Maplewood State Park — Hotel in Fergus Falls

Went to Maplewood for the first time this past weekend -- we stayed in the horse camp for 3 days of riding. It's a gorgeous park -- I can't even imagine how awesome it is to ride there in the fall, with all those maples turning colors!

While we had a great time (in spite of the weather!), there are some things horse people need to consider when camping here:

1. the water is VERY murky/cloudy/silty/orange. While my horse has always been a good drinker wherever we go, he wasn't too keen on this water. It left sludge in the bottom of our buckets! Might want to haul your own water in.

2. There's only 1 water pump in the entire camp -- we ended up having to send someone who had driven a car over to the other side of camp to get water.

3. No campsite in the entire horse camp is set up to hitch more than 2 horses. We had a 3-horse rig and ended up having to rig a high-line from one of the posts to the trees (luckily we had a spot where we could do this) for our 3rd horse.

4. Be sure to bring your own apple-pickers -- the camp provides BIG wheelbarrows and pitch forks for clean-up but the pitch forks are so widely spaced the manure falls right through :)

5. The signs in the outhouses ask that you throw "no trash" into the toilet, but there aren't garbage cans/bags in there. Ladies, I'm sure you know what I'm talking about ;) Bring your own trash bags to supply in the bathrooms!

6. Raccoons are rampant at this park -- so be sure NOT to grain your horses on the high lines. If they drop even a few grains, the raccoons come out of the woodwork and want to eat it up -- MUCH to the chagrin of the horses, who tend to panic a bit when beset upon by wildlife! (When we were there 2 other campsites had rigged temporary fencing and ALL 4 horses got out because something panicked them in the night).

Overall our stay was wonderful; just some things we'll do a bit differently next time we come! We will return -- as I said, it's a...

Recently, I had the pleasure of visiting Maplewood State Park, and I was pleasantly surprised by the lingering beauty of the fall foliage. Although I worried the fall color might have diminished, the vibrant hues of golden and cherry red greeted me even before I reached the park entrance, setting the tone for an enchanting experience.

Upon arrival, the parking area was not crowded, allowing for a peaceful start to my adventure. My first stop was the Hallway Hill overlook, and the trail leading up was adorned with the rich tapestry of autumn leaves. From this vantage point, Lake Lida and the surrounding colorful forest were a captivating sight, painting a vivid picture of nature’s seasonal transition.

However, the true highlight of the trip was the trail leading from the parking lot to Hallway Hill and on to Beaver Lake. The fall colors were at their peak, creating a breathtaking spectacle that made the visit to Maplewood State Park a truly worthwhile experience. The blend of hues and the symphony of nature’s palette made for an unforgettable journey through the park.

Overall, Maplewood State Park in the fall is a must-visit destination for anyone seeking to immerse themselves in the splendor of autumn’s beauty. The vibrant foliage and stunning vistas along the trails left an indelible mark, and I would highly recommend this park for anyone looking to observe nature’s incredible fall...

We really liked this park except that it was a three and a half hour drive from the Minneapolis-St Paul area. I brought my two boys, ages 5 & 7 tent camping and we hiked about 21 KM of paths. They were especially fond of the interpretive path on the way in the had frogs everywhere on the path, it made for a fun diversion.

The sites were very well shaded with good places to put the tent and hiking near by. We stayed at the Knoll Campground in site 57 near the bathrooms. The bathrooms were clean but spartan, no water or showers. I dropped the score on the park because there were a number non-working faucets and water spigot which was more annoying than painful.

We saw lots of wildlife including turtles, deer, frogs, swans, birds, etc. The kids really liked the park, more than some others we've been to and asked to go again. None of the buildings were active while we were there and dry weather helped keep the bugs down. There were a number of good interpretive trails about homestead and maple 🍁 syrup harvesting.

On a positive note, there are a number of breweries in the area and we were able to stop at a couple to pick up to go beer. Overall great but could use some work. On...