Minnesota Valley State Recreation Area

Lawrence Unit

 

 

     
 
About
 
 

Ownership

 
 

Minnesota DNR logo

 
     
 

Links

 
 

Minnesota DNR

 
     
 

Overview

 
 

 

 
     
 

History

 
 

 

 
     
 

Management

 
 

 

 
     
 

Comments

 
 

 

 
     
 
Location
 
 

Maps

 
 

 

 
         
 

Printable Map(s) with GPS coordinates

 
  Printable map      
         
 

Size

 
 

Approximately 1,967 acres

 
         
 

Parking

 
 

19825 Park Boulevard
Jordan, MN 55352

Trail Center
N44 39.124, W93 42.981

 
         
 

Hours

 
 

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

 
         
 

Fees

 
 

Daily park permit: $7

Annual park permit: $35

 
         
 

Driving Directions

  Area and County  
 

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

   
          Scott County  
          Metro Area  
     
 
Activities
 
 

Hiking Trails

 
 

The Minnesota Valley State Trail passes througn the site.

The Minnesota River State Water Trail passes along the northern border of the site.

 
     
 

Hunting

 
 

No hunting

 
     
 
Ecology
 
 

Ecological Classification

  Ecological Classification  
  Ecological Province    

Eastern Broadleaf Forest Province

   
  Ecological Section    

Minnesota & NE Iowa Morainal

   
  Ecological Subsection    

Big Woods

   
  Land Type Association    

Hamburg Moraine

Le Sueur Alluvial Plain

   
             
 

Native Plant Communities*

   
 

Cattail - Sedge Marsh (Northern)

Mesic Prairie (Southern)

Pin Oak - Bur Oak Woodland

Sedge Meadow

Spikerush - Bur Reed Marsh (Northern)

Wet Prairie (Southern)

   
  * 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
 
 

Parking

 
    Minnesota Valley State Recreation Area - Lawrence Unit   Minnesota Valley State Recreation Area - Lawrence Unit  
           
 

Samuel B. Strait House

 
    Minnesota Valley State Recreation Area - Lawrence Unit   Minnesota Valley State Recreation Area - Lawrence Unit  
           
 

Riverbottom Forest

 
    Minnesota Valley State Recreation Area - Lawrence Unit   Minnesota Valley State Recreation Area - Lawrence Unit  
           
 

Prevernal

 
    Minnesota Valley State Recreation Area - Lawrence Unit   Minnesota Valley State Recreation Area - Lawrence Unit  
           
    Minnesota Valley State Recreation Area - Lawrence Unit   Minnesota Valley State Recreation Area - Lawrence Unit  
           
 

Vernal

 
    Minnesota Valley State Recreation Area - Lawrence Unit   Minnesota Valley State Recreation Area - Lawrence Unit  
           
    Minnesota Valley State Recreation Area - Lawrence Unit      
           
 

Beason Lake

 
    Minnesota Valley State Recreation Area - Lawrence Unit   Minnesota Valley State Recreation Area - Lawrence Unit  
           
 

Minnesota River

 
    Minnesota Valley State Recreation Area - Lawrence Unit   Minnesota Valley State Recreation Area - Lawrence Unit  
           
    Minnesota Valley State Recreation Area - Lawrence Unit      
           
 

Channel Catfish

 
    Minnesota Valley State Recreation Area - Lawrence Unit      
           
 

Trails

 
    Minnesota Valley State Recreation Area - Lawrence Unit   Minnesota Valley State Recreation Area - Lawrence Unit  
           
    Minnesota Valley State Recreation Area - Lawrence Unit      

 

Camera

     
 
Slideshows
 
  Hiking Club: Minnesota Valley State Recreation Area, April 2012
Carey
 
  Hiking Club: Minnesota Valley State Recreation Area, April 2012  
 
About

18 APR 2012; Park #8, 4.0 miles

 
  Minnesota Valley State Park
Richard Sanders
 
  Minnesota Valley State Park  
 
About

Minnesota Valley State Park

 

 

slideshow

       
 
Visitor Videos
 
       
 

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MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings
 
 

Visits

4/27/2013

  5/31/2013            
 
 

Amphibians

 
 

boreal chorus frog (Pseudacris maculata)

northern leopard frog (Rana pipiens)

  northern leopard frog  
 

Birds

 
 

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

Endangered

Henslow’s Sparrow (Centronyx henslowii)

Horned Grebe (Podiceps auritus)

Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius ludovicianus)

Special Concern

Acadian Flycatcher (Empidonax virescens)

American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos)

Bell’s Vireo (Vireo bellii)

Cerulean Warbler (Setophaga cerulea)

Forster’s Tern (Sterna forsteri)

Franklin’s Gull (Leucophaeus pipixcan)

Lark Sparrow (Chondestes grammacus)

Louisiana Waterthrush (Parkesia motacilla)

Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus)

Purple Martin (Progne subis)

Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus)

Trumpeter Swan (Cygnus buccinator)

 
 

Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas Birds List

Minnesota DNR Bird Checklist (all units)

eBird Field Checklist – Minnesota Valley State Recreation Area

eBird Field Checklist – Minnesota Valley State Recreation Area - Carver County

 
 

American Coot (Fulica americana)

American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos)

American Robin (Turdus migratorius)

Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)

Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon)

Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus)

Blue-winged Teal (Spatula discors)

Brown Creeper (Certhia americana)

Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater)

Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola)

Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)

Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina)

Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas)

Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis)

Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens)

Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis)

Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus)

Eastern Wood-peewee (Contopus virens)

Field Sparrow (Spizella pusilla)

Fox Sparrow (Passerella iliaca)

Gray Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis)

Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)

Great Crested Flycatcher (Myiarchus crinitus)

Hairy Woodpecker (Leuconotopicus villosus)

Hermit Thrush (Catharus guttatus)

Horned Grebe (Podiceps auritus)

Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis)

Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)

Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)

Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)

Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus)

Olive-sided Flycatcher (Contopus cooperi)

Ovenbird (Seiurus aurocapilla)

Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus)

Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus)

Ring-necked Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus)

Ruddy Duck (Oxyura jamaicensis)

Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia)

Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor)

Tundra Swan (Cygnus columbianus)

White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis)

White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis)

Wood Duck (Aix sponsa)

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius)

Yellow-rumped Warbler (Setophaga coronata)

 

American Coot

American Robin

Bald Eagle

Brown-headed Cowbird

Canada Goose

Dark-eyed Junco

Mallard

Mourning Dove

Red-winged Blackbird

Song Sparrow

Tundra Swan

White-breasted Nuthatch

 
 

Fishes

 
 

Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas Fishes List

 
         
 

Fungi and Lichens

 
 

Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas Fungi List

 
 

Black Knot (Apiosporina morbosa)

False Tinder Fungus (Phellinus igniarius)

Yellow Morel (Morchella esculentoides)

  Willow Bracket  
 

Insects and Arachnids

 
 

common green darner (Anax junius)

eastern boxelder bug (Boisea trivittata)

eastern comma (Polygonia comma)

goldenrod gall fly (Eurosta solidaginis)

  eastern comma  
 

Mammals

 
 

American beaver (Castor canadensis)

eastern gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis)

thirteen-lined ground squirrel (Ictidomys tridecemlineatus)

whitetail deer (Odocoileus virginianus)

  whitetail deer  
 

Plants

 
 

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

Endangered

short-beaked arrowhead (Sagittaria brevirostra)

Threatened

smooth-sheathed sedge (Carex laevivaginata)

Special Concern

Kentucky coffee tree (Gymnocladus dioicus)

rattlesnake master (Eryngium yuccifolium var. yuccifolium)

 
 

Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas and Minnesota Biological Survey Vegetation Releves Plant List

 
 

Plants frequently found in:

Cattail - Sedge Marsh (Northern) MRn83a

Mesic Prairie (Southern) UPs23a

Pin Oak - Bur Oak Woodland FDs37b

Sedge Meadow WMn82b

Spikerush - Bur Reed Marsh (Northern) MRn93b

Wet Prairie (Southern) WPs54b

     
 

 

American basswood (Tilia americana var. americana)

American cow parsnip (Heracleum maximum)

American elm (Ulmus americana)

American hophornbeam (Ostrya virginiana var. virginiana)

American stinging nettle (Urtica gracilis ssp. gracilis)

asparagus (Asparagus officinalis)

Aunt Lucy (Ellisia nyctelea)

black raspberry (Rubus occidentalis)

black walnut (Juglans nigra)

black-seeded plantain (Plantago rugelii var. rugelii)

boxelder (Acer negundo var. negundo)

bristly buttercup (Ranunculus hispidus)

bristly greenbrier (Smilax tamnoides)

bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa var. macrocarpa)

Canada moonseed (Menispermum canadense)

Canadian horseweed (Erigeron canadensis)

Canadian wild ginger (Asarum canadense)

Canadian woodnettle (Laportea canadensis)

chokecherry (Prunus virginiana var. virginiana)

cleavers (Galium aparine)

common blue violet (Viola sororia)

common buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica)

common burdock (Arctium minus)

common dandelion (Taraxacum officinale ssp. officinale)

common evening primrose (Oenothera biennis)

common motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca ssp. cardiaca)

common mullein (Verbascum thapsus ssp. thapsus)

common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia)

cursed crowfoot (Ranunculus sceleratus var. multifidus)

cursed crowfoot (Ranunculus sceleratus var. sceleratus)

cut-leaved coneflower (Rudbeckia laciniata var. laciniata)

early meadow-rue (Thalictrum dioicum)

eastern redcedar (Juniperus virginiana var. virginiana)

Emory’s sedge (Carex emoryi)

field horsetail (Equisetum arvense)

field pennycress (Thlaspi arvense)

fragrant bedstraw (Galium triflorum)

garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata)

giant ragweed (Ambrosia trifida)

gray dogwood (Cornus racemosa)

green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica)

ground ivy (Glechoma hederacea)

hedge bindweed (Calystegia sepium)

jack-in-the-pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum)

kidney-leaved buttercup (Ranunculus abortivus)

large yellow water crowfoot (Ranunculus flabellaris)

Morrow’s honeysuckle (Lonicera morrowii)

Muhlenberg’s sedge (Carex muehlenbergii var. muehlenbergii)

nannyberry (Viburnum lentago)

northern hackberry (Celtis occidentalis)

northern pin oak (Quercus ellipsoidalis)

northern prickly ash (Zanthoxylum americanum)

northern red oak (Quercus rubra)

Pennsylvania bitter-cress (Cardamine pensylvanica)

Philadelphia fleabane (Erigeron philadelphicus var. philadelphicus)

plains cottonwood (Populus deltoides ssp. molinifera)

pussy willow (Salix discolor)

quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides)

red clover (Trifolium pratense)

red elderberry (Sambucus racemosa var. racemosa)

red osier dogwood (Cornus sericea ssp. sericea)

rock elm (Ulmus thomasii)

shepherd’s purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris)

Siberian elm (Ulmus pumila)

silky dogwood (Cornus obliqua)

silver maple (Acer saccharinum)

smooth sumac (Rhus glabra)

smooth yellow violet (Viola pubescens var. scabriuscula)

southern blue flag (Iris virginica var. shrevei)

staghorn sumac (Rhus typhina)

Tatarian honeysuckle (Lonicera tatarica)

Virginia waterleaf (Hydrophyllum virginianum var. virginianum)

white clover (Trifolium repens ssp. repens)

wild columbine (Aquilegia canadensis)

wild cucumber (Echinocystis lobata)

wild grape (Vitis riparia)

winter cress (Barbarea vulgaris)

woodbine (Parthenocissus vitacea)

yellow wood sorrel (Oxalis stricta)

 

Acer negundo var. negundo (boxelder)

Acer saccharinum (silver maple)

Alliaria petiolata (garlic mustard)

Ambrosia artemisiifolia (common ragweed)

Ambrosia trifida (giant ragweed)

Aquilegia canadensis (wild columbine)

Arctium minus (common burdock)

Arisaema triphyllum (jack-in-the-pulpit)

Asarum canadense (Canadian wild ginger)

Asparagus officinalis (asparagus)

Barbarea vulgaris (winter cress)

Calystegia sepium (hedge bindweed)

Capsella bursa-pastoris (shepherd’s purse)

Cardamine pensylvanica (Pennsylvania bitter-cress)

Carex emoryi (Emory’s sedge)

Carex muehlenbergii var. muehlenbergii (Muhlenberg’s sedge)

Celtis occidentalis (northern hackberry)

Cornus obliqua (silky dogwood)

Cornus racemosa (gray dogwood)

Cornus sericea ssp. sericea (red osier dogwood)

Echinocystis lobata (wild cucumber)

Ellisia nyctelea (Aunt Lucy)

Equisetum arvense (field horsetail)

Erigeron canadensis (Canadian horseweed)

Erigeron philadelphicus var. philadelphicus (Philadelphia fleabane)

Fraxinus pennsylvanica (green ash)

Galium aparine (cleavers)

Galium triflorum (fragrant bedstraw)

Glechoma hederacea (ground ivy)

Heracleum maximum (American cow parsnip)

Hydrophyllum virginianum var. virginianum (Virginia waterleaf)

Iris virginica var. shrevei (southern blue flag)

Juglans nigra (black walnut)

Juniperus virginiana var. virginiana (eastern redcedar)

Laportea canadensis (Canadian woodnettle)

Leonurus cardiaca ssp. cardiaca (common motherwort)

Lonicera morrowii (Morrow’s honeysuckle)

Lonicera tatarica (Tatarian honeysuckle)

Menispermum canadense (Canada moonseed)

Oenothera biennis (common evening primrose)

Ostrya virginiana var. virginiana (American hophornbeam)

Oxalis stricta (yellow wood sorrel)

Parthenocissus vitacea (woodbine)

Plantago rugelii var. rugelii (black-seeded plantain)

Populus deltoides ssp. molinifera (plains cottonwood)

Populus tremuloides (quaking aspen)

Prunus virginiana var. virginiana (chokecherry)

Quercus ellipsoidalis (northern pin oak)

Quercus macrocarpa var. macrocarpa (bur oak)

Quercus rubra (northern red oak)

Ranunculus abortivus (kidney-leaved buttercup)

Ranunculus flabellaris (large yellow water crowfoot)

Ranunculus hispidus (bristly buttercup)

Ranunculus sceleratus var. multifidus (cursed crowfoot)

Ranunculus sceleratus var. sceleratus (cursed crowfoot)

Rhamnus cathartica (common buckthorn)

Rhus glabra (smooth sumac)

Rhus typhina (staghorn sumac)

Rubus occidentalis (black raspberry)

Rudbeckia laciniata var. laciniata (cut-leaved coneflower)

Salix discolor (pussy willow)

Sambucus racemosa var. racemosa (red elderberry)

Smilax tamnoides (bristly greenbrier)

Taraxacum officinale ssp. officinale (common dandelion)

Thalictrum dioicum (early meadow-rue)

Thlaspi arvense (field pennycress)

Tilia americana var. americana (American basswood)

Trifolium pratense (red clover)

Trifolium repens ssp. repens (white clover)

Ulmus americana (American elm)

Ulmus pumila (Siberian elm)

Ulmus thomasii (rock elm)

Urtica gracilis ssp. gracilis (American stinging nettle)

Verbascum thapsus ssp. thapsus (common mullein)

Viburnum lentago (nannyberry)

Viola pubescens var. scabriuscula (smooth yellow violet)

Viola sororia (common blue violet)

Vitis riparia (wild grape)

Zanthoxylum americanum (northern prickly ash)

 

American cow parsnip

black raspberry

bur oak (var. macrocarpa)

chokecherry

common evening primrose

common mullein

cut-leaved coneflower

early meadow-rue

fragrant bedstraw

Morrow’s honeysuckle

nannyberry

northern prickly ash

red elderberry

Tatarian honeysuckle

Virginia waterleaf

white clover

wild columbine

wild grape

winter cress

 
 

Reptiles

 
  common garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis)   common garter snake  

 

 

Binoculars

 

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