Big Stone Lake State Park

Big Stone Lake State Park, aptly named for all the giant glacial boulders just hanging out everywhere, proves that camping in southern Minnesota can be just as cool as up north (eat your heart out, Boundary Waters). The source of the Minnesota River, this swimming and fishing destination sits on the border with South Dakota and offers great views of Hartford Beach State Park on the river’s Mt. Rushmore State side. Birders will want to pack binoculars to catch the meadowlarks, wrens, bobolinks, pheasants, and wild turkeys that rule the skies, and amateur archeology fans can scan the ancient granite bedrock for gnarly fossils (apparently there’s mad shark’s teeth along the river).