what they were doing and what the technical terms were. It gave some of the newer skiers an opportunity to perform and get used to the nerves! He also provided background on a lot of the performers and it's amazing how many have gone on to win awards throughout the world, all starting at Catfish Bay! It's a small little lake but they're doing amazing things on the water! The corny little skits by "Norm" as filler had the kiddos laughing hysterically!! Very enjoyable evening and the special 4th of July fireworks after the show were phenomenal!!

Came by to watch the practice Tuesday evening since we want be around for the show Friday. Talented…read moregroup of young ladies and gentlemen! We met owner Jim, chatted briefly. Nice guy. He told us to get out of car and go watch from bleachers. We had our labs with us. They were fascinated with all the action. Bet it's a great show Friday. Will definitely go see it when I'm back in the area. Would be great for families.