Minneopa State Park in Mankato is probably best known for its waterfalls, including the tallest in southern Minnesota. But did you know that it’s also one of two Minnesota state parks where bison roam? It’s one of the aspects of this sometimes-overlooked park that makes it so unique.

Minneopa State Park is located along the creek of the same name where it tumbles down toward its confluence with the Minnesota River.
jpellgen/Flickr
This, of course, led to the creation of the park's best known attraction: its waterfalls, including the tallest in southern Minnesota.
Trent Jonas/OnlyInYourState
You'll also find several historic structures in the park.
The abandoned Seppmann Mill in Minneopa State Park was an old flour gristmill
Melissa Kopka/Getty Images
These include Seppman Mill and the historic bridge over Minneopa Falls.
What sets Minneopa State Park apart from most other units in the system, though, is that it's home to a portion of the Minnesota Bison Conservation Herd.
Iain Campbell/Flickr

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At any given time, 30 to 40 bison are roaming the park's 325-acre range.
jpellgen/Flickr
Visitors can drive through the range and use their vehicle's radio to listen to an interpretive program on the history of the relationship between bison and humans.
And, on the range, the bison are truly roaming free.
Lorie Shaull/Flickr
This is why visitors are told not to leave their vehicles while driving through.
Instead, you should drive slowly, pulling over when necessary, and enjoy watching bison roam the same habitat that they called home in the 19th century.
Lorie Shaull/Flickr
I think spring is a particularly wonderful time to visit, because you get to see the newborn calves.
Christa R/Flickr
But winter is also a great time, because, with less vegetation on the range, you can see the bison more clearly.
Dale Bohlke/Flickr

Other facilities where you can find portions of the Minnesota Bison Conservation Herd include Blue Mounds State Park, near Luverne, where the largest portion of herd in the state roams across 530 acres, and the Minnesota Zoo in Apple Valley. Oxbow Park and Zollman Zoo in Olmsted County and Dakota County’s Spring Lake Park Reserve are each home to a handful of bison from the state herd. With the right planning, you could pack up the car for a road trip and visit the entire bison conservation herd, visiting each of the parks in one single weekend!

Have you visited Minneopa State Park and driven through the bison range? Have you visited any other local or Minnesota state parks where bison roam? Tell us all about it in the comments!

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Featured Addresses
Minneopa State Park, 54497 Gadwall Rd, Mankato, MN 56001, USA