About • Location • Activities • Ecology
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Activities |
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Hiking Biking Mountain biking Horseback riding Picnicking Camping Backpacking Rock climbing and bouldering Swimming Boating Canoeing Birding Nature photography Geocaching Cross country skiing Skate-skiing Winter hiking Snowshoeing Snowmobiling |
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Trails |
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Hunting and Fishing |
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No hunting. The park may hold one or more managed hunts in the fall. In most cases, Minnesota residents do not need a permit to fish in Minnesota State Parks. |
Ecology |
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Ecological Classification |
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Ecological Province | Prairie Parkland Province |
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Ecological Section | North Central Glaciated Plains |
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Ecological Subsection | Minnesota River Prairie |
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Land Type Association | Gibbon Till Plain Milan Alluvial Plain |
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Native Plant Communities* |
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Dry Sand - Gravel Prairie (Southern) Mesic Prairie (Southern) Pin Oak - Bur Oak Woodland Red Oak - Sugar Maple - Basswood - (Bitternut Hickory) Forest Seepage Meadow/Carr Silver Maple - (Virginia Creeper) Floodplain Forest Sugar Maple - Basswood - (Bitternut Hickory) Forest Wet Prairie (Southern) |
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* Source: The Minnesota Biological Survey, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Division of Ecological Resources | |||||
Natural Features |
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Park entrance |
Parking | |
Forest edge |
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River bottom forest |
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Minnesota River |
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Overlook |
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Seppmann Mill |
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Pin Oak - Bur Oak Woodland |
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Red Oak -Sugar Maple - Basswood - (Bitternut Hickory) Forest |
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Dry Sand - Gravel Prairie (Southern) |
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Waterfall |
Slideshows |
Minneopa State Park Mankato, MN |
About
Minneopa State Park is a state park on the Minnesota River west of Mankato, Minnesota. Pedestrian bridge between Upper and Lower Minneopa FallsThe word Minneopa translated into the Dakota language means, "water falling twice".[1] This is because there are two falls, one short and one long falling near each other. The scenic splendor of the falls and surrounding area had made it a tourist attraction as early as 1870. A railroad depot, with a surrounding townsite, sprang up around the falls. In the late 1870s, three years of grasshopper plagues wiped out the crops, and the town disappeared. The park was created in 1905 to preserve the area around Minneopa Falls, and as such it was Minnesota's third state park. The Seppmann Windmill, in the western area of the park, was a wind-powered grist mill built by Louis Seppmann, a German immigrant. The windmill is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In addition, several rustic style structures built by the Works Progress Administration in the 1930s are listed in the National Register of Historic Places. |
Minneopa State Park |
About
February 2012 |
Minneopa State Park |
About
Minneopa State Park, Mn |
Minneopa State Park, Minnesota |
About
Published on Oct 31, 2013 Favorite Sites: A-2, 14, 16, 18, 26, 32, 34 B-1, 6, 8, 20, 24 |
Minneopa State Park |
About
Published on Mar 25, 2013 I love Minneopa State Park in Minnesota, I grew up coming here, so I decided to make a video. These are all the pictures that I have taken over a few years. I am still missing a bunch but this is a good start! :) |
Minneopia State Park Minnesota 2013 |
About
Published on Feb 10, 2014 I created this video with the YouTube Slideshow Creator |
Visitor Videos |
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Other Videos |
Minneopa State Park June 28th, 2011 |
About
Uploaded on Jul 3, 2011 Lots of rain this spring made for some great waterfalls at Minneopa State Park just outside of Mankato, Mn. This was also 3 days before the govt. shutdown. |
Minneopa "Pea Soup" Falls at Minneopa State Park near Mankato, MN. A Green Waterfalls |
About
Published on Jul 19, 2013 On July 18, 2013 I rode my bike to Minneopa State Park near Mankato, MN. I was stunned to find the waters of Minneopa creek were nearly as green as the surrounding greenery. For many years the DNR has posted a warning sign about high levels of e-coli in the water. I believe it's time something is done about the pollution sources, mainly agricultural, that are tainting the creek. People from all over Minnesota and the country stop by to visit the falls, and this is what they see. We shouldn't stand for that. If you want to see this fixed once and for all, contact your State legislator and voice your concern. Share this video with them so they can see for themselves what tourists are seeing when they visit what should be a jewel of the State Park system. |
Visitor Sightings |
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Lisa F |
Insects and Arachnids |
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eastern tiger swallowtail (Papilio glaucus) |
MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings |
Visits |
2004 5/28/2009 8/6/2010 7/16/2012 |
Amphibians |
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Birds |
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eBird Field Checklist (Complete) |
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American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis) American Robin (Turdus migratorius) Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) Bank Swallow (Riparia riparia) Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata) Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater) Clay-colored Sparrow (Spizella pallida) Common Nighthawk (Chordeiles minor) Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas) Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis) Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus) Field Sparrow (Spizella pusilla) Gray Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis) Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) Ovenbird (Seiurus aurocapilla) Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus) |
Fishes |
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Fungi and Lichens |
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Insects and Arachnids |
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American lady (Vanessa virginiensis) black swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes) Carolina grasshopper (Dissosteira carolina) dog day cicada (Neotibicen canicularis) eastern tent caterpillar moth (Malacosoma americana) eastern tiger swallowtail (Papilio glaucus) goldenrod bunch gall midge (Rhopalomyia solidaginis) goldenrod gall fly (Eurosta solidaginis) grape phylloxera (Daktulosphaira vitifoliae) multicolored Asian lady beetle (Harmonia axyridis) oak leaf gall midge (Polystepha pilulae) orange sulphur (Colias eurytheme) red admiral (Vanessa atalanta) summer azure (Celastrina neglecta) twelve-spotted skimmer (Libellula pulchella) Walker’s cicada (Neotibicen marginalis) white snakeroot leaf miner (Liriomyza eupatoriella) |
Mammals |
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American red squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) eastern cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus) eastern gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) plains pocket gopher (Geomys bursarius) thirteen-lined ground squirrel (Ictidomys tridecemlineatus) |
Plants |
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Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas and Minnesota Biological Survey Vegetation Releves Plant List |
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Plants frequently found in: Dry Sand - Gravel Prairie (Southern) UPs13b Mesic Prairie (Southern) UPs23a Pin Oak - Bur Oak Woodland FDs37b Red Oak - Sugar Maple - Basswood - (Bitternut Hickory) Forest MHs38c Silver Maple - (Virginia Creeper) Floodplain Forest FFs68a |
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American bittersweet (Celastrus scandens) American elderberry (Sambucus canadensis) American germander (Teucrium canadense) American hophornbeam (Ostrya virginiana var. virginiana) American lopseed (Phryma leptostachya) American plum (Prunus americana) American red raspberry (Rubus idaeus ssp. strigosus) American spikenard (Aralia racemosa ssp. racemosa) American stinging nettle (Urtica gracilis ssp. gracilis) annual fleabane (Erigeron annuus) Bell’s honeysuckle (Lonicera × bella) big bluestem (Andropogon gerardi) black bindweed (Fallopia convolvulus) black cherry (Prunus serotina var. serotina) black medick (Medicago lupulina) black raspberry (Rubus occidentalis) black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta var. pulcherrima) black-seeded plantain (Plantago rugelii var. rugelii) bland sweet cicely (Osmorhiza claytonii) bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) blue vervain (Verbena hastata) bluntleaf bedstraw (Galium obtusum ssp. obtusum) bouncing bet (Saponaria officinalis) boxelder (Acer negundo var. negundo) bristly greenbrier (Smilax tamnoides) broadleaf enchanter’s nightshade (Circaea canadensis) bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa var. macrocarpa) butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa ssp. interior) Canada moonseed (Menispermum canadense) Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense) Canadian honewort (Cryptotaenia canadensis) Canadian horseweed (Erigeron canadensis) Canadian woodnettle (Laportea canadensis) chokecherry (Prunus virginiana var. virginiana) clammy groundcherry (Physalis heterophylla) clustered black snakeroot (Sanicula odorata) common agrimony (Agrimonia gryposepala) common boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum var. perfoliatum) common buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica) common burdock (Arctium minus) common dandelion (Taraxacum officinale ssp. officinale) common false Solomon’s seal (Maianthemum racemosum var. racemosum) common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) common motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca ssp. cardiaca) common mullein (Verbascum thapsus ssp. thapsus) common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia) common tansy (Tanacetum vulgare) common yarrow (Achillea millefolium) crown vetch (Securigera varia) Culver’s root (Veronicastrum virginicum) cup plant (Silphium perfoliatum var. perfoliatum) cut-leaved coneflower (Rudbeckia laciniata var. laciniata) cypress spurge (Euphorbia cyparissias) early figwort (Scrophularia lanceolata) eastern redcedar (Juniperus virginiana var. virginiana) European cranberrybush (Viburnum opulus var. opulus) field horsetail (Equisetum arvense) fragrant bedstraw (Galium triflorum) giant chickweed (Myosoton aquaticum) giant ragweed (Ambrosia trifida) golden alexanders (Zizia aurea) gray dogwood (Cornus racemosa) gray-headed coneflower (Ratibida pinnata) green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica) ground ivy (Glechoma hederacea) hedge bindweed (Calystegia sepium) hoary alyssum (Berteroa incana) hoary vervain (Verbena stricta) Howell’s pussytoes (Antennaria howellii ssp. neodioica) Indian hemp (Apocynum cannabinum) interrupted fern (Claytosmunda claytoniana) jack-in-the-pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum) kidney-leaved buttercup (Ranunculus abortivus) late goldenrod (Solidago altissima) limber honeysuckle (Lonicera dioica) Lindley’s aster (Symphyotrichum ciliolatum) little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) marijuana (Cannabis sativa var. sativa) Maximilian’s sunflower (Helianthus maximiliani) Missouri gooseberry (Ribes missouriense) narrow-leaved cattail (Typha angustifolia) narrow-leaved purple coneflower (Echinacea angustifolia) northern bedstraw (Galium boreale) northern blue flag (Iris versicolor) northern hackberry (Celtis occidentalis) northern lady fern (Athyrium filix-femina var. angustum) northern prickly ash (Zanthoxylum americanum) northern red oak (Quercus rubra) ostrich fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris var. pensylvanica) pale touch-me-not (Impatiens pallida) paper birch (Betula papyrifera) Pennsylvania smartweed (Persicaria pensylvanica) plains cottonwood (Populus deltoides ssp. molinifera) poke milkweed (Asclepias exaltata) prairie dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepis) purple meadow-rue (Thalictrum dasycarpum) purple prairie clover (Dalea purpurea var. purpurea) quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) red clover (Trifolium pratense) reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea) roadside agrimony (Agrimonia striata) rough blazing star (Liatris aspera) rough cinquefoil (Potentilla norvegica) rough false pennyroyal (Hedeoma hispida) rough oxeye (Heliopsis helianthoides var. scabra) sensitive fern (Onoclea sensibilis) silky dogwood (Cornus obliqua) silver maple (Acer saccharinum) silvery cinquefoil (Potentilla argentea) small purple fringed orchid (Platanthera psycodes) smooth Solomon’s seal (Polygonatum biflorum var. commutatum) starry false Solomon’s seal (Maianthemum stellatum) stiff goldenrod (Solidago rigida ssp. rigida) tall bellflower (Campanulastrum americanum) tall cinquefoil (Drymocallis arguta) tall thimbleweed (Anemone virginiana) upright carrionflower (Smilax ecirrhata) virgin’s bower (Clematis virginiana) Virginia mountain mint (Pycnanthemum virginianum) Virginia stickseed (Hackelia virginiana) Virginia waterleaf (Hydrophyllum virginianum var. virginianum) western bracken fern (Pteridium aquilinum var. latiusculum) western poison ivy (Toxicodendron rydbergii) western ragweed (Ambrosia psilostachya) white campion (Silene latifolia ssp. alba) white clover (Trifolium repens ssp. repens) white sage (Artemisia ludoviciana ssp. ludoviciana) white snakeroot (Ageratina altissima var. altissima) white sweet clover (Melilotus albus) white vervain (Verbena urticifolia) whorled milkweed (Asclepias verticillata) wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa var. fistulosa) wild columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) wild strawberry (Fragaria virginiana) wolfberry (Symphoricarpos occidentalis) woodland horsetail (Equisetum sylvaticum) yellow goat’s beard (Tragopogon dubius)
Acer negundo var. negundo (boxelder) Acer saccharinum (silver maple) Achillea millefolium (common yarrow) Ageratina altissima var. altissima (white snakeroot) Agrimonia gryposepala (common agrimony) Agrimonia striata (roadside agrimony) Ambrosia artemisiifolia (common ragweed) Ambrosia psilostachya (western ragweed) Ambrosia trifida (giant ragweed) Andropogon gerardi (big bluestem) Anemone virginiana (tall thimbleweed) Antennaria howellii ssp. neodioica (Howell’s pussytoes) Apocynum cannabinum (Indian hemp) Aquilegia canadensis (wild columbine) Aralia racemosa ssp. racemosa (American spikenard) Arctium minus (common burdock) Arisaema triphyllum (jack-in-the-pulpit) Artemisia ludoviciana ssp. ludoviciana (white sage) Asclepias exaltata (poke milkweed) Asclepias syriaca (common milkweed) Asclepias tuberosa ssp. interior (butterfly weed) Asclepias verticillata (whorled milkweed) Athyrium filix-femina var. angustum (northern lady fern) Berteroa incana (hoary alyssum) Betula papyrifera (paper birch) Calystegia sepium (hedge bindweed) Campanulastrum americanum (tall bellflower) Cannabis sativa var. sativa (marijuana) Celastrus scandens (American bittersweet) Celtis occidentalis (northern hackberry) Circaea canadensis (broadleaf enchanter’s nightshade) Cirsium arvense (Canada thistle) Clematis virginiana (virgin’s bower) Cornus obliqua (silky dogwood) Cornus racemosa (gray dogwood) Cryptotaenia canadensis (Canadian honewort) Dalea purpurea var. purpurea (purple prairie clover) Drymocallis arguta (tall cinquefoil) Echinacea angustifolia (narrow-leaved purple coneflower) Equisetum arvense (field horsetail) Equisetum sylvaticum (woodland horsetail) Erigeron annuus (annual fleabane) Erigeron canadensis (Canadian horseweed) Eupatorium perfoliatum var. perfoliatum (common boneset) Euphorbia cyparissias (cypress spurge) Fallopia convolvulus (black bindweed) Fragaria virginiana (wild strawberry) Fraxinus pennsylvanica (green ash) Galium boreale (northern bedstraw) Galium obtusum ssp. obtusum (bluntleaf bedstraw) Galium triflorum (fragrant bedstraw) Glechoma hederacea (ground ivy) Hackelia virginiana (Virginia stickseed) Hedeoma hispida (rough false pennyroyal) Helianthus maximiliani (Maximilian’s sunflower) Heliopsis helianthoides var. scabra (rough oxeye) Hydrophyllum virginianum var. virginianum (Virginia waterleaf) Impatiens pallida (pale touch-me-not) Iris versicolor (northern blue flag) Juniperus virginiana var. virginiana (eastern redcedar) Laportea canadensis (Canadian woodnettle) Leonurus cardiaca ssp. cardiaca (common motherwort) Liatris aspera (rough blazing star) Lonicera × bella (Bell’s honeysuckle) Lonicera dioica (limber honeysuckle) Maianthemum racemosum var. racemosum (common false Solomon’s seal) Maianthemum stellatum (starry false Solomon’s seal) Matteuccia struthiopteris var. pensylvanica (ostrich fern) Medicago lupulina (black medick) Melilotus albus (white sweet clover) Melilotus officinalis (yellow sweet clover) Menispermum canadense (Canada moonseed) Monarda fistulosa var. fistulosa (wild bergamot) Myosoton aquaticum (giant chickweed) Onoclea sensibilis (sensitive fern) Osmorhiza claytonii (bland sweet cicely) Claytosmunda claytoniana (interrupted fern) Ostrya virginiana var. virginiana (American hophornbeam) Oxalis stricta (yellow wood sorrel) Persicaria pensylvanica (Pennsylvania smartweed) Phalaris arundinacea (reed canary grass) Phryma leptostachya (American lopseed) Physalis heterophylla (clammy groundcherry) Plantago rugelii var. rugelii (black-seeded plantain) Platanthera psycodes (small purple fringed orchid) Polygonatum biflorum var. commutatum (smooth Solomon’s seal) Populus deltoides ssp. molinifera (plains cottonwood) Populus tremuloides (quaking aspen) Potentilla argentea (silvery cinquefoil) Potentilla norvegica (rough cinquefoil) Prunus americana (American plum) Prunus serotina var. serotina (black cherry) Prunus virginiana var. virginiana (chokecherry) Pteridium aquilinum var. latiusculum (western bracken fern) Pycnanthemum virginianum (Virginia mountain mint) Quercus macrocarpa var. macrocarpa (bur oak) Quercus rubra (northern red oak) Ranunculus abortivus (kidney-leaved buttercup) Ratibida pinnata (gray-headed coneflower) Rhamnus cathartica (common buckthorn) Ribes missouriense (Missouri gooseberry) Rubus idaeus ssp. strigosus (American red raspberry) Rubus occidentalis (black raspberry) Rudbeckia hirta var. pulcherrima (black-eyed Susan) Rudbeckia laciniata var. laciniata (cut-leaved coneflower) Sambucus canadensis (American elderberry) Sanguinaria canadensis (bloodroot) Sanicula odorata (clustered black snakeroot) Saponaria officinalis (bouncing bet) Schizachyrium scoparium (little bluestem) Scrophularia lanceolata (early figwort) Securigera varia (crown vetch) Silene latifolia ssp. alba (white campion) Silphium perfoliatum var. perfoliatum (cup plant) Smilax ecirrhata (upright carrionflower) Smilax tamnoides (bristly greenbrier) Solidago altissima (late goldenrod) Solidago rigida ssp. rigida (stiff goldenrod) Sporobolus heterolepis (prairie dropseed) Symphoricarpos occidentalis (wolfberry) Symphyotrichum ciliolatum (Lindley’s aster) Tanacetum vulgare (common tansy) Taraxacum officinale ssp. officinale (common dandelion) Teucrium canadense (American germander) Thalictrum dasycarpum (purple meadow-rue) Toxicodendron rydbergii (western poison ivy) Tragopogon dubius (yellow goat’s beard) Trifolium pratense (red clover) Trifolium repens ssp. repens (white clover) Typha angustifolia (narrow-leaved cattail) Urtica gracilis ssp. gracilis (American stinging nettle) Verbascum thapsus ssp. thapsus (common mullein) Verbena hastata (blue vervain) Verbena stricta (hoary vervain) Verbena urticifolia (white vervain) Veronicastrum virginicum (Culver’s root) Viburnum opulus var. opulus (European cranberrybush) |
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Louisiana Waterthrush
The falls area of this park is well known as a breeding location for Louisiana Waterthrush.
Created: Last Updated: © MinnesotaSeasons.com. All rights reserved. |