New plan will guide state park’s future recreation opportunities, resource management and interpretation
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is seeking public comments on a draft management plan for Buffalo River State Park in Glyndon. The comment period is open through Dec. 17.
The new management plan will set the direction for the state park for the next 15 to 20 years. The plan includes recommendations for managing natural and cultural resources as well as recreational and interpretative opportunities for park visitors.
Recommendations in the draft plan include:
- Continuing efforts to restore and maintain tallgrass prairie within the park
- Replacing a swimming pond, which has not been operational since 2019, with a nature play area
- Improving water access for fishing and boating
- Adding more camping opportunities
- Exploring a possible connection to the Heartland State Trail extension
- Enhancing accessibility of camping and trail facilities
- Adding an outdoor amphitheater to the picnic area
- Protecting rare resources
- Updating the park’s interpretive plan
Public input informed the development of the draft plan in several ways. An open house was held in December 2024 to gather initial input, and a citizen advisory committee met five times in 2025 to identify issues and review proposals for the draft plan. Additional input was gathered using an online survey.
As part of the planning process, the DNR will host an open house on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 6:30-8 p.m., at Minnesota State University Moorhead’s Regional Science Center, 663 164th St. S., Glyndon. In addition to the open house, people can provide comments by:
- Email or phone: [email protected] or 651-259-5328
- Mail: Gratia Joice, Minnesota DNR, Parks and Trails Division, 500 Lafayette Rd., St. Paul, MN, 551155
The draft plan is available for review online. Paper copies are also available at the Buffalo River State Park ranger station and the Minnesota DNR regional headquarters in Bemidji.
About Buffalo River State Park
Buffalo River State Park is located in Glyndon, 14 miles east of Moorhead, just south of state Highway 10. The park was established in 1937 and sits along the winding Buffalo River. It 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 in the late 1930s and early 1940s and are on the National Register of Historic Places. To learn more, visit the DNR website.