National and State Parks - Recreational Areas
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Flandrau State Park
State Park Information
State Park Overview
Nature of the Area
Flandrau is on the eastern edge of the Minnesota River Country region. The Dakota inhabitants thrived in the tallgrass prairie of the area with its interspersed marshes, lakes and streams. Today, extensive farming has replaced the prairie. At Flandrau, visitors may enjoy a diverse landscape that includes heavily wooded riverine areas, segments of oak forest and grassland areas along the bluffs. The main landscape type is floodplain forest. Large cottonwoods and other deciduous trees provide scenic beauty and habitat for both birds and wildlife.
Melturate (from melting glaciers) cut through 150 feet of rock, sand, clayand gravel deposited by glaciers during the Ice Age and formed the valley which is the Big Cottonwood River and Flandrau State Park. Under this glacial material is sandstone which was laid down millions of years ago by the great seas that once covered North America. Fossilized plant material and orange colored iron-oxide bands can be seen in the exposed sandstone - the parks eastern boundary.
White-tailed deer, raccoons and many types of birds common to wooded river bottom areas can be found in at Flandrau State Park.
History of the Area
More Info
Flandrau State Park