Minnesota River Valley Birding Trail

Prairie Coteau Region


Overview
Grassy rolling hills, marshes, lakes and wetlands make Lyon and Lincoln Counties fascinating places to bird. Over 170 species of birds have been recorded in Camden State Park, located in the beautiful wooded Redwood River valley. This park is another island of green in a sea of intensely farmed land. Migrants and summer residents include many species of woodpecker, warbler, flycatcher, swallow, thrush and sparrow. Wild Turkeys and Turkey Vultures are commonly found in and around it. Just east of the park is Black Rush Marsh Waterfowl Production Area, an extensive, newly developed cattail marsh that is one of the premier marshes in this part of the state. It shelters a colony of Yellow-headed Blackbird numbering in the thousands and a Great-tailed Grackle was recently seen in the area. Redhead and Ruddy Duck, among many others, nest in the marsh. It is one of the few places in southern Minnesota where a birder can see an American Bittern in summer. Nearby Lyon County Landfill attracts hundreds of gulls including many Franklin’s Gull and Thayer’s Gull. California Gull, rarely seen in Minnesota, have also been recorded here. Geese congregate at the Coon Creek Wildlife Management Area in western Lyon County, a concentration area for geese in early spring. Over 50,000 Snow, White-fronted and Ross’s Geese were seen there recently. A Brant Goose, a rare species everywhere in Minnesota, was found here in 2002. Just to the west of the City of Lake Benton, Hole-in-the-Mountain Park provides some excellent passerine birding and is a place to be during warbler migration. North of Lake Benton there are a series of wildlife management areas — Chen Bay, Herschberger, Ash Lake, Anderson Lake and Ivanhoe — that are excellent places to look for grassland, marsh and water birds. (Additional information about the Prairie Coteau Region can be found at www.rohair.com/smwbc/pcloop.html.)
Site Description Directions to Site
GARVIN COUNTY PARK Lyon County (748 acres).
Habitat: woods, thickets, grasslands, and riparian.
Amenities: R, C, P.
Notes: The roads through this park can be quite muddy in spring.
Contact: 507-629-4081.
Web Site: None.		 At the intersection of US 59 and Hwy 23 at the southeast edge of Marshall, travel south on US 59 about 13.0 miles to the entrance to Garvin County Park on your left. (Note: If you are traveling to this region on US 14 from the east, be sure to stop at Plum Creek County Park just southwest of Walnut Grove for some good birding. You can reach Garvin County Park by turning right on Co. Rd. 69 1.0 mile east of US 14 and traveling north about 1.0 mile to the back entrance to the park.)

SHERMAN WATERFOWL PRODUCTION AREA Lyon County (122 acres).
Habitat: grasslands and wetlands.
Amenities: None.
Contact: 320-273-2191.
Web Site Available.

LAKE YANKTON WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREA Lyon County (281.4 acres).
Habitat: grasslands and wetlands.
Amenities: None.
Contact: 507-537-6250.
Web Site Available.

KNUDSON BOSLEY MEMORIAL PARK Lyon County.
Habitat: lake.
Amenities: R, P, B.
Contact: 507-734-4711.
Web Site: None

TYLER WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREA Lincoln County (435 acres).
Habitat: grasslands and wetlands.
Amenities: None.
Contact: 507-537-6250.
Web Site Available.

STONY POINT PARK Lincoln County.
Habitat: woods, thickets, grasslands, and lake.
Amenities: R, C, P, B.
Contact: 507-247-5556.
Web Site: None

HOLE-IN-THE-MOUNTAIN COUNTY PARK Lincoln County (800 acres).
Habitat: woods, thickets, and grasslands.
Amenities: T, R, C, P.
Contact: 507-368-9350.
Web Site Available.

Return to US 59 and turn left. Travel south on US 59 for 2.0 miles to US 14. Turn right on US 14 and travel west 3.5 miles to the Sherman Waterfowl Production Area on your right. Continue 1.5 miles west on US 14 to Lake Yankton Wildlife Management Area on your left. Continue west on US 14 for 0.6 miles to Knudson Bosley Memorial Park on Lake Yankton on your right in the City of Balaton. Continue west on US 14 for 14.5 miles to Tyler Wildlife Management Area on the west side of the City of Tyler. Continue west on US 14 for 2.6 miles to Co. Rd.111. (Note: Turn right on Co. Rd. 111 and travel north 1.8 miles to Stony Point Park to scope the northeast corner of Lake Benton.) Continue west on US 14 for 2.4 miles to where the road turns southwest. (Note: You can turn right here onto a gravel road and continue west 0.4 miles to another that passes under a railroad bridge to a large parking area at the edge of Lake Benton where you can also scope the lake.) Continue southwest on US 14 about 1.8 miles to US 75 South in the City of Lake Benton. (Note: There is a wayside park on the edge of Lake Benton on your right just after you pass this intersection.) Continue west on US 14 for 1.0 miles to Russell Zimmer Drive (Co. Rd. 21). Turn left on Russell Zimmer Drive and travel south to the entrance to Hole-in-the-Mountain County Park on the right.

NORWEGIAN CREEK COUNTY PARK Lincoln County (128 acres).
Habitat: woods, thickets, grasslands, wetlands, lake.
Amenities: T, R, C, P, B.
Contact: 507-368-9350.
Web Site Available.

 Return to the intersection of US 14 and US 75 North. Turn left on US 75 and travel north 1.3 miles to Co. Rd. 124. Turn right onto Co. Rd. 124 and travel east 1.2 miles to Norwegian Creek County Park on the western shore of Lake Benton.
CHEN BAY WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREA Lincoln County (249 acres).
Habitat: woods, grasslands, and wetlands.
Amenities: None.
Contact: 507-537-6250.
Web Site Available.		 Return to US 75. Turn right and travel north on US 75 for 1.1 miles to Co. Rd. 12. Turn right on Co. Rd. 12 and travel east and north 2.8 miles to Co. Rd. 121. (Note: You can continue east 1.7 miles on Co. Rd. 121 to a public water access on the north side of Lake Benton.) Turn left and travel north 0.5 miles to Co. Rd. 13. Chen Bay Wildlife Management Area is on both sides of the road.

HERSCHBERGER WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREA Lincoln County (242.6 acres).
Habitat: woods, thickets, grasslands, and wetlands.
Amenities: None.
Contact: 507-537-6250.
Web Site Available.

ASH LAKE WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREA Lincoln County (300 acres).
Habitat: woods, thickets, grasslands, wetlands, and lake.
Amenities: None.
Contact: 507-537-6250.
Web Site Available.

 Continue north and west on Co. Rd. 13 for 2.2 miles to US 75. Turn right on US 75 and travel north 4.0 miles to Co. Rd. 15. Turn left on Co. Rd. 15 and travel west 1.0 mile to a gravel road. Turn right on the gravel road and travel north 0.8 miles to another gravel road on your left. Turn here to enter Herschberger Wildlife Management Area. There is a place to park and primitive roads that explore this wildlife management area. From the entrance to Herschberger Wildlife Management Area, continue north on the gravel road 1.1 miles to Co. Rd. 16. Turn left on Co. Rd. 16 and travel west 1.0 mile to Co. Rd. 104. Turn right on Co. Rd. 104 and travel north 1.0 mile to a gravel road. (Note: You can turn right and travel east on this gravel road 1.3 miles to a primitive road on your right at a high point in Ash Lake Wildlife Management Area. This road can be hazardous when wet, so enter at your own risk. You will see a primitive road on your left 0.3 miles east of Co. Rd. 104. This road provides access to only a small portion of the wildlife management area.)

ANDERSON LAKE WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREA Lincoln County (592.4 acres).
Habitat: woods, thickets, grasslands, and wetlands.
Amenities: None.
Contact: 507-537-6250.
Web Site Available.

IVANHOE WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREA Lincoln County (382 acres).
Habitat: woods, thickets, grasslands, and wetlands.
Amenities: None.
Contact: 507-537-6250.
Web Site Available.

 Continue north 1.1 miles on Co. Rd. 104 to the first of two parking areas for Anderson Lake Wildlife Management Area on your right. A second parking area, another 0.3 miles north on Co. Rd. 104, is on your right and is the easier location for pulling off the road. From the second parking area continue north 0.6 miles on Co. Rd. 104 to Hwy. 19. Turn right on Hwy. 19 and travel east 1.0 mile to a gravel road. (Note: There are two more access points on the south side of Hwy. 19 for Anderson Lake Wildlife Management Area, but they provide little room to park.) You can turn north on the gravel road and travel 0.8 miles to a spot where you can pull off the road and explore Ivanhoe Wildlife Management Area.
COON CREEK WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREA Lyon County (1,049.4 acres).
Habitat: woods, thickets, grasslands, wetlands.
Amenities: None.
Contact: 507-537-6250.
Web Site Available.		 Continue east on Hwy 19 about 11.7 miles to the Lincoln/Lyon county line. Turn right here onto a gravel road and travel south 3.6 miles to Co. Rd. 15. Co. Rd. 15 makes a jog at the county line, so just continue south on the paved road for another 0.3 miles to another gravel road with a sign that reads “Road Closed”. Continue south 3.3 miles on this gravel road to another gravel road on your left. Turn left and travel northeast along this curving road 0.4 miles to a wildlife management area sign on your left. There is a place to pull off the road here and explore Coon Creek Wildlife Management Area. Continue east and north along this same road 0.9 miles to another wildlife management area parking area on your right. Then continue north 0.2 miles to Co. Rd. 66. Turn right on Co. Rd. 66 and travel east 1.0 mile to a “T”. Turn right and travel south 0.5 miles to a final access point for the wildlife management area on your right. Turn left here onto a gravel road and travel east 1.0 mile to Co. Rd. 13.

ISLAND LAKE PUBLIC WATER ACCESS Lyon County.
Habitat: woods, thickets, grasslands, wetlands, and lake.
Amenities: B.
Web Site Available.

CAMDEN STATE PARK Lyon County (2,245 acres).
Habitat: woods, thickets, grasslands, riparian, and wetlands.
Amenities: T, R, C, P, B.
Notes: This very large park can be explored from many points, both within the main park and around the perimeter.
Contact: 507-865-4530.
Web Site Available.

 At the intersection of the gravel road and Co. Rd. 13, turn left on Co. Rd. 13 and travel north 2.8 miles to a gravel road for Island Lake Public Water Access on your right. Continue north on Co. Rd. 13 for 0.7 miles to Co. Rd. 4. Turn right on Co. Rd. 4 and travel east 6.0 miles to Co. Rd. 5. Turn right on Co. Rd. 5 and travel south and then east 0.7 miles to Co. Rd. 30. Turn right on Co. Rd. 30 and travel south 1.1 miles to Hwy. 23. Turn right on Co. Rd. 23 and travel south 1.6 miles to the main entrance to Camden State Park on your right.

BLACK RUSH LAKE WATERFOWL PRODUCTION AREA Lyon County (1,000 acres).
Habitat: grasslands and wetlands.
Amenities: None.
Notes: Nearby Lyon County landfill is clearly visible from almost any point in this waterfowl production area.
Contact: 320-273-2191.
Web Site Available.

 Return to Hwy. 23 and turn right. Travel south on Hwy. 23 for 1.0 mile to Co. Rd. 59. Turn left on Co. Rd. 59 and travel east 1.0 mile to a minimum maintenance road on your right. If this road is too wet to drive on, return to Hwy. 23, turn left and travel 1.0 mile further south to the next gravel road on your left. Travel east on this gravel road a little more than 1.0 mile to the south end of the minimum maintenance road on your left. This end of the road is at a higher elevation than the surrounding area and allows for a nice view of the waterfowl production area. To return to the starting point for this loop, return to Hwy. 23. Turn right on Hwy. 23 and travel northeast to US 59 and this loop’s starting point. To reach the Prairie Waters Region from this point, take US 59 north to Appleton. To reach the Falls Region, continue traveling northeast on Hwy. 23 a little over 1.0 mile to Hwy 19. Turn right on Hwy 19 and travel east to Redwood Falls.
Key to Amenities: T: trail; R: restroom; C: camping; P: picnic area; B: boating.

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