State Parks: These lands are your lands

Brian Peterson, Star Tribune

Autumn sky at Blue Mound State Park.

Five state parks in Minnesota and Wisconsin epitomize accessible adventure close to home -- and they belong to you.

By Chris Welsch, Star Tribune

Last update: December 21, 2007 - 9:13 AM

Spring hadn't completely sprung in the Sawtooth Mountains on Lake Superior's shore by late May. A half inch of fresh snow decorated the still-unfolding ferns as I unrolled my tent at Campsite No. 19.

For the next two days, this flat spot under a big white pine at Crosby Manitou State Park would be my home.

I spent the day hiking along the cascades of the Manitou River and onto peaks that let me see freighters cruising 30 miles out on the big lake. I cooked dinner while listening to the resident loon's crazed arias. All that peace, all that beauty, and it was all mine. Not just because I had the place to myself. But because, as a state park, it belongs to each of us.

A $25 park pass is a yearlong ticket to Minnesota's prettiest prairies, its clearest blue lakes, its ghost towns and its caves. In Wisconsin, offerings range from tiny islands in Lake Michigan to the geological wonders of the Dells.

In these two states, more than 150 parks preserve nearly a half million acres for the public to enjoy. Today, Travel celebrates five favorites, showcasing the variety of landscapes and attractions that are ours to savor this summer.

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