Lake Shetek State Park

 

 

About

Ownership

Minnesota DNR logo

 

Links

Minnesota DNR

 

Overview

Lake Shetek is the largest lake in southwestern Minnesota and is the headwaters of the Des Moines River.

 

History

In 2010 a new campground was added and the existing campground underwent a major overhaul.

 

Management

The prairie was mowed in July 2013 to control sweet clover.

 

Comments

 

Location

Size

1,152 acres statutory, 946 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   Murray County
    Region   Southwest Minnesota

Parking

163 State Park Road
Currie, MN 56123

N44 06.110, W95 41.461

 

Hours

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

 

Fees

Daily park permit: $7

Annual park permit: $35

 

Maps

campground (PDF)

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

4.5 miles

Self guided/Interpretive

1 mile

Hiking

14 miles (including paved bike trail)

Paved bike

6 miles

The Curie Loop of the Casey Jones State Trail passes through the park.

Snowmobile

5 miles groomed

Snowshoe

No trails

 

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  

Prairie Parkland Province

 
Ecological Section Ecological Section  

North Central Glaciated Plains

 
Ecological Subsection Ecological Subsection  

Coteau Moraines

 
Land Type Association    

Slayton Moraine

 
         

Native Plant Communities*

 

Basswood - Bur Oak - (Green Ash) Forest

Dry Hill Oak Savanna (Southern)

Southern Wet-Mesic Hardwood Forest

 
* 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
Lake Shetek State Park   Lake Shetek State Park

Park entrance

     
Lake Shetek State Park   Lake Shetek State Park

Lake Shetek

     
Lake Shetek State Park   Lake Shetek State Park

Southern Wet-Mesic Hardwood Forest

     
Lake Shetek State Park   Lake Shetek State Park

Causeway

     
Lake Shetek State Park    

Causeway

     
Lake Shetek State Park   Lake Shetek State Park

Loon Island Trail

     
Lake Shetek State Park   Lake Shetek State Park

Loon Island Trail

     
Lake Shetek State Park   Lake Shetek State Park

Webster Island Trail

     
Lake Shetek State Park    

Webster Island Trail

     
Lake Shetek State Park   Lake Shetek State Park

Eastlick Marsh observation deck and spotting scope

     
Lake Shetek State Park   Lake Shetek State Park

Eastlick Marsh

  Mowed Prairie

 

Camera

Slideshows

Lake Shetek State Park
Richard Sanders

Lake Shetek State Park
About

Lake Shetek State Park, MN

Lake Shetek State Park, Minnesota
campsitephotosdotcom

About

Published on Oct 29, 2013

Note: Sites 1-38 are shaded. Sites 39-70 are open. Favorite Sites: 1, 9, 15, 22, 23, 28, 33, 34, 50, 51, 63, 64, 68

 

slideshow

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Wander Without Wifi

Lake Shetek State Park - Minnesota
Jun 24, 2020

About

Whether you are looking to score some Walleye or catch a glimpse of pelicans or deer, this southern Minnesota State Park is a great place to take your family. From wonderful wooded trails, to a swimming beach and even bike paths, all family members will find something to enjoy.
Go to the DNR web site for updates- https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/park.html?id=spk00220#homepage

Also, for more questions or information on WanderWithoutWifi, head to –
www.wanderwithoutwifi.com
https://www.facebook.com/WanderWithoutWiFi/
https://www.instagram.com/wanderwithoutwifidiana/

Other Videos

Lake Shetek State Park
Jerry Windley-Daoust

About

Published on Aug 14, 2013

Clips from our vacation in Lake Shetek State Park.

 

Camcorder

Visitor Sightings
 

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MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings

Visits

9/14/2010

7/18/2013

Amphibians

Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas Amphibians and Reptiles List

boreal chorus frog (Pseudacris maculata)

northern leopard frog (Rana pipiens)

  northern leopard frog

Birds

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

Endangered

King Rail (Rallus elegans)

Threatened

Wilson’s Phalarope (Phalaropus tricolor)

Special Concern

American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos)

Cerulean Warbler (Setophaga cerulea)

Forster’s Tern (Sterna forsteri)

Franklin’s Gull (Leucophaeus pipixcan)

Purple Martin (Progne subis)

Yellow Rail (Coturnicops noveboracensis)

Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas Birds List

Minnesota DNR Bird checklist

eBird Field Checklist

American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos)

American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla)

American Robin (Turdus migratorius)

American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos)

Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula)

Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica)

Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus)

Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata)

Bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus)

Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater)

Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)

Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas)

Eastern Meadowlark (Sturnella magna)

Eastern Wood-peewee (Contopus virens)

House Wren (Troglodytes aedon)

Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)

Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus)

Osprey (Pandion haliaetus)

Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus)

Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)

Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia)

White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis)

Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo)

 

American Robin

Blue Jay

Canada Goose

Mourning Dove

White-breasted Nuthatch

Wild Turkey

Fishes

Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas Fishes List

     

Fungi and Lichens

Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas Lichens List

Cedar-hawthorn Rust (Gymnosporangium globosum)

Black Knot (Apiosporina morbosa)

White Cheese Polypore (Tyromyces chioneus)

  White Cheese Polypore

Insects and Arachnids

American dog tick (Dermacentor variabilis)

cabbage white (Pieris rapae)

clouded sulphur (Colias philodice)

dog day cicada (Neotibicen canicularis)

monarch (Danaus plexippus)

orange sulphur (Colias eurytheme)

twelve-spotted skimmer (Libellula pulchella)

white snakeroot leaf miner (Liriomyza eupatoriella)

 

clouded sulphur

twelve-spotted skimmer

Mammals

American mink (Neovison vison)

American red squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus)

fox squirrel (Sciurus niger)

whitetail deer (Odocoileus virginianus)

woodchuck (Marmota monax)

  American red squirrel

Plants

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

Threatened

clasping milkweed (Asclepias amplexicaulis)

Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas and Minnesota Biological Survey Vegetation Releves Plant List

Plants frequently found in:

Basswood - Bur Oak - (Green Ash) Forest MHs38b

Dry Hill Oak Savanna (Southern) UPs14c

Southern Wet-Mesic Hardwood Forest MHs49

   

 

absinthe wormwood (Artemisia absinthium)

alsike clover (Trifolium hybridum)

American basswood (Tilia americana var. americana)

American bugleweed (Lycopus americanus)

American elm (Ulmus americana)

American hophornbeam (Ostrya virginiana var. virginiana)

American lopseed (Phryma leptostachya)

American red raspberry (Rubus idaeus ssp. strigosus)

American stinging nettle (Urtica gracilis ssp. gracilis)

asparagus (Asparagus officinalis)

big bluestem (Andropogon gerardi)

black medick (Medicago lupulina)

black raspberry (Rubus occidentalis)

black walnut (Juglans nigra)

black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta var. pulcherrima)

black-seeded plantain (Plantago rugelii var. rugelii)

bland sweet cicely (Osmorhiza claytonii)

bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis)

blue cohosh (Caulophyllum thalictroides)

blue vervain (Verbena hastata)

boxelder (Acer negundo var. negundo)

bracted vervain (Verbena bracteata)

bristly locust (Robinia hispida var. hispida)

broadleaf enchanter’s nightshade (Circaea canadensis)

broad-leaved arrowhead (Sagittaria latifolia)

bull thistle (Cirsium vulgare)

bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa var. macrocarpa)

Canada anemone (Anemonastrum canadense)

Canada moonseed (Menispermum canadense)

Canada wildrye (Elymus canadensis)

Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense)

Canadian honewort (Cryptotaenia canadensis)

Canadian horseweed (Erigeron canadensis)

Canadian milkvetch (Astragalus canadensis var. canadensis)

Canadian woodnettle (Laportea canadensis)

catnip (Nepeta cataria)

chokecherry (Prunus virginiana var. virginiana)

clasping milkweed (Asclepias amplexicaulis)

cleavers (Galium aparine)

common blue violet (Viola sororia)

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 self-heal (Prunella vulgaris ssp. vulgaris)

common wheat (Triticum aestivum ssp. aestivum)

common yarrow (Achillea millefolium)

compass plant (Silphium laciniatum)

creeping bellflower (Campanula rapunculoides)

crown vetch (Securigera varia)

cup plant (Silphium perfoliatum var. perfoliatum)

curly dock (Rumex crispus)

cut-leaved coneflower (Rudbeckia laciniata var. laciniata)

desert false indigo (Amorpha fruticosa)

downy hawthorn (Crataegus mollis var. mollis)

early figwort (Scrophularia lanceolata)

eastern bottlebrush grass (Elymus hystrix)

field sagewort (Artemisia campestris ssp. caudata)

four-flowered yellow loosestrife (Lysimachia quadriflora)

foxtail barley (Hordeum jubatum ssp. jubatum)

fragrant bedstraw (Galium triflorum)

fringed loosestrife (Lysimachia ciliata)

giant goldenrod (Solidago gigantea)

golden alexanders (Zizia aurea)

gray-headed coneflower (Ratibida pinnata)

green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica)

ground ivy (Glechoma hederacea)

heart-leaved golden alexanders (Zizia aptera)

hedge bindweed (Calystegia sepium)

hoary vervain (Verbena stricta)

honey locust (Gleditsia triacanthos)

hound’s tongue (Cynoglossum officinale)

Indian hemp (Apocynum cannabinum)

Indiangrass (Sorghastrum nutans)

jack-in-the-pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum)

lance-leaf fog-fruit (Phyla lanceolata)

leadplant (Amorpha canescens)

long-headed coneflower (Ratibida columnifera)

lowland hog peanut (Amphicarpaea bracteata var. comosa)

Maryland black snakeroot (Sanicula marilandica)

Missouri gooseberry (Ribes missouriense)

Morrow’s honeysuckle (Lonicera morrowii)

narrow-leaved cattail (Typha angustifolia)

northern bedstraw (Galium boreale)

northern hackberry (Celtis occidentalis)

northern prickly ash (Zanthoxylum americanum)

orange daylily (Hemerocallis fulva)

perennial sow thistle (Sonchus arvensis)

plains cottonwood (Populus deltoides ssp. molinifera)

prairie coreopsis (Coreopsis palmata)

prairie dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepis)

prairie peppergrass (Lepidium densiflorum)

purple giant hyssop (Agastache scrophulariifolia)

purple prairie clover (Dalea purpurea var. purpurea)

quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides)

red baneberry (Actaea rubra ssp. rubra)

red clover (Trifolium pratense)

reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea)

rock elm (Ulmus thomasii)

rough bugleweed (Lycopus asper)

rough cocklebur (Xanthium strumarium)

round-headed bush clover (Lespedeza capitata)

sandbar willow (Salix interior)

Siberian elm (Ulmus pumila)

slippery elm (Ulmus rubra)

smooth oxeye (Heliopsis helianthoides var. scabra)

smooth sumac (Rhus glabra)

spotted touch-me-not (Impatiens capensis)

starry false Solomon’s seal (Maianthemum stellatum)

sugar maple (Acer saccharum ssp. saccharum)

sulphur cinquefoil (Potentilla recta)

swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata ssp. incarnata)

tall cinquefoil (Drymocallis arguta)

Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia)

Virginia stickseed (Hackelia virginiana)

water smartweed (Persicaria amphibia)

western poison ivy (Toxicodendron rydbergii)

white avens (Geum canadense)

white clover (Trifolium repens ssp. repens)

white prairie clover (Dalea candida var. candida)

white sage (Artemisia ludoviciana ssp. ludoviciana)

white snakeroot (Ageratina altissima var. altissima)

white sweet clover (Melilotus albus)

wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa)

wild columbine (Aquilegia canadensis)

wild cucumber (Echinocystis lobata)

wild grape (Vitis riparia)

wild mint (Mentha arvensis)

wild parsnip (Pastinaca sativa)

wolfberry (Symphoricarpos occidentalis)

woodbine (Parthenocissus vitacea)

woodland strawberry (Fragaria vesca ssp. americana)

woundwort (Stachys pilosa var. arenicola)

yellow sweet clover (Melilotus officinalis)

yellow wood sorrel (Oxalis stricta)

 

Acer negundo var. negundo (boxelder)

Acer saccharum ssp. saccharum (sugar maple)

Achillea millefolium (common yarrow)

Actaea rubra ssp. rubra (red baneberry)

Agastache scrophulariifolia (purple giant hyssop)

Ageratina altissima var. altissima (white snakeroot)

Ambrosia artemisiifolia (common ragweed)

Amorpha canescens (leadplant)

Amorpha fruticosa (desert false indigo)

Amphicarpaea bracteata var. comosa (lowland hog peanut)

Andropogon gerardi (big bluestem)

Anemonastrum canadense (Canada anemone)

Apocynum cannabinum (Indian hemp)

Aquilegia canadensis (wild columbine)

Arctium minus (common burdock)

Arisaema triphyllum (jack-in-the-pulpit)

Artemisia absinthium (absinthe wormwood)

Artemisia campestris ssp. caudata (field sagewort)

Artemisia ludoviciana ssp. ludoviciana (white sage)

Asclepias amplexicaulis (clasping milkweed)

Asclepias incarnata ssp. incarnata (swamp milkweed)

Asclepias syriaca (common milkweed)

Asparagus officinalis (asparagus)

Astragalus canadensis var. canadensis (Canadian milkvetch)

Calystegia sepium (hedge bindweed)

Campanula rapunculoides (creeping bellflower)

Caulophyllum thalictroides (blue cohosh)

Celtis occidentalis (northern hackberry)

Circaea canadensis (broadleaf enchanter’s nightshade)

Cirsium arvense (Canada thistle)

Cirsium vulgare (bull thistle)

Coreopsis palmata (prairie coreopsis)

Crataegus mollis var. mollis (downy hawthorn)

Cryptotaenia canadensis (Canadian honewort)

Cynoglossum officinale (hound’s tongue)

Dalea candida var. candida (white prairie clover)

Dalea purpurea var. purpurea (purple prairie clover)

Drymocallis arguta (tall cinquefoil)

Echinocystis lobata (wild cucumber)

Elymus canadensis (Canada wildrye)

Elymus hystrix (eastern bottlebrush grass)

Erigeron canadensis (Canadian horseweed)

Fragaria vesca ssp. americana (woodland strawberry)

Fraxinus pennsylvanica (green ash)

Galium aparine (cleavers)

Galium boreale (northern bedstraw)

Galium triflorum (fragrant bedstraw)

Geum canadense (white avens)

Glechoma hederacea (ground ivy)

Gleditsia triacanthos (honey locust)

Hackelia virginiana (Virginia stickseed)

Heliopsis helianthoides var. scabra (smooth oxeye)

Hemerocallis fulva (orange daylily)

Hordeum jubatum ssp. jubatum (foxtail barley)

Impatiens capensis (spotted touch-me-not)

Juglans nigra (black walnut)

Laportea canadensis (Canadian woodnettle)

Leonurus cardiaca ssp. cardiaca (common motherwort)

Lepidium densiflorum (prairie peppergrass)

Lespedeza capitata (round-headed bush clover)

Lonicera morrowii (Morrow’s honeysuckle)

Lycopus americanus (American bugleweed)

Lycopus asper (rough bugleweed)

Lysimachia ciliata (fringed loosestrife)

Lysimachia quadriflora (four-flowered yellow loosestrife)

Maianthemum racemosum var. racemosum (common false Solomon’s seal)

Maianthemum stellatum (starry false Solomon’s seal)

Medicago lupulina (black medick)

Melilotus albus (white sweet clover)

Melilotus officinalis (yellow sweet clover)

Menispermum canadense (Canada moonseed)

Mentha arvensis (wild mint)

Monarda fistulosa (wild bergamot)

Nepeta cataria (catnip)

Osmorhiza claytonii (bland sweet cicely)

Ostrya virginiana var. virginiana (American hophornbeam)

Oxalis stricta (yellow wood sorrel)

Parthenocissus quinquefolia (Virginia creeper)

Parthenocissus vitacea (woodbine)

Pastinaca sativa (wild parsnip)

Persicaria amphibia (water smartweed)

Phalaris arundinacea (reed canary grass)

Phryma leptostachya (American lopseed)

Phyla lanceolata (lance-leaf fog-fruit)

Plantago rugelii var. rugelii (black-seeded plantain)

Populus deltoides ssp. molinifera (plains cottonwood)

Populus tremuloides (quaking aspen)

Potentilla recta (sulphur cinquefoil)

Prunella vulgaris ssp. vulgaris (common self-heal)

Prunus virginiana var. virginiana (chokecherry)

Quercus macrocarpa var. macrocarpa (bur oak)

Ratibida columnifera (long-headed coneflower)

Ratibida pinnata (gray-headed coneflower)

Rhus glabra (smooth sumac)

Ribes missouriense (Missouri gooseberry)

Robinia hispida var. hispida (bristly locust)

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)

Rumex crispus (curly dock)

Sagittaria latifolia (broad-leaved arrowhead)

Salix interior (sandbar willow)

Sanguinaria canadensis (bloodroot)

Sanicula marilandica (Maryland black snakeroot)

Scrophularia lanceolata (early figwort)

Securigera varia (crown vetch)

Silphium laciniatum (compass plant)

Silphium perfoliatum var. perfoliatum (cup plant)

Solidago gigantea (giant goldenrod)

Sonchus arvensis (perennial sow thistle)

Sorghastrum nutans (Indiangrass)

Sporobolus heterolepis (prairie dropseed)

Stachys pilosa var. arenicola (woundwort)

Symphoricarpos occidentalis (wolfberry)

Taraxacum officinale ssp. officinale (common dandelion)

Tilia americana var. americana (American basswood)

Toxicodendron rydbergii (western poison ivy)

Trifolium hybridum (alsike clover)

Trifolium pratense (red clover)

Trifolium repens ssp. repens (white clover)

Triticum aestivum ssp. aestivum (common wheat)

Typha angustifolia (narrow-leaved cattail)

Ulmus americana (American elm)

Ulmus pumila (Siberian elm)

Ulmus rubra (slippery elm)

Ulmus thomasii (rock elm)

Urtica gracilis ssp. gracilis (American stinging nettle)

Verbascum thapsus ssp. thapsus (common mullein)

Verbena bracteata (bracted vervain)

Verbena hastata (blue vervain)

Verbena stricta (hoary vervain)

Viola sororia (common blue violet)

Vitis riparia (wild grape)

Xanthium strumarium (rough cocklebur)

Zanthoxylum americanum (northern prickly ash)

Zizia aptera (heart-leaved golden alexanders)

Zizia aurea (golden alexanders)

 

alsike clover

asparagus

black raspberry

black-eyed Susan

bloodroot

blue cohosh

broad-leaved arrowhead

Canada anemone

Canadian milkvetch

chokecherry

common blue violet

common false Solomon’s seal

common mullein

creeping bellflower

cut-leaved coneflower

desert false indigo

perennial sow thistle

fringed loosestrife

gray-headed coneflower

leadplant

long-headed coneflower

Morrow’s honeysuckle

northern bedstraw

orange daylily

purple prairie clover

red baneberry

red clover

sulphur cinquefoil

swamp milkweed

tall cinquefoil

white clover

white snakeroot

wild columbine

wild mint

wild parsnip

yellow sweet clover

Reptiles

painted turtle (Chrysemys picta)   painted turtle

 

 

Binoculars

 

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