Cactus Grow and Buffalo Roam on the Minnesota Prairie

Did you know there is prickly pear cactus in Minnesota? Southwest Minnesota’s landscape differs dramatically from that of the metro area.  There are tall prairie grasses, wildflowers, quartzite cliffs, and roaming buffalo.  You can experience it all at Blue Mounds State Park in Luverne, about a three hour drive from the Twin Cities. (Directions)

I first heard about this park in Minnesota Monthly magazine. They had a several page article about this overlooked park. I was most intrigued by the fact that there were cacti growing in Minnesota so I was all about checking this place out. Plus, I am fascinated by buffalo for some odd reason. When I found out our favorite photographer Jim Brandenburg had a gallery there, I was packing my bags! On top of all that, the prairie really is very beautiful, especially if you can catch it in bloom.

We visited the park with two of our friends on August 26, 2006. We booked our campsite reservations ahead of time using the DNR website. You can make reservations from 1 to 90 days in advance and I highly recommend you do so. The reservation system has maps of the campgrounds so you can pick your site out. You can also call the park’s office directly and get the insider info on which site is the best! Since a few of us are a tad bit wimpy campers, we made sure there were restrooms and showers at the campground. (Campground Map)

After getting our campsite setup, we drug our friends over to the Brandenburg Gallery. We all gawked and admired the amazing photographs. For those of you unfamiliar with his work, Jim Brandenburg is a renowned nature photographer who photographed for National Geographic. He is from and lives in Minnesota . You can get more information and links to his gallery in the “Things to see and do” section below. When we purchased a framed print, we were told that the proceeds go towards prairie preservation.  Click here to learn more about this mission. According his site, ‘The Brandenburg Prairie Foundation and the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service have purchased over 800 acres of untilled prairie land in Rock County , Minnesota , now known as the 'Touch the Sky Northern Tallgrass Prairie National Wildlife Refuge.' "

During our first day at the park, we hiked the prairie and visited the quartzite cliffs. I believe we did the upper and lower Cliffline trail (Park map with trails).  I did see prickly pear cacti, the cliffs, one marijuana plant (at least it looked like one…not that I would know), and a ton of monarch butterflies. They were fluttering overhead and then landing in the oak trees that canopied the trail. Really amazing! And yes, there were really butterflies, I did not attempt to smoke the before mentioned plant, so I am certain that I was not hallucinating. Since a large part of the hike was open prairie, you should be sure to put on sunscreen and take a bottle of water with you.

For a sunset hike, we decided to take a short walk over to the buffalo range in the park. The buffalo have a very large fenced section for their safety and yours…but probably mostly for yours. You can walk the fence perimeter though in order to see them. I think I would take a few hours to circle the whole thing so we just walked partway up one side of the fenced area until we found the herd. They spook easy so be quiet and don’t get too close or they will panic and run off beyond where you can see them. If that does happen there is a viewing platform with some binoculars, but that assumes they are in the section that is within the range of the binoculars…

As I mentioned before, some of us are a bit of wimpy campers. One of those "someones" is me. I particularly DESPISE mosquitoes. So I bought a screen tent to place over the picnic table. I don’t care who laughs at me (and many of my hardcore camping friends have), those things are AWESOME. However, after we returned from our sunset hike, it was dark… and after I ducked into the screen tent to sit at the picnic table, a “big scary animal” ran across my path. I jumped on the table and screamed like the girl that I am, while a very frightened cat tried desperately to escape. After all that exercise and brush with death, we had a great time at our picnic table playing the game Apples to Apples . We highly recommend this game for a heck of a good time. We were so obnoxious and I’ve never laughed so hard.

Overall we had a really great time and believe that this park is a hidden gem. Since it seems to be frequently overlooked, it’s easy to get camping reservations and the park isn’t overly crowded. It’s very peaceful and worthwhile to discover and explore the landscape that is so different from most of the rest of the state. We do plan to return again, being sure to make extra time to visit Pipestone National Monument and the Jeffers Petroglyphs.

Things To See/Do:

• Visit Blue Mounds State Park. It also has a very nice campground with showers and restrooms. It also has a buffalo herd! Be sure to book your campsite ahead of time!
• Visit the nearby Brandenburg Gallery. Jim Brandenburg is a renowned photographer from Minnesota . He photographed for National Geographic for over 25 years and he lives right here in Minnesota ! Check out his online gallery! Profits from the sale of the images at the Luverne gallery go to prairie education and preservation. 211 E. Main, Luverne , MN . 507-283-1884. (Directions). I believe the hours are: Monday-Friday 8:00am-5:00pm, Thursdays 8:00am-8:00pm, Saturdays 10:00pm-5:00pm. Closed Sundays.  Be sure to verify the hours before your visit!
• Take a short drive up to Pipestone National Monument. (25 miles north of Blue Mounds).
• If you are stopping at Pipestone, consider stopping at Jeffers Petroglyphs on your way back to the Twin Cities. The
  rock carvings are estimated to be from 3000 BC to the 1700s AD!