CampgroundGovernment

Group Campground 2

Plainview, Minnesota

5.0(1+)

About

Visit the park in spring for a parade of early wildflowers, or in the fall for a display of colorful oaks and maples. Come during any season to glimpse the towering white pines that first prompted the park’s creation. State Senator James A. Carley and the Ernestina Bolt family donated this land in 1948 to preserve an outstanding grove of white pines found here. Look opposite the picnic area and you will still see some of these giants in the river valley today. In addition to the pines, spring wildflowers and numerous bird species, the park also protects a portion of the Blufflands Landscape Region. This is a unique area in southeastern Minnesota that features high bluffs, deep valleys and rolling uplands. The park offers nearly 6 miles of packed dirt hiking trails with a variety of scenery from valley floors to rock ridges. Some trails are steep with stairs, switchbacks and concrete block river crossings. The north branch of the Whitewater River is a designated trout stream and provides good habitat for brown and rainbow trout. Make sure to have your fishing license and trout stamp if you plan to fish in the park. A large open game field and a playground are next to the picnic area. You can park your car at the trailhead parking lot (at the monument) and either walk or ski into the park during winter.