Lake Vermilion-Soudan Underground Mine State Park
About • Location • Activities • Ecology
About |
Ownership |
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Links |
Overview |
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History |
In May, 2014, the Minnesota State Legislature combined Lake Vermilion State Park and the adjacent Soudan Underground Mine State Park to create Lake Vermilion-Soudan Underground Mine State Park. |
Management |
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Comments |
GPS units are not providing correct directions to the mine entrance! We recommend you ignore your GPS unit once you arrive in the Tower area. Follow the street signs to the mine instead. – MN DNR |
Location |
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Size |
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4,124.5 acres |
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Driving Directions |
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Parking |
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Summer mine entrance N47 49.139, W92 14.653 Winter mine entrance N47 49.222, W92 14.234 Lake Vermilion Unit entrance N47 49.044, W92 12.680 |
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Hours |
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Daily from 8 a.m. until 10 p.m. |
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Fees |
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Daily park permit: $7 Annual park permit: $35 |
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Maps |
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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 Birdwatching 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 |  |
Laurentian Mixed Forest Province |
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| Ecological Section |  |
Northern Superior Uplands |
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| Ecological Subsection |  |
Border Lakes Nashwauk Uplands |
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| Land Type Association | Ely-Knife Lake Bedrock Complex Vermilion Bedrock Complex Whalsten Till Plain |
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Native Plant Communities* |
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Alder - (Maple - Loosestrife) Swamp Aspen - Birch - Basswood Forest Aspen - Birch Forest Aspen - Birch Forest: Balsam Fir Subtype Beaver Wetland Complex Bedrock Shrubland (Inland) Black Ash - Alder Swamp (Northern) Black Ash - Aspen - Balsam Poplar Swamp (Northeastern) Black Ash - Conifer Swamp (Northeastern) Crystalline Bedrock Outcrop (Northern) Dry Mafic Cliff (Northern) Dry Open Talus (Northern) Graminoid Rich Fen (Basin) Low Shrub Poor Fen Lowland White Cedar Forest (Northern) Northern Cedar Swamp Northern Dry-Bedrock Pine (Oak) Woodland Northern Mesic Cliff Northern Mesic Mixed Forest Northern Wet Alder Swamp Northern Wet Ash Swamp Northern Wet Meadow / Carr Pin Oak Woodland (Bedrock) Poor Black Spruce Swamp Poor Black Spruce Swamp Poor Tamarack - Black Spruce Swamp Red Pine - White Pine Woodland (Northeastern Bedrock) Rich Black Spruce Swamp (Basin) Sedge Meadow Sedge Meadow: Beaked Sedge Subtype Sedge Meadow: Bluejoint Subtype Sedge Meadow: Lake Sedge Subtype White Pine - Red Pine Forest Willow - Dogwood Shrub Swamp |
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| * Source: The Minnesota Biological Survey, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Division of Ecological Resources | |||||
Natural Features |
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Visitor Photos |
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MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos |
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| This entrance was closed on this day in 2011. |
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Slideshows |
Soudan Underground Mine State Park |
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Soudan Underground Mine State Park |
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About
Soudan Underground Mine State Park |
Visitor Videos |
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Other Videos |
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WDIO.com - A Look at the Vermilion State Park.flv |
About
Uploaded on Aug 21, 2010 An August 2010 news story on the progression of the new Lake Vermilion State Park ! |
Proposed Lake Vermillion State Park |
About
Published on Mar 7, 2013 This video clip is aerial footage of the proposed Lake Vermilion State Park. It was shot in the summer of 2007 and shows some of the interior land and wetlands as well as the shoreline. |
Soudan Underground Mine State Park virtual tour |
About
Uploaded on Nov 9, 2009 Take a virtual tour of the underground mine and physics lab at Soudan Underground Mine State Park in northern Minnesota. http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_park... |
Soudan Underground Mine State Park (MN) - Shaft #8 elevator lift |
About
Published on Jan 17, 2014 This is video I shot in the lift house for the elevator in shaft #8 in the Soudan Underground Mine that tourists take to go a half-mine underground for the mine tour. The mine became a Minnesota State Park after US Steel donated the mine to the State of Minnesota. |
Cantus - Soudan Mine - Sonic Architecture: Exploring Minnesota Through Sound |
About
Uploaded on May 4, 2011 Sonic Architecture: Exploring Minnesota Through Sound. Cantus performs in 2300 feet underground in the depths of the Soudan Underground Mine State Park. The former iron mine near Ely, MN is also host to a large University of Minn. physics lab. This video was recorded in DTS Neural Surround and you can listen in surround sound on any home receiver. Go to Classical MPR's DTS page for more information: http://minnesota.publicradio.org/radio/services/cms/dts.shtml |
Soudan Physics Lab Tour |
About
Published on Aug 15, 2013 In the summer of 2013 our daughter was fortunate enough to score an internship at the Soudan Underground Physics Lab in northeastern Minnesota. One of her duties was to give tours such as this one. |
Visitor Sightings |
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MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings |
Visits |
5/27/2011 |
Amphibians |
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Birds |
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Fishes |
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Fungi and Lichens |
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Insects and Arachnids |
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Mammals |
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Created: Last Updated: © MinnesotaSeasons.com. All rights reserved. |