The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Parks and Trails Division is creating a new management plan to guide future development and operations at Buffalo River State Park. The management plan will set the direction for the state park for the next 15-20 years and will include recommendations for managing natural and cultural resources and providing recreational and interpretive opportunities to state park visitors.
Public input opportunities
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources will release the draft Buffalo River State Park Management Plan for public review and comment later this fall. The public will have at least 30 days to provide comments. The DNR will also host an open house to collect comments during the public review period. Please check back later this fall to learn more details and find a copy of the draft plan.
Past public input opportunities
An open house was held on December 9, 2024 at the MSUM Regional Science Center to start the planning process. The public was invited to learn about the park and share their initial ideas for the new management plan.
Citizen advisory committee
A citizen advisory committee (CAC) was formed to help identify issues and consider recommendations for the management plan. The CAC met five times throughout the planning process.
The first CAC meeting was held on March 26, 2025. Topics from the first meeting included information on the planning process, an overview of Buffalo River State Park, and natural and cultural resource management. The second meeting on April 16 included discussion on outdoor recreation offerings at the park. The third meeting on May 7 included discussion of interpretive services at the park. The fourth meeting on June 4 was a review of the draft recommendations that the committee had helped developed. At the fifth meeting on August 19, the committee reviewed the full draft plan and provided comments. The agendas and handouts from the meetings are available below.
If you would like to participate in the citizen advisory committee, contact Gratia Joice, listed below.
Planning documents and other materials
- Open house management plan FAQ
- Materials from the first meeting
- Materials from the second meeting
- Materials from the third CAC meeting
- Materials from the fourth CAC meeting
- Materials from the fifth CAC meeting
About Buffalo River State Park
Buffalo River State Park, established in 1937, sits along the winding Buffalo River and is home to one of Minnesota's finest and largest remnant prairies. Many of its buildings and other facilities were built by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in the late 1930s and early 1940s.
The park offers miles of trails for hikers to enjoy the unique landscape of the park. The native and restored prairie within the park, and the adjoining Bluestem Prairie Scientific and Natural Area (SNA), is judged to be one of the largest and best of the state's prairie preserves. The landscape contains more than 250 species of wildflowers and grasses. Visitors can enjoy riverside hiking trails through old-growth forest, with plenty of opportunities for picnicking, fishing, birding and wildlife viewing throughout the park. For overnight visitors, there is a seasonal campground and group camp. The park shares a boundary with Minnesota State University Moorhead Regional Science Center to the east and the Bluestem Prairie SNA to the south.
The park is located 14 miles east of Moorhead, Minnesota, just south of state Highway 10.
More information
If you would like more information or have questions about this project, please contact:
Gratia Joice, Principal Planner
Minnesota DNR, Parks and Trails Division
Telephone: 651-259-5328
Email: [email protected]