Frontenac State Park

Ok, so we know birdwatching isnt for everyone, but Frontenac State Park is one of the best places in the whole country for viewing migratory birds in spring and fall. From this Wisconsin/Minnesota bordertown along the Mississippi River, campers can see 260 species of birds—especially fun to look out for from the treehouse-like Wildlife Observation Blind built into the forest. A picnic area that overlooks Lake Pepin doubles as a trailhead for the park’s many hiking paths (and triples as a damn fine place to eat a PB&J). One trail provides some thrilling switchbacks leading up to the impressive Point No-Point bluff, while another leads you along the walls of a former limestone quarry (the stone from which was used to build the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City). Come to see the birds, stay for the trails, beaches, and impressive rock formations.