Minnesota River Valley Birding Trail
Bend of the River Region
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| This is a region filled with lakes, wetlands, marshes and small county parks, creating an excellent area for birding during migration and the summer breeding season. Visit as many of these sites as you can and you will be amazed by both the variety and number of birds you see. The region’s most notable site is Minneopa State Park, whose 2,700 acres provide a range of habitats sheltering a wide variety of birds. Woods, prairie, stands of Red Cedar and streams with riparian habitats translate into a great diversity of birds. A total of 217 species have been recorded in this park, including 29 species of warbler. Kentucky Warbler, rarely sighted in Minnesota, and Bell’s Vireo are seen at frequent intervals. Louisiana Waterthrush can occasionally be found nesting along Minneopa Creek and Loggerhead Shrike are present in Red Cedar dotted grasslands. Turkey Vulture, Bald Eagle, Wood Thrush, Blue-winged Warbler and Orchard Oriole are regularly seen in the park. Flycatchers, wrens, vireos, warblers, kinglets and many species of sparrow and finch visit as migrants and many remain to nest. Over 100 potential breeding species have been recorded during June and July. | |
| Site Description | Directions to Site |
| SAKATAH
SINGING HILLS STATE TRAIL Blue
Earth County. |
Starting at the intersection of US 169 and US 14 in north Mankato, take US 14/Hwy. 60 east approximately 2.0 miles to the Riverfront Drive exit. Take Riverfront Drive north 0.6 miles to Lime Valley Road. Take a soft left and continue north 0.2 miles to a parking area on your left where you will find the trailhead. |
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| EAGLE
LAKE PARK Blue Earth County. GILFILLAN LAKE
WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREA Blue Earth County (563.7 acres). Web Site Available. |
Retrace your steps to Riverfront Drive and turn left. Travel northeast 0.2 miles to Co. Rd. 12. Turn right on Co. Rd. 12 and travel east and north 2.8 miles to Co. Rd. 26 (230th Street). Turn right and travel east about 2.0 miles to a parking area on your right on the north side of Eagle Lake where you can scope the lake for waterfowl. Continue east on Co. Rd. 26 for 1.9 miles to the first parking area for Gilfillan Lake Wildlife Management Area on your left. Continue another 0.1 miles to a gravel road on the right that travels along the west side of Gilfillan Lake. Continue another 0.1 miles east to a spot where you can park on the left side of the road. Then continue another 0.1 miles to Co. Rd. 188. Turn left and drive 0.3 miles to a parking area on your left. |
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| BRAY
COUNTY PARK Blue Earth
County (987 acres). |
Retrace your steps to Co. Rd. 26 and continue east 1.7 miles to Main Street in Madison Lake. Turn right on Main Street and travel south 2 blocks to Hwy. 60. Turn left on Hwy. 60 and travel east 1.8 miles to Co. Rd. 48. Turn right on Co. Rd. 48 and travel south 1.8 miles to Bray County Park. The entrance to the park is on the right. |
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| LONE
PINE REST AREA Blue
Earth County (one acre). Web Site Available. WILDWOOD COUNTY PARK Blue Earth County (28 acres). Habitat: woods, thickets, grasslands, and riparian. Amenities: T. Notes: This park may be closed in winter. Contact: 507-625-3282. Web Site Available. |
Return to Co. Rd. 48 and turn right. Travel 0.7 miles to the Lone Pine Rest Area on your right, where you can scope the lake for waterfowl. Continue south 0.8 miles to Co. Rd. 17. Turn right on Co. Rd. 17 and travel west 1.4 miles to Hwy. 60. Turn left on Hwy. 60 and travel south 0.6 miles to US 14. Turn right on US 14 and travel west 3.0 miles to Co. Rd. 17 (the exit for the City of Eagle Lake). Turn left on Co. Rd. 17 and travel west 0.7 miles to Co. Rd. 27 (Agency St. S in Eagle Lake). Turn left on Co. Rd. 27 and travel south 1.8 miles to Co. Rd. 28. Turn left on Co. Rd. 28 and travel 1.8 miles east and south to the Wildwood County Park entrance on your right, where you will see Co. Rd. 23 entering onto Co. Rd. 28 from your left. |
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RASMUSSEN WOODS PARK
Blue Earth County (150 acres). Web Site Available. |
Retrace your steps to the intersection of Co. Rd. 27 and Co. Rd. 17 in Eagle Lake. Turn left on Co. Rd. 17 and travel west 0.7 miles to Co. Rd. 56 (598th). Turn right on Co. Rd. 56 and travel north 0.3 miles to US 14/Hwy. 60. Turn left on US 14/Hwy. 60 and travel west 4.7 miles to the exit for Riverfront Drive. Turn left onto Riverfront Drive and travel southwest 2.7 miles to Stolzman Road (Co. Rd. 16). Turn left on Stolzman Road and travel south 1.3 miles to Rasmusssen Woods Park Road. Turn right and drive the short distance to the park. |
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| SIBLEY
PARK Blue Earth County. RED JACKET
TRAIL PARK Blue Earth
County (4 acres). Web Site Available. |
Retrace your steps to Riverfront Drive. Turn left on Riverfront Drive and travel west 0.4 miles to Hwy. 66 (Sibley Street). (Note: If you turn right here, then turn left on Park Lane and travel west 3 blocks, you can enter Sibley Park along the Minnesota River.) Turn left on Hwy. 66 and travel south 3.4 miles to the main parking area for the Red Jacket Trail. |
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| LAND
OF MEMORIES PARK Blue
Earth County (100 acres). Habitat: woods, thickets, and riparian. Amenities: T, R, C, P, B. Contact: 507-387-8649. Web Site Available. |
Return north on Hwy. 66 for 1.0 mile to Co. Rd. 90. Turn left on Co. Rd. 90 and travel west 0.4 miles to Co. Rd. 33. Turn right on Co. Rd. 33 and travel north 1.3 miles to Co. Rd. 69. Turn left on Co. Rd. 69 and then immediately turn right to enter US 169/Hwy. 60. Travel 0.6 miles east on US 169/Hwy. 60 to the left turn for Land of Memories Park. |
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WILLIAMS NATURE CENTER
Blue Earth County (65 acres). Web Site Available. |
Return to US 169/Hwy. 60. Turn right and travel west 1.3 miles to Hwy. 68. Turn right on Hwy. 68 and travel northwest 0.8 miles to the entrance to Williams Nature Center, which you will see immediately after you pass all the oil storage tanks. |
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MINNEOPA STATE PARK
Blue Earth County (2,689 acres). Web Site Available. |
Continue west on Hwy. 68 for 0.8 miles to the main entrance to Minneopa State Park. |
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SWAN LAKE WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT
AREA Nicollet County
(450 acres). Web Site Available. |
Continue northwest 5.7 miles on Hwy. 68 to Co. Rd. 42. Turn right on Co. Rd. 42 and travel northeast 0.6 miles across the Minnesota River to 465th Avenue on your left. Turn left onto 465th Avenue and you will see a public water access for the river on your left. Continue northwest on 465th Avenue for 0.9 miles to a “T” in the road where it meets Co. Rd. 62. The North Star Unit of Swan Lake Wildlife Management Area stretches west from here on both sides of the road. There is a parking area on the south side of Co. Rd. 62 just west of the “T”. |
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SPRING LAKE PARK
Nicollet County. |
Return to Co. Rd. 42 (Co. Rd. 23 on the north side of the river). Turn left onto Co. Rd. 42 and travel northeast 0.2 miles to Co. Rd. 41 (Judson Bottom Road) on your right. Turn right on Co. Rd. 41 and travel southeast 6.1 miles to Co. Rd. 71 (a continuation of Judson Bottom Road). Continue southeast on Co. Rd. 71 for 2.7 miles to Lookout Drive. Travel north through this intersection (Co. Rd. 71 curves north where its meets Lookout Drive.) onto Lee Boulevard for 0.1 miles to Belgrade Avenue on your right (When Co. Rd. 71 crosses Lookout Drive, it turns into Lee Boulevard.). Turn right on Belgrade Avenue and travel east 0.6 miles to Sherman Street. Turn left on Sherman Street and travel north 0.7 miles to Webster Avenue. When you turn left onto Webster Avenue, you will see a parking lot for Spring Lake Park. To return to the starting point for this loop, turn right on Webster Avenue and travel east 0.5 miles to the stoplight at US 169/Hwy. 60 and turn left. |
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| Key to Amenities: T: trail; R: restroom; C: camping; P: picnic area; B: boating. | |
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The Minnesota River Valley Birding Trail is a project of Audubon Minnesota