Lake Louise State Park

Just north of the Iowa border, on the the Little Iowa River, you’ll find one of Minnesota’s most flawless nature escapes. Seriously, we can’t say enough good about Lake Louise State Park, named for the man-made reservoir it surrounds. Bike the nine-mile Shooting Star paved trail that weaves through vast prairie and gorgeous old-growth oak and savannahs to the nearby town of Leroy for an ice cream, then head back to camp for one of the park’s sweet weekend events like a candelit night hike. Antiquers will want to check out the old Wildwood Park entrance sign, a relic from the late 1800s before the land was renamed for its benefactor. And amid all the biking, swimming, boating, and general winning, you’ll be surrounded by two endangered flower species that bloom out of the rocks here—the vibrant big tick trefoil and wild nodding onion attract rare butterfly species, and you might even see blue heron or wild turkey stopping to smell the flowers with you. Paradise is alive and well in Minnesota.