National and State Parks - Recreational Areas
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Fort Snelling State Park
State Park Information
State Park Overview
Nature of the Area
The park is located in the Mississippi River Sandplains Landscape Region at the confluence of two great rivers, the Minnesota and the Mississippi. Most of the park is on the Minnesota River floodplain. The riverine environment hosts large cottonwood, silver maple -sh and
willow trees along the braided channels of the Minnesota River. Numerous picnic sites - beach and
river and lake fishing invite visitors to enjoy the recreational opportunities offered by this historic and beautiful park nestled in the shadow of city freeways and airport flyways.
During the last Ice Age, retreating glaciers left thick moraine deposits over the bedrock in the area. As the glaciers melted, torrential meltwaters carved through the deposits to form the valleys of what are now the Minnesota, Mississippi and St. Croix rivers.
The forest bottoms and marshes have an abundance of wild life consisting of white-tailed deer, fox, woodchucks, badgers and
skunks. Visitors might also come across a fox snake which is almost identical in appearance to a rattle snake, but is not poisonous. Snapping, soft-shelled and painted turtles can be seen basking in the sun along the river or in one of the lakes.
History of the Area
More Info
Fort Snelling State Park