Lake Vermilion-Soudan Underground Mine State Park

 

 

     
 
About
 
 

Ownership

 
 

Minnesota DNR logo

 
     
 

Links

 
 

Minnesota DNR

 
     
 

Overview

 
 

 

 
     
 

History

 
 

In May, 2014, the Minnesota State Legislature combined Lake Vermilion State Park and the adjacent Soudan Underground Mine State Park to create Lake Vermilion-Soudan Underground Mine State Park.

 
     
 

Management

 
 

 

 
     
 

Comments

 
 

 

 
     
 
Location
 
 

Maps

 
 

All Season Map

Mine Area Map

 
         
 

Printable Map(s) with GPS coordinates

 
         
         
 

Size

 
 

4,124.5 acres

 
         
 

Parking

 
 

Summer mine entrance
1302 McKinley Park Road
Soudan, MN 55782
N47 49.139, W92 14.653
GPS coordinates do not take you to the summer entrance! Follow street signs, not your GPS. – (MN DNR)

Winter mine entrance
1379 Stuntz Bay Road
Soudan, MN 55782
N47 49.222, W92 14.234

Lake Vermilion Unit entrance
U.S. Highway 169
N47 49.044, W92 12.680

 
         
 

Hours

 
 

Daily from 8 a.m. until 10 p.m.

 
         
 

Fees

 
 

Daily park permit: $7

Annual park permit: $35

 
         
 

Driving Directions

  Area and County  
 

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          St. Louis County  
          Northeast Minnesota  
     
 
Activities
 
 

Hiking Trails

 
 

Alaska Shaft Trail: 2.4 miles
Hiking Club Trail: 5 miles
Interpretive Trail: 0.3 mile

 
     
 

Hunting

 
 

 

 
     
 
Ecology
 
 

Ecological Classification

  Ecological Classification  
  Ecological Province    

Laurentian Mixed Forest Province

   
  Ecological Section    

Northern Superior Uplands

   
  Ecological Subsection    

Border Lakes

Nashwauk Uplands

   
  Land Type Association    

Ely-Knife Lake Bedrock Complex

Vermilion Bedrock Complex

Whalsten Till Plain

   
             
 

Native Plant Communities*

   
 

Alder - (Maple - Loosestrife) Swamp

Aspen - Birch - Basswood Forest

Aspen - Birch Forest

Aspen - Birch Forest: Balsam Fir Subtype

Beaver Wetland Complex

Bedrock Shrubland (Inland)

Black Ash - Alder Swamp (Northern)

Black Ash - Aspen - Balsam Poplar Swamp (Northeastern)

Black Ash - Conifer Swamp (Northeastern)

Crystalline Bedrock Outcrop (Northern)

Dry Mafic Cliff (Northern)

Dry Open Talus (Northern)

Graminoid Rich Fen (Basin)

Low Shrub Poor Fen

Lowland White Cedar Forest (Northern)

Northern Cedar Swamp

Northern Dry-Bedrock Pine (Oak) Woodland

Northern Mesic Cliff

Northern Mesic Mixed Forest

Northern Wet Alder Swamp

Northern Wet Ash Swamp

Northern Wet Meadow / Carr

Pin Oak Woodland (Bedrock)

Poor Black Spruce Swamp

Poor Black Spruce Swamp

Poor Tamarack - Black Spruce Swamp

Red Pine - White Pine Woodland (Northeastern Bedrock)

Rich Black Spruce Swamp (Basin)

Sedge Meadow

Sedge Meadow: Beaked Sedge Subtype

Sedge Meadow: Bluejoint Subtype

Sedge Meadow: Lake Sedge Subtype

White Pine - Red Pine Forest

Willow - Dogwood Shrub Swamp

   
  * Source: The Minnesota Biological Survey, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Division of Ecological Resources      
         
 

Natural Features

     
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

           
 
Visitor Photos
 
           
 

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MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos
 
    Soudan Underground Mine State Park      

 

Camera

     
 
Slideshows
 
  Soudan Underground Mine State Park
Sharon Somero
 
  Soudan Underground Mine State Park  
     
  Soudan Underground Mine State Park
Richard Sanders
 
  Soudan Underground Mine State Park  
 
About

Soudan Underground Mine State Park

 

 

slideshow

       
 
Visitor Videos
 
       
 

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Other Videos
 
  WDIO.com - A Look at the Vermilion State Park.flv
Troy Swanson
 
   
 
About

Uploaded on Aug 21, 2010

An August 2010 news story on the progression of the new Lake Vermilion State Park !

   
  Proposed Lake Vermillion State Park
PioneerPress
 
   
 
About

Published on Mar 7, 2013

This video clip is aerial footage of the proposed Lake Vermilion State Park. It was shot in the summer of 2007 and shows some of the interior land and wetlands as well as the shoreline.

   
  Soudan Underground Mine State Park virtual tour
MinnesotaDNR
 
   
 
About

Uploaded on Nov 9, 2009

Take a virtual tour of the underground mine and physics lab at Soudan Underground Mine State Park in northern Minnesota. http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_park...

   
  Soudan Underground Mine State Park (MN) - Shaft #8 elevator lift
Jim Federline
 
   
 
About

Published on Jan 17, 2014

This is video I shot in the lift house for the elevator in shaft #8 in the Soudan Underground Mine that tourists take to go a half-mine underground for the mine tour. The mine became a Minnesota State Park after US Steel donated the mine to the State of Minnesota.

   
  Cantus - Soudan Mine - Sonic Architecture: Exploring Minnesota Through Sound
Classical MPR
 
   
 
About

Uploaded on May 4, 2011

Sonic Architecture: Exploring Minnesota Through Sound. Cantus performs in 2300 feet underground in the depths of the Soudan Underground Mine State Park. The former iron mine near Ely, MN is also host to a large University of Minn. physics lab.

This video was recorded in DTS Neural Surround and you can listen in surround sound on any home receiver. Go to Classical MPR's DTS page for more information: http://minnesota.publicradio.org/radio/services/cms/dts.shtml

   
  Soudan Physics Lab Tour
hotrod8983
 
   
 
About

Published on Aug 15, 2013

In the summer of 2013 our daughter was fortunate enough to score an internship at the Soudan Underground Physics Lab in northeastern Minnesota. One of her duties was to give tours such as this one.

   

 

Camcorder

           
 
Visitor Sightings
 
           
 

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MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings
 
 

Visits

5/27/2011                
 
 

Amphibians

 
 

Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas Amphibians and Reptiles List

 
         
 

Birds

 
 

Minnesota DNR Bird checklist

eBird Field Checklist

 
         
 

Fishes

 
 

Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas Fishes List

 
         
 

Fungi and Lichens

 
 

Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas Lichens List

 
         
 

Insects and Arachnids

 
 

Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas Insects List

 
         
 

Mammals

 
 

One mammal species with conservation status in Minnesota has been seen here:

Special Concern

little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus)

 
 

Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas Mammals List

 
         
 

Plants

 
 

Seven plant species with conservation status in Minnesota are found here:

Threatened

alpine woodsia (Woodsia alpina)

Special Concern

Lapland buttercup (Ranunculus lapponicus)

least moonwort (Botrychium simplex)

northern oak fern (Gymnocarpium robertianum)

Oregon woodsia (Woodsia oregana ssp. cathcartiana)

St. Lawrence grapefern (Botrychium rugulosum)

small beggarticks (Bidens discoidea)

 
 

Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas and Minnesota Biological Survey Vegetation Releves Plant List

 
 

Plants frequently found in:

Alder - (Maple - Loosestrife) Swamp FPn73a

Aspen - Birch - Basswood Forest MHn35a

Aspen - Birch Forest FDn43b

Aspen - Birch Forest: Balsam Fir Subtype FDn43b1

Bedrock Shrubland (Inland) ROn23a

Black Ash - Alder Swamp (Northern) WFn64c

Black Ash - Aspen - Balsam Poplar Swamp (Northeastern) WFn55a

Black Ash - Conifer Swamp (Northeastern) WFn64a

Crystalline Bedrock Outcrop (Northern) ROn12b

Dry Mafic Cliff (Northern) CTn11a

Dry Open Talus (Northern) CTn12a

Graminoid Rich Fen (Basin) OPn92a

Low Shrub Poor Fen APn91a

Lowland White Cedar Forest (Northern) WFn53b

Northern Cedar Swamp FPn63

Northern Dry-Bedrock Pine (Oak) Woodland FDn22

Northern Mesic Cliff CTn32

Northern Mesic Mixed Forest FDn43

Northern Wet Alder Swamp WFn74 (Fact sheet not available)

Northern Wet Ash Swamp WFn55

Northern Wet Meadow/Carr WMn82

Pin Oak Woodland (Bedrock) FDn22c

Poor Black Spruce Swamp APn81a

Poor Black Spruce Swamp APn81a

Poor Tamarack - Black Spruce Swamp APn81b

Red Pine - White Pine Woodland (Northeastern Bedrock) FDn22b

Rich Black Spruce Swamp (Basin) FPn62a

Sedge Meadow WMn82b

Sedge Meadow: Beaked Sedge Subtype WMn82b3

Sedge Meadow: Bluejoint Subtype WMn82b1

Sedge Meadow: Lake Sedge Subtype WMn82b4

White Pine - Red Pine Forest FDn43a

Willow - Dogwood Shrub Swamp WMn82a

     
         

 

 

Binoculars


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