Crow Wing State Park

 

 

About

Ownership

Minnesota DNR logo

 

Links

Minnesota DNR

 

Overview

 

 

History

 

 

Management

 

 

Comments

 

Location

Size

3,291 acres statutory, 2,308 owned

 

Driving Directions

Get driving directions from Google Maps to this destination from any address, and send those directions to your phone.

  Area and County
    County   Crow Wing County
    Region   Northwest Minnesota

Parking

3124 State Park Road
Brainerd, MN 56401

N46 16.384, W94 19.936

 

Hours

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

 

Fees

Daily park permit: $7

Annual park permit: $35

 

Maps

all season (PDF)

all season (GeoPDF)

Activities

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

 

Trails

Wheelchair accessible

0.3 mile

Self guided/Interpretive

0.5 mile

Boardwalk

300 feet

Hiking

18 miles

Winter hiking

Ungroomed

Paved bike

6.5 miles (Paul Bunyan State Trail)

Snowmobile

6.5 miles (Paul Bunyan State Trail)

Snowshoe

Anywhere in park

 

Hunting and Fishing

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

Ecological Classification

  Ecological Classification
Ecological Province Ecological Province  

Eastern Broadleaf Forest Province

Laurentian Mixed Forest Province

 
Ecological Section Ecological Section  

Minnesota & NE Iowa Morainal

Northern Minnesota Drift & Lake Plains

 
Ecological Subsection Ecological Subsection  

Anoka Sand Plain

Pine Moraines & Outwash Plains

 
Land Type Association    

Mississippi Sand Plain

Pillager Sand Plain

St. Croix Moraine

 
         

Native Plant Communities*

 

Black Ash - Silver Maple Terrace Forest

Jack Pine - (Bush Honeysuckle) Woodland

 
* 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
Crow Wing State Park   Crow Wing State Park
Park entrance   Interpretive trail
     
Crow Wing State Park   Crow Wing State Park

Prairie

  Oak forest
     
Crow Wing State Park    

Mississippi River

 

Camera

Slideshows

Crow Wing State Park
Brett Whaley

Crow Wing State Park

Crow Wing State Park
Richard Sanders

Crow Wing State Park
About

Crow Wing State Park, MN

 

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Other Videos

Northwoods Adventure Crow Wing State Park - Lakeland News at Ten - June 25, 2013
LakelandPTV

About

Published on Jun 25, 2013

No description available.

Hibernating black bear essentials - Crow Wing State Park - Brainerd Dispatch MN
BrainerdDispatch

About

Uploaded on Mar 4, 2011

You might think that Crow Wing State Park would be a perfect home for a hibernating bear - and you would be correct. Brian Dirks - and those who tagged along - weren't disappointed: One bear had given birth to two cubs, probably about a month ago.

Crow Wing State Park, Minnesota
CampsiteReports

About

Published on Jul 28, 2012

This is a historic area in Crow Wing State Park, Minnesota. It was a town called Crow Wing years ago. It was a popular fur trading post and hub for Native American travelers.

 

Camcorder

Visitor Sightings
 

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Luciearl

Amphibians

northern leopard frog (Rana pipiens)   northern leopard frog

Fungi and Lichens

Old Man of the Woods (Strobilomyces strobilaceus)   Old Man of the Woods
MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings

Visits

8/9/2011

Amphibians

wood frog (Rana sylvatica)   wood frog

Birds

Fourteen bird species with conservation status in Minnesota have been seen here:

Endangered

Horned Grebe (Podiceps auritus)

Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius ludovicianus)

Threatened

Common Tern (Sterna hirundo)

Wilson’s Phalarope (Phalaropus tricolor)

Special Concern

American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos)

Cerulean Warbler (Setophaga cerulea)

Forster’s Tern (Sterna forsteri)

Louisiana Waterthrush (Parkesia motacilla)

Nelson’s Sparrow (Ammospiza nelsoni)

Purple Martin (Progne subis)

Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus)

Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus)

Trumpeter Swan (Cygnus buccinator)

Yellow Rail (Coturnicops noveboracensis)

Minnesota DNR Bird checklist

eBird Field Checklist

American Robin (Turdus migratorius)

Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus)

Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina)

Eastern Wood-peewee (Contopus virens)

Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus)

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius)

 

American Robin

Pileated Woodpecker

Fishes

Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas Fishes List

     

Fungi and Lichens

Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas Fungi List

Entomosporium Leaf Spot (Diplocarpon mespili)

False Death Cap (Amanita citrina)

Golden Chanterelle (Cantharellus cibarius)

Jellied False Coral Fungus (Sebacina schweinitzii)

Lobster Mushroom (Hypomyces lactifluorum)

Old Man of the Woods (Strobilomyces strobilaceus)

  Old Man of the Woods

Insects and Arachnids

Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas Insects List

autumn meadowhawk (Sympetrum vicinum)

cabbage white (Pieris rapae)

Carolina grasshopper (Dissosteira carolina)

chalk-fronted corporal (Ladona julia)

common green darner (Anax junius)

common whitetail (Plathemis lydia)

common wood nymph (Cercyonis pegala)

dog day cicada (Neotibicen canicularis)

goldenrod bunch gall midge (Rhopalomyia solidaginis)

goldenrod gall fly (Eurosta solidaginis)

great spangled fritillary (Argynnis cybele)

monarch (Danaus plexippus)

Say’s Cicada (Okanagana rimosa)

viceroy (Limenitis archippus)

 

common green darner

chalk-fronted corporal

great spangled fritillary

monarch

Mammals

American beaver (Castor canadensis)

American red squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus)

eastern chipmunk (Tamias striatus)

plains pocket gopher (Geomys bursarius)

  American red squirrel

Plants

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

Endangered

narrow-leaved pinweed (Lechea tenuifolia)

Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas and Minnesota Biological Survey Vegetation Releves Plant List

Plants frequently found in:

Black Ash - Silver Maple Terrace Forest FFn57a

Jack Pine - (Bush Honeysuckle) Woodland FDc24a

   

 

American basswood (Tilia americana var. americana)

American elm (Ulmus americana)

American hazelnut (Corylus americana)

American hophornbeam (Ostrya virginiana var. virginiana)

American lopseed (Phryma leptostachya)

American red raspberry (Rubus idaeus ssp. strigosus)

American stickseed (Hackelia deflexa var. americana)

American white waterlily (Nymphaea odorata)

Amur maple (Acer ginnala)

annual fleabane (Erigeron annuus)

asparagus (Asparagus officinalis)

balsam fir (Abies balsamea var. balsamea)

balsam poplar (Populus balsamifera)

big bluestem (Andropogon gerardi)

bigleaf aster (Eurybia macrophylla)

bigtooth aspen (Populus grandidentata)

black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta var. pulcherrima)

bland sweet cicely (Osmorhiza claytonii)

black medick (Medicago lupulina)

black spruce (Picea mariana)

bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis)

blue giant hyssop (Agastache foeniculum)

blue vervain (Verbena hastata)

bluebead lily (Clintonia borealis)

bouncing bet (Saponaria officinalis)

boxelder (Acer negundo var. negundo)

broadleaf enchanter’s nightshade (Circaea canadensis)

bull thistle (Cirsium vulgare)

bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa var. macrocarpa)

Canada anemone (Anemonastrum canadense)

Canada mayflower (Maianthemum canadense)

Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense)

Canada wildrye (Elymus canadensis)

Canadian horseweed (Erigeron canadensis)

Canadian tick-trefoil (Desmodium canadense)

Canadian wild ginger (Asarum canadense)

candle anemone (Anemone cylindrica)

cleavers (Galium aparine)

common agrimony (Agrimonia gryposepala)

common dandelion (Taraxacum officinale ssp. officinale)

common evening primrose (Oenothera biennis)

common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca)

common mullein (Verbascum thapsus ssp. thapsus)

common plantain (Plantago major)

common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia)

common yarrow (Achillea millefolium)

creeping bellflower (Campanula rapunculoides)

curly dock (Rumex crispus)

early meadow-rue (Thalictrum dioicum)

eastern bottlebrush grass (Elymus hystrix)

eastern white pine (Pinus strobus)

field sagewort (Artemisia campestris ssp. caudata)

giant foxtail (Setaria faberi)

glossy buckthorn (Frangula alnus)

gray dogwood (Cornus racemosa)

gray goldenrod (Solidago nemoralis)

green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica)

green carpetweed (Mollugo verticillata)

grooved yellow flax (Linum sulcatum var. sulcatum)

ground ivy (Glechoma hederacea)

hairy goldenrod (Solidago hispida)

harebell (Campanula rotundifolia)

heart-leaved four o’clock (Mirabilis nyctaginea)

hedge bindweed (Calystegia sepium)

hoary alyssum (Berteroa incana)

hog peanut (Amphicarpaea bracteata var. bracteata)

Indiangrass (Sorghastrum nutans)

jack pine (Pinus banksiana)

jack-in-the-pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum)

large-flowered beardtongue (Penstemon grandiflorus)

large-flowered bellwort (Uvularia grandiflora)

leadplant (Amorpha canescens)

leafy spurge (Euphorbia virgata)

lowland hog peanut (Amphicarpaea bracteata var. comosa)

mint-leaved bergamot (Monarda fistulosa var. menthifolia)

narrow-leaved hawk’s-beard (Crepis tectorum)

narrow-leaved purple coneflower (Echinacea angustifolia)

northern bedstraw (Galium boreale)

northern groundcedar (Diphasiastrum complanatum)

northern lady fern (Athyrium filix-femina var. angustum)

northern pin oak (Quercus ellipsoidalis)

northern prickly ash (Zanthoxylum americanum)

northern red oak (Quercus rubra)

northern starflower (Lysimachia borealis)

Norway spruce (Picea abies)

ostrich fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris var. pensylvanica)

plains cottonwood (Populus deltoides ssp. molinifera)

poke milkweed (Asclepias exaltata)

prairie fleabane (Erigeron strigosus)

prairie goldenrod (Solidago ptarmicoides)

prairie ironweed (Vernonia fasciculata ssp. fasciculata)

prairie violet (Viola pedatifida var. pedatifida)

purple meadow-rue (Thalictrum dasycarpum)

purple prairie clover (Dalea purpurea var. purpurea)

Quebec hawthorn (Crataegus submollis)

rabbit’s foot clover (Trifolium arvense)

red maple (Acer rubrum var. rubrum)

red pine (Pinus resinosa)

roadside agrimony (Agrimonia striata)

rough blazing star (Liatris aspera)

round-headed bush clover (Lespedeza capitata)

round-lobed hepatica (Anemone americana)

sand dropseed (Sporobolus cryptandrus)

scouring rush horsetail (Equisetum hyemale ssp. affine)

silver maple (Acer saccharinum)

silvery cinquefoil (Potentilla argentea)

smooth Solomon’s seal (Polygonatum biflorum var. commutatum)

smooth sumac (Rhus glabra)

spinulose wood fern (Dryopteris carthusiana)

spreading dogbane (Apocynum androsaemifolium)

starry false Solomon’s seal (Maianthemum stellatum)

stiff sunflower (Helianthus pauciflorus ssp. subrhomboideus)

sulphur cinquefoil (Potentilla recta)

swamp black currant (Ribes lacustre)

swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata ssp. incarnata)

tall thimbleweed (Anemone virginiana)

tall thistle (Cirsium altissimum)

upright carrionflower (Smilax ecirrhata)

Virginia groundcherry (Physalis virginiana var. virginiana)

western poison ivy (Toxicodendron rydbergii)

western ragweed (Ambrosia psilostachya)

white campion (Silene latifolia ssp. alba)

white clover (Trifolium repens ssp. repens)

white oak (Quercus alba)

white rattlesnake root (Nabalus albus)

white sage (Artemisia ludoviciana ssp. ludoviciana)

white spruce (Picea glauca)

white sweet clover (Melilotus albus)

wild columbine (Aquilegia canadensis)

wild geranium (Geranium maculatum)

wild grape (Vitis riparia)

wild sarsaparilla (Aralia nudicaulis)

wild strawberry (Fragaria virginiana)

wolfberry (Symphoricarpos occidentalis)

woodland strawberry (Fragaria vesca ssp. americana)

yellow goat’s beard (Tragopogon dubius)

yellow wood sorrel (Oxalis stricta)

 

Abies balsamea var. balsamea (balsam fir)

Acer ginnala (Amur maple)

Acer negundo var. negundo (boxelder)

Acer rubrum var. rubrum (red maple)

Acer saccharinum (silver maple)

Achillea millefolium (common yarrow)

Agastache foeniculum (blue giant hyssop)

Agrimonia gryposepala (common agrimony)

Agrimonia striata (roadside agrimony)

Ambrosia artemisiifolia (common ragweed)

Ambrosia psilostachya (western ragweed)

Amorpha canescens (leadplant)

Amphicarpaea bracteata var. bracteata (hog peanut)

Amphicarpaea bracteata var. comosa (lowland hog peanut)

Andropogon gerardi (big bluestem)

Anemone americana (round-lobed hepatica)

Anemonastrum canadense (Canada anemone)

Anemone cylindrica (candle anemone)

Anemone virginiana (tall thimbleweed)

Apocynum androsaemifolium (spreading dogbane)

Aquilegia canadensis (wild columbine)

Aralia nudicaulis (wild sarsaparilla)

Arisaema triphyllum (jack-in-the-pulpit)

Artemisia campestris ssp. caudata (field sagewort)

Artemisia ludoviciana ssp. ludoviciana (white sage)

Asarum canadense (Canadian wild ginger)

Asclepias exaltata (poke milkweed)

Asclepias incarnata ssp. incarnata (swamp milkweed)

Asclepias syriaca (common milkweed)

Asparagus officinalis (asparagus)

Athyrium filix-femina var. angustum (northern lady fern)

Berteroa incana (hoary alyssum)

Calystegia sepium (hedge bindweed)

Campanula rapunculoides (creeping bellflower)

Campanula rotundifolia (harebell)

Circaea canadensis (broadleaf enchanter’s nightshade)

Cirsium altissimum (tall thistle)

Cirsium arvense (Canada thistle)

Cirsium vulgare (bull thistle)

Clintonia borealis (bluebead lily)

Cornus racemosa (gray dogwood)

Corylus americana (American hazelnut)

Crataegus submollis (Quebec hawthorn)

Crepis tectorum (narrow-leaved hawk’s-beard)

Dalea purpurea var. purpurea (purple prairie clover)

Desmodium canadense (Canadian tick-trefoil)

Diphasiastrum complanatum (northern groundcedar)

Dryopteris carthusiana (spinulose wood fern)

Echinacea angustifolia (narrow-leaved purple coneflower)

Elymus canadensis (Canada wildrye)

Elymus hystrix (eastern bottlebrush grass)

Equisetum hyemale ssp. affine (scouring rush horsetail)

Erigeron annuus (annual fleabane)

Erigeron canadensis (Canadian horseweed)

Erigeron strigosus (prairie fleabane)

Euphorbia virgata (leafy spurge)

Eurybia macrophylla (bigleaf aster)

Fragaria vesca ssp. americana (woodland strawberry)

Fragaria virginiana (wild strawberry)

Frangula alnus (glossy buckthorn)

Fraxinus pennsylvanica (green ash)

Galium aparine (cleavers)

Galium boreale (northern bedstraw)

Geranium maculatum (wild geranium)

Glechoma hederacea (ground ivy)

Hackelia deflexa var. americana (American stickseed)

Helianthus pauciflorus ssp. subrhomboideus (stiff sunflower)

Lespedeza capitata (round-headed bush clover)

Liatris aspera (rough blazing star)

Linum sulcatum var. sulcatum (grooved yellow flax)

Lysimachia borealis (northern starflower)

Maianthemum canadense (Canada mayflower)

Maianthemum stellatum (starry false Solomon’s seal)

Matteuccia struthiopteris var. pensylvanica (ostrich fern)

Medicago lupulina (black medick)

Melilotus albus (white sweet clover)

Mirabilis nyctaginea (heart-leaved four o’clock)

Mollugo verticillata (green carpetweed)

Monarda fistulosa var. menthifolia (mint-leaved bergamot)

Nabalus albus (white rattlesnake root)

Nymphaea odorata (American white waterlily)

Oenothera biennis (common evening primrose)

Osmorhiza claytonii (bland sweet cicely)

Ostrya virginiana var. virginiana (American hophornbeam)

Oxalis stricta (yellow wood sorrel)

Penstemon grandiflorus (large-flowered beardtongue)

Phryma leptostachya (American lopseed)

Physalis virginiana var. virginiana (Virginia groundcherry)

Picea abies (Norway spruce)

Picea glauca (white spruce)

Picea mariana (black spruce)

Pinus banksiana (jack pine)

Pinus resinosa (red pine)

Pinus strobus (eastern white pine)

Plantago major (common plantain)

Polygonatum biflorum var. commutatum (smooth Solomon’s seal)

Populus balsamifera (balsam poplar)

Populus deltoides ssp. molinifera (plains cottonwood)

Populus grandidentata (bigtooth aspen)

Potentilla argentea (silvery cinquefoil)

Potentilla recta (sulphur cinquefoil)

Quercus alba (white oak)

Quercus ellipsoidalis (northern pin oak)

Quercus macrocarpa var. macrocarpa (bur oak)

Quercus rubra (northern red oak)

Rhus glabra (smooth sumac)

Ribes lacustre (swamp black currant)

Rubus idaeus ssp. strigosus (American red raspberry)

Rudbeckia hirta var. pulcherrima (black-eyed Susan)

Rumex crispus (curly dock)

Sanguinaria canadensis (bloodroot)

Saponaria officinalis (bouncing bet)

Setaria faberi (giant foxtail)

Silene latifolia ssp. alba (white campion)

Smilax ecirrhata (upright carrionflower)

Solidago hispida (hairy goldenrod)

Solidago nemoralis (gray goldenrod)

Solidago ptarmicoides (prairie goldenrod)

Sorghastrum nutans (Indiangrass)

Sporobolus cryptandrus (sand dropseed)

Symphoricarpos occidentalis (wolfberry)

Taraxacum officinale ssp. officinale (common dandelion)

Thalictrum dasycarpum (purple meadow-rue)

Thalictrum dioicum (early meadow-rue)

Tilia americana var. americana (American basswood)

Toxicodendron rydbergii (western poison ivy)

Tragopogon dubius (yellow goat’s beard)

Trifolium arvense (rabbit’s foot clover)

Trifolium repens ssp. repens (white clover)

Ulmus americana (American elm)

Uvularia grandiflora (large-flowered bellwort)

Verbascum thapsus ssp. thapsus (common mullein)

Verbena hastata (blue vervain)

Vernonia fasciculata ssp. fasciculata (prairie ironweed)

Viola pedatifida var. pedatifida (prairie violet)

Vitis riparia (wild grape)

Zanthoxylum americanum (northern prickly ash)

 

American basswood

American hazelnut

American white waterlily (ssp. tuberosa)

balsam fir

big bluestem

black-eyed Susan

bur oak (var. macrocarpa)

Canada anemone

Canada wildrye

Canadian tick-trefoil

common evening primrose

common mullein

common yarrow

creeping bellflower

eastern bottlebrush grass

giant foxtail

heart-leaved four o’clock

large-flowered bellwort

leadplant

narrow-leaved purple coneflower

northern bedstraw

northern prickly ash

poke milkweed

prairie ironweed

purple prairie clover

sulphur cinquefoil

round-headed bush clover

silvery cinquefoil

spreading dogbane

stiff sunflower (ssp. subrhomboideus)

swamp milkweed

purple meadow-rue

wild columbine

wild geranium

yellow goat’s beard

 

Reptiles

common snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina)   common snapping turtle

 

 

Binoculars

 

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