Big Stone Lake

Park photo slide show. This slideshow requires the latest version of
Adobe Flash Player

Big Stone Lake is 26 miles long and is located on the South Dakota-Minnesota border. The lake is the source of the Minnesota River and attracts anglers who catch walleye, northerns and bluegills. The northern section of the park, called the Bonanza Area, provides a picnic area, boat launch and a primitive group camp for guests. The area also includes the Bonanza Education Center which provides a place to discover the past and ways to preserve it. The southern section of the park, called the Meadowbrook Area, contains a campground, swimming beach and hiking trails.

Tell me more about this park's wildlife, history, geology and landscape.

Visitor Alert!

Campsites are open! Reserve your campsite now. A limited number of sites are available without a reservation on a first-come, first-served basis.

Park Notes

Gift Cards:

Purchase a Minnesota State Parks Gift Card this holiday season!

Firewood restrictions information:

Minnesota has enacted legislation that restricts firewood being brought to or used on DNR lands. Complete information and lists of vendors and locations where approved firewood is available are posted on the DNR Web site.
More information
Vendor List

So many reasons to come to Big Stone Lake this summer!

Check out these insider secrets from park manager, Joanne Svendsen.

It's quiet! Fewer visitors mean fewer neighbors in the campground, fewer dogs barking, fewer generators running, and fewer cars driving past your tent. You can hear the birds, the breeze, and the sounds from across the lake.

Great fishing! We're known for walleyes, northern pike, and crappie. The lake is shallow, so shore fishing is as good as boat fishing.

Lakeside campsites! Many sites are right on the lake. You can cast your line and start catching fish right from the campsite.

Fewer mosquitoes! We can't guarantee that every day will be bug-free, but if the wind is coming off the lake it tends to blow the mosquitoes right out of the campground.

Sandy, swimming beach! The beach is the perfect size for a family to take a cool dip on a hot day. Just a short walk from the main campground and a lovely spot to have a picnic.

You have the time and solitude to enjoy these little things in a big way:
- Walking by a lovely trickling stream.
- Picking raspberries, gooseberries, mulberries, and elderberries on a sunny, summer day.
- Hiking along a grassy trail through a field of wildflowers.
- Watching all the birds - on the lakeshore, along the trails, or right from your campsite.
- Looking up at night and seeing hundreds of thousands of stars, undimmed by city lights and filling the sky.