Reviews

Vic Haukaas

Mille Lacs Kathio was a very pleasant and quiet retreat. My partner and I stayed at the backpacking site for Glacier Ridge. It was very pretty! Others have mentioned, the path is overgrown so definitely get your tick spray out and wear long, light clothing. The hike is very easy though. Relatively level, simple, really no chance to get lost haha. Watch your feet though, there are lots of tree roots on the path. They provide a food locker, always appreciated. There is a wall-less toilet off site, it's dark green and a little hard to spot but its there! In the fire ring there is no way to move the grill while its hot. Tent pad is usually a little small for the tube type tents we use. But goodness is the site pretty. I'd stay here over and over again. Probably exclusively as early in season as possible, and as late as possible. Until again, Mille Lacs Kathio!

Rachel Pietruszewski (TheRachelPie)

Loved this state park, always enjoy renting a kayak/canoe for a little while *4 hours, on a gentle river, went up the river to the old dam and floated all the way back. Saw a lot of different birds migrating and a whole lot of Swans. Lots of fish jumping on the river. I also climbed the fire watchtower which was thrilling and would 100% do again when the fall colors are at peak!

Will B

Lovely park, great hiking trails and the unique draw is the observation tower. Its a bit scary and obviously high up, but very cool! There is a modest visitor center with helpful staff! Thanks to all the park service folks for what they do!

Carrie Wilmot

Lots of different areas to explore. We did the glacial ridge trail which was pretty overgrown and we ended up with many ticks on us. The walk along the rum River is fantastic and the boat launch area is beautiful. Wish I could have rented a canoe or kayak. The hiking club trail was nice along the lake but became a hot, wooded, buggy, and hilly slog towards the end.

K HP

This is a large, scenic park where you can rent canoes and kayaks, paddle the Rum River, fish, swim, hike, picnic, bird watch, camp, and bike. There are two campgrounds: the Ogechie Primitive Campground, which is very quiet, and the Petaga Campground, which has access to flush toilets and showers. Additionally, there is a group campground by the river, and some campsites are hike-in. We started our visit by hiking the Glacial Lakes Trail. While the trail was overgrown and there were plenty of ticks, we enjoyed the beautiful views and wildflowers. The Touch the Earth Trail was fantastic, featuring interpretive spots where we could stop and learn. This trail is great for anyone, as it offers an easy, wide walking path. The highlight of our trip was climbing the fire tower, where we had an amazing view of the tree canopy and Mille Lacs Lake.

Virginia Eckert

EXTREME TICK ACTIVITY! For anyone planning on doing the hiking club trail with your dog anytime soon, I highly advise against it!!!! Tick activity is honestly at dangerous levels for dogs; despite being on a tick preventative, I pulled at least 80 ticks off my dog after completing the hiking club trail. It wasn't until midway through the loop that I discovered that my dog was getting eaten alive and we had no choice but to keep going although I felt awful every second. The one star review isn't for the park itself, as I'm sure it's very magical when your dog isn't getting attacked by ticks, but I unfortunately had such high anxiety that I couldn't enjoy the nature and this review is a warning for those like me who enjoy hiking with our dogs. I regret taking my dog on this trail.

James P

Wonderful park, great camping sites, and trails. There is no highway noise at the walk-in sites. The Rum River is a little low this year but was fun to canoe up a bit.

Abelardo Surigao III

Mille Lacs Kathio State Park is worth it. A standard 25 mph speed limit across forces ya to look around and appreciate the quiet. Beware no signal when entering as per usual. Bring a camera, binoculars, a chair, water, food. Check out the tower, the dam, and the interpretive center.

Maggie N

Beautiful!! We went in the fall so there weren’t mosquitoes. Learning more about the native Americans was very interesting.

andy gray

I love this state park. Great hiking trails offering some fantastic views if you're willing to look for them. This is hands down one of my top 5 pictures I have ever taken while hiking. Park staff was super friendly and pointed me towards this grive but not telling me where exactly it was. Loved that.

Jeff Andrea

The candlelight luminary walk/ snowshoe event was great. It was neat to see the winding trail all lit up! There was a campfire to warm up by, and the interpretive center was a treat also. Thanks to the staff for their hard work setting this up!

Lisa Baysinger

I love mille lacs. My favorite lake in the land of 10,000

Jeremiah Larson

Awsome trails. Nice and close to the twin cities.

Curtis Hehir

Went ice fishing through Randy's rental, was an awsome experience. Thxs Randy.

Vipasha Verma

Very green state park with such tall trees that you wouldn’t feel the heat while hiking around even in the peak summer sun. It has many short hiking trails around which can be considered super easy so a good place for first time or novice hikers. I think the attraction here is the 100 feet tall tower which provides the birds eye view of the entire park. You’re literally above the trees, and it’s mesmerizing when the cool breeze touches your face and the wind is in your hair…. It’s just blissful!!