Minnesota Seasons - Dodge Nature Center

About • Location • Activities • Ecology

About

Ownership

Links

Dodge Nature Center

Overview

History

Management

Lily property was undergoing habitat restoration in 2023 and 2024.

Comments

Location

Size

460 acres

Main Property: 110 acres

Marie Property: 40 acres

Lilly Property: 170 acres

Shepard Farm: 140 acres

Driving Directions


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				Dakota County
				Metro Area

Parking

Main Property
Main office entrance
365 Marie Avenue W
West St. Paul, MN 55118
N44 53.455, W93 6.025

Farm entrance
1701 Charlton Street
West St. Paul, MN 55118
N44 53.718, W93 5.763

Marie Property
365 Marie Avenue W
West St. Paul, MN 55118

Park at the Main Property, main office entrance, and walk across the street to the Marie Property
N44 53.455, W93 6.025

Lili Property
Enter the Lilly Property from 656 Highway 62, between Dodd Road and Delaware Avenue in Mendota Heights. Limited lot parking available—see map for parking symbol.
N44 53.000, W93 7.010

Shepard Farm
Entrance
8946 70th Street S
Cottage Grove, MN 55016
N44 50.894, W92 55.507

Paved lot
N44 50.988, W92 55.505

Hours

Trails are open every day from sunrise to sunset

Fees

No fee for trails

Maps

Main Property, West St. Paul

Marie Property, West St. Paul

Lilly Property, Mendota Heights

Shepard Farm, Cottage Grove

Activities

Hiking

Trail running

Biking

Mountain biking

Horseback riding

Picnicking

Camping

Swimming

Boating

Canoeing

Birding

Nature photography

Horseshoes

Volleyball

Geocaching

Cross country skiing

Skate-skiing

Winter hiking

Snowshoeing

Snowmobiling

Trails


Hiking
Winter hiking
Paved bike	The paved River to River Greenway County Bike Trail passes through the Main Property along the south boundary. Bikes are not allowed on other trails.
Cross country skiing	No maintained trails
Snowshoe	Anywhere in Dodge Nature Center, but best on the Lily Property.

Hunting and Fishing

No hunting


Ecology

Ecological Classification
Ecological Province			Eastern Broadleaf Forest Province
Ecological Section			Minnesota & NE Iowa Morainal
Ecological Subsection			St. Paul-Baldwin Plains and Moraines
Land Type Association			Wescott Moraine

Native Plant Communities*
Not mapped (10/11/2021)
* Source: The Minnesota Biological Survey, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Division of Ecological Resources

Natural Features
Prairies, hardwood forests, lakes, wetlands, and an oak savanna restoration project.


Visitor Photos

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Kirk Nelson
Views of the Rachel C. Lilly Preserve, Dodge Nature Center.





The big bluestem grass is at least 6 feet tall.


A variety of plants and flowers, including a large patch of rattlesnake master found in the northeastern part of the property.


There are a couple places to park just off of Highway 62. Additionally, the preserve can be accessed from different neighborhood roads - at the end of Dodge Lane off of Delaware Avenue, from Huber Drive, and at the end of Bent Tree Lane.


MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos

Main Property



Entrance		Entrance


Visitor center		Visitor center


Apiary		Apiary


Wetland walkway		Wetland walkway


Wetland walkway		Wetland walkway


Farm pond		Farm pond


Marsh		Mixed woodland


Mixed woodland		Mixed woodland

Lilly Property


Parking		Entrance


Entrance		Lily pond


Lily pond		Lily pond


Mixed woodland		Mixed woodland


Mixed woodland		Mixed woodland


Prairie		Prairie


Prairie		Prairie

Camera

Slideshows

Dodge Nature Center
Lizzy Anderson

Dodge Nature Center
Restoration Evaluation

slideshow


Visitor Videos

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Other Videos

Parks in Minnesota Ep 7. Dodge Nature Center
Lizzy Anderson

About

Mar 31, 2021

We weren't planning on going out on this day but I'm so glad that we did. This was such a beautiful day and I'm obsessed with the photos Ma and I took.

Exploring Dodge Nature Center in fall
Kaylee Bergh

About

Nov 15, 2021

I went to Dodge Nature Center with Noah & my parents. We saw some pretty fall colors and a new owl that wasn't there before. I love exploring with Noah & showing him all the places that I've been to. It was a nice sunny day. If you liked the video give it a thumbs up. Follow my socials:

Instagram: @kayleebergh & @kayleeberghphotography
Tik tok: @kayleebergh

Dodge Nature Center Favorites
dodgenaturecenter365

About

Uploaded on Nov 17, 2009

No description available.

Parks in Minnesota Ep 15 | Dodge Nature Center
Lizzy Anderson

About

Sep 8, 2021

A beautiful and very educational place for kids and to go on a short hike. Good for kids and adults. It's fun watching my son get excited when he spots turtles in the pond or sees the animals near the barn.

Dodge is a 19 min drive (15.9 miles) from Minneapolis and 10 minutes (6.4 miles) from Saint Paul.

Camcorder


Visitor Sightings

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Kirk Nelson

Plants

big bluestem (Andropogon gerardi)

eastern purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)

rattlesnake master (Eryngium yuccifolium var. yuccifolium)

MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings

Visits

9/19/2012


Amphibians
American toad (Anaxyrus americanus)


Birds
eBird Field Checklist (Complete) eBird Field Checklist (Lilly Preserve) eBird Field Checklist (Marie Property)

American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata) Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) Canvasback (Aythya valisineria) Cinnamon Teal (Anas cyanoptera) Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis) Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens) Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis) Gray Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis) Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) Nashville Warbler (Leiothlypis ruficapilla) Northern Pintail (Anas acuta) Rock Pigeon (Columba livia) Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) Wood Duck (Aix sponsa)


Fungi and Lichens
Artist’s Conk (Ganoderma applanatum)


Insects and Arachnids
Minnesota Bee Atlas

Carolina grasshopper (Dissosteira carolina) common green darner (Anax junius) eastern boxelder bug (Boisea trivittata) goldenrod bunch gall midge (Rhopalomyia solidaginis) goldenrod gall fly (Eurosta solidaginis) mourning cloak (Nymphalis antiopa) orange sulphur (Colias eurytheme)

Mammals
Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas Mammals List

American red squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) black squirrel (melanistic eastern gray squirrel) (Sciurus carolinensis) eastern gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) eastern mole (Scalopus aquaticus) meadow vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus pennsylvanicus) whitetail deer (Odocoileus virginianus)

Plants


Four plant species with conservation status in Minnesota are found here:
Endangered	butternut (Juglans cinerea)
Threatened	brown-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia triloba var. triloba)
Special Concern	rattlesnake master (Eryngium yuccifolium var. yuccifolium) white wild indigo (Baptisia alba var. macrophylla)