Lake Vermilion-Soudan Mine State Park
LAKE VERMILION-SOUDAN UNDERGROUND MINE STATE PARK
A field of wildflowers in the old stockpile area beneath the trestle at the Soudan Underground Mine. By Larissa Harris
View of island acquired for Lake Vermilion State Park
Shelter in the group site
About the park
In 2010 Lake Vermilion State Park was established with five miles of shoreline along the scenic Lake Vermilion in northeastern Minnesota. In 2014 the park was officially joined with Soudan Underground Mine State Park, which lies directly adjacent. This part of the park offers tours of the formerly operational underground mine. The tour involves riding a small elevator/crate half a mile below the surface to the old mines where you then hop into an old mining railcar and travel three-quarters a mile through the tunnels and learn what life was like for the miners.
Lake Vermilion is being designed as a “next generation” park with new technology focusing on energy-efficiency and accessibility. It also has a new kind of wayfinding signage, electronic pay stations and improved wi-fi coverage.
Our Work by the Numbers
1
LAND PROJECTS
completed or
in progress here
2.9
ACRES
of invaluable
land saved
>1
PERCENT
of the parks' total
acreage saved by us
$275,000
DOLLAR VALUE
of land at time
of acquisition
Park Map Showing Project Sites
Our Project Stories
Saving a key island for the park
Project Year: 2014
Project Acres: 2.9
In January 2014, Parks & Trails Council saved a critical 2.9-acre island in Lake Vermilion for the state park. This forested island is on the edge of Cable Bay where it is visible from 60 percent of the park shoreland, playing a starring role in the ruggedly majestic viewshed of the park. The urgency to acquire this land stemmed from the transformation underway in Lake Vermilion where nearby islands are quickly being developed with housing. Working with the DNR, we were able to expedite this project so it was incorporated into the State Park the same year we acquired it.
