Meet a Friend

Minnesota’s parks and trails provide countless opportunities for recreating and exploring. The Minnesota Orienteering Club has combined the two activities in ways that makes the outdoors fun for people of all backgrounds and skill levels. We recently asked Verónica Jaralambides to tell us more about her club and orienteering.

As Minnesota's world-class system of trails continues to grow, more and more communities are being connected to each other and to our state park system. In southern Minnesota, a spectacular new loop trail is rapidly becoming a reality. We recently asked one of the trail's leading advocates, Jeff St. Mane, to give us a quick update on the trail.

More than 400,000 people visit Fort Snelling State Park every year. For residents of the Twin Cities metropolitan area, it’s a quick trip to nearly 3,000 acres with an abundance of natural areas and wildlife ranging from deer to eagles. The visitor center, opened in 1997, has year-round naturalist programs.

Lake Maria State Park northwest of Monticello is not one of the largest parks in the state’s system by any stretch of the imagination, but the volunteer group that supports it may be one of the most dedicated. Friends of Lake Maria State Park president Nancy Dart gives us the lowdown on her group and the work it does.