“When Translated: Water Falling Twice!”
The word Minneopa comes from the Dakota language and is interpreted to mean "water falling twice," referring to the beautiful waterfalls of the Minneopa Creek. Walk the trail which encircles the falls, leading down a limestone stairway to the valley below. Ascend the opposite side and enjoy a panoramic view of the valley which reveals the underlying geology of this area. Visit Seppmann Mill, a wind driven grist mill fashioned in German style from native stone and lumber, or hike through oak savanna and native prairie grasslands overlooking the scenic Minnesota River Valley. Minneopa is home to a wide variety of songbird species. Many migrants stop here for a short stay on their way to their summer range. It should come as no surprise then that birdwatching is a popular activity. Be prepared to see the eastern bluebird, the western meadowlark, and the yellow shafted flicker. Tree sparrows, king birds, red-winged blackbirds, red-tailed hawks, and even American bald eagles are common at various times of the year. If your eyes are sharp, you may catch a glimpse of a wild turkey or ring-necked pheasant sneaking through the grass. The white-tailed deer is never far away and campers are often treated to the call of a coyote announcing its presence in the early evening hours. Both woodland prairie animals can be found in the park. The Minnesota River Floodplain area is home to various snakes, beaver, and waterfowl. The southern wooded part of the park is home to woodpeckers, squirrels, and other woodland animals. The southern part of the park is hilly and wooded, with Minneopa Creek and its waterfalls the major feature that attract visitors. The northern sections of the park feature prairie and the Minnesota River. Once, the land was tall-grass prairie, interspersed with marshes, lakes and streams. Today, extensive farming has replaced the prairie with cultivated fields.
Reviews of Minneopa State Park
7 people have reviewed this location
Ratings Summary
Cell Coverage
Verizon 4G/5G
Confirmed by 3 users | Last reported on May 21, 2023AT&T 4G
Confirmed by 1 users | Last reported on April 02, 2017T-Mobile 4G
Confirmed by 1 users | Last reported on April 02, 2017This state park is worth stopping at, and the campground is pretty okay, but the proximity to the city and two large colleges mean it’s bound to be pretty loud.
I stayed three nights. On Thursday-Friday it was quite pleasant and peaceful, but Friday-Saturday was super loud and super busy. All the trails were packed with people, and as it approached sunset, there were multiple groups of 3-6 guys who appeared to be going down to the river confluence to drink and get high. Lots of yelling and engines roaring at 11pm as they left the park. On top of that, the campground is right next to a train track. Trains honk for a road crossing near the park, and you'll hear it. Inside my RV, I didn't get woken up by them so I don't know how late they run.
The ‘A’ campground has no power hookups and is immediately next to a swamp, which means there are loads and loads of mosquitoes and super loud frogs. The ‘B’ campground has sites with electric hookups. My site and the ones near me did not appear particularly level; everyone had blocks out.
In April 2017, at B10e, 30A electrical worked fine with proper connections, and cell coverage was fine:
VERIZON: 2 bars, 46ms ping, 42mbps down, 3mbps up
T-MOBILE: 2 bars, 55ms ping, 10mbps down, 0.20mbps up
AT&T: 1 bar, 312ms ping, 3mbps down, 3mbps up
The hiking here isn't all that spectacular, but I've been spoiled by other Minnesota State Parks. It's worth doing the short hike down to the water and along the bison fence and back down to the water again, but you can do all that in a day. The bison drive is awesome! The gate is open 9:30am-3:30pm (check latest information) and you MUST be out of the enclosure by 3:30pm because they lock the gates. You will definitely see the bison, but it's hit or miss as to whether they will be right next to you. It seemed each day I was there, all the bison came up near the gate around 2:45pm-3:15pm, and they'll come within feet of your car.
If it sounds like there's not much to do here, that's because it's true. But, there is lots to do in the region, and this is a good place to settle in and explore the Mankato/St. Peter area, which has plenty of other parks, trails, and downtown areas.
There allegedly is a dump station here, I saw a building with restrooms, and there are several spots to get water in the campground, but I didn't use any of them because the water sadly still off for the season despite it being 60°F out.
Minneopa was $25/night when I stayed here, and a Minnesota State Parks daily/annual permit or license plate is required. As with all Minnesota State Parks, reservations can be made online in advance (added reservation fee) or same day (no reservation fee on top of nightly fee), even super late.
Nightly Rate: $25.00
Days Stayed: 3
Site Number: B10E
Cell Coverage Rating
Verizon 4G
AT&T 4G
T-Mobile 4G
After reading all of the wonderful reviews, I was a little underwhelmed. Perhaps it is because we arrived after a rainy period. Many of the sites in the A Loop were flooded or muddy and there was only one site occupied. B Loop was a bit better and there were a few more people there. Some sites in the A Loop overlook the river valley through trees but they are directly over railroad tracks so you will hear loud trains. No flush toilets but for pits (A Loop has sinks and a shower), reasonably clean. However I would not choose sites closeby because the fans are quite loud. Bison viewing road was cool and leads to the rebuilt granary (all that remains from a mill). Waterfall (across the street and about a mile from campground) is nice. Unless you hike the Minnesota River Bluff trail, you could easily see the bison, granary, and waterfalls in half a day, making this good for just a one night stay.
Nightly Rate: $29.00
Days Stayed: 1
Site Number: B8
Cell Coverage Rating
Verizon 4G
I don't have much more to add to what others have said. I just wanted to update the price, & add a few pictures.I didn't check how many bars we had, but we were able to stream video, & had no trouble making calls or sending messages.
Nightly Rate: $34.00
Days Stayed: 2
Site Number: B10
This is one of the oldest state parks in Minnesota. Not Fancy could use upgrading but we had great weather saw many birds, there is a bison herd in the park where we saw baby bison. The water falls were really flowing since it has been a wet spring. Bathroom facility is old. You have to drive to the waterfalls from the campground. You can access a bike trail from the waterfalls area. The bison are seen via a drive through… stay in your car!
Nightly Rate: -
Days Stayed: 2
Site Number: 16
Cell Coverage Rating
Verizon 5G
Cool falls. The hiking was kind of lacking though.
The walk from the parking lot to the falls and gorge is very short and paved. Tons of picnic and camp sites. You can drive through the enclosed buffalo range but not on Wednesdays. The park falls on both sides of 68. There’s a historic cemetery. The mill is technically only accessible by vehicle and hiking through the buffalo range.
Even though the Bison sanctuary was closed due to , it was a perfect walk around / rest stop.
Beautiful double waterfall. Worth the hike to the bottom.
Gorgeous park with great trails and two beautiful waterfalls. I definitely recommend seeing it!
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Minneopa State Park
Hours
- Sun: 8:00 am - 9:00 pm
- Tue: 7:00 am - 7:00 pm
- Fri: 10:00 am - 8:00 pm
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Good for hiking and wildlife viewing.
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Parking
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Pets Allowed
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Restrooms
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Wifi
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Wheelchair Accessible
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Credit Cards Accepted
- Affiliation
- State park or forest
- Last Nightly Rate
- 34.0
- Lowest Nightly Rate
- 24.0
- Max Stay
- 14
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Fifty Amp
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Full Hookup
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Pull Through
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Tent Sites
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Dump Station
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Big Rigs
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Open Seasonally
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Age Restricted
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Boondock
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Cabin Sites
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Dispersed Sites
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Firewood
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Fulltime Residents
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Group Tent Sites
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Laundry
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Mobile Homes
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Permit Required
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Potable Water
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Propane
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Public Water
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Pull Through RV Sites
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Reservations
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Sewer Hookup
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Showers
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Standard Tent Sites
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Water Hookup
Campground, Restrooms
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