Blue Mounds State Park

Pros: Beautiful walking trails (with cacti!), close sightings of buffalo, fun climbing areas for kids and some ranger activities. Also a nice bike path that goes into town (about 6 miles from the campground). Unexpectedly there were some very cute stores in town as well. Cons: It was well advertised before arrival, but the no water situation would make tent camping difficult especially, and not being able to shower at the campground is unfortunate. The bathrooms work and are nice but you can't wash your hands. It didn't sound like the dam is going to be rebuilt so this will probably be a long term issue. This is my primary reason for lowering the rating although the rate is cheaper than other places because of it. Note for people filling up in town: the water is behind the baseball field. At first we didn't go all the way back because we were afraid we wouldn't be able to turn around if we were in the wrong spot. The website said there would be signs but we didn't see any. I don't remember a playground near the campground either, which would have been very appreciated by my kids. They stayed busy climbing rocks and biking though. The other downside is there wasn't a lot of space or privacy between sites, at least compared to other state parks we've visited.
9 years ago (24-09-2017)

The good. The campground was beautiful. The staff was friendly and helpful. The trails were great. The bad. A few years ago, a flood took out the dam, so there is no longer a lake for swimming. The well is contaminated with ecoli, so you need to bring your own drinking water and you cant bathe. The visitors center is beautiful but closed due to the need for structural repairs.
9 years ago (02-08-2017)

Beautiful park! We stopped here on our trip across the country and spent a night. Saw fireflies for the first time in our lives. Clean park and spacious spots. The water is currently contaminated so only the toilets work, but the park staff provide clean bottled water at no extra cost. It certainly didn't deter us from staying here, and we enjoyed a near empty park, making it very quiet!
9 years ago (23-07-2017)

Just a decent but average state park in Minnesota. This would be good park in most other states but just average for MN. The campsites are nice but a little close together.
9 years ago (30-10-2017)

Went camping over Labor Day Weekend. I have lived in Sioux Falls my entire life, and been to Luverne many times. Never made it to Blue Mounds though. Honestly, it was WAY cooler than I would have imagined! It's a truly unique lanscape and is a gem. I can't wait to go back!
9 years ago (16-10-2017)