Welcome back, friends! Today we’re visiting a place that has been called Minnesota’s last true wilderness and has a 500 square mile peat bog. I’ll share why that’s exciting later. So here we go…Big Bog State Recreation Area!
Big Bog State Recreation Area Information
Big Bog State Recreation Area (SRA) is located in Waskish, MN, in Northern Minnesota. According to the MN DNR, this SRA was established in 2000 and has two parts–northern and southern units.
Curious about that peat bog from earlier? It’s 500 square miles (the largest in the lower 48) and is in the northern unit. It’s home to medicinal plants for the Ojibwe, many of the native endangered or threatened species, and rare birds. There’s also a boardwalk that was finished in 2005 that allows visitors to get a closer look at all of this. We know I love me a good boardwalk, so this was a huge draw for me.
Activities
If you’re looking to hike, there’s 4.5 miles to explore. One of them being the accessible boardwalk. During the winter months, there are 10 miles of the state grant-in-aid trail system to snowmobile on. You can also snowshoe throughout the park. There’s a warming house available, so feel free to explore!
Want to spend time on the water? There’s a lake and river to spend time on. You can fish, swim, and/or paddle. There’s boat access, canoe access, several docks, and a fish cleaning house.
If you’re looking for wildlife, you’ll have the chance to see moose, white-tail deer, black bear, gray wolves, fox, bobcats, and other native mammals. Need to check some birds off your birdwatching list? There’s over 300 species that live here, including the great gray owl and Connecticut warbler. You can also see several different species of reptiles and amphibians.
Camping here? There’s 31 drive in sites, 1 pull-through site, 26 electric sites–two of which are accessible, and 6 camper cabins.
Other offerings
The park also offers a ranger station, visitor center, interpretive exhibit, historic site, equipment rentals, EV charging station, fire tower, picnic area, picnic shelter, playground, horseshoes, gift shop and firewood sales. They even have the All-Terrain Track Chairs and color vision glasses available!
All of this info came from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources website, so credit where credit is due. Click here to view the original source.
Accessibility of Big Bog State Recreation Area
Parking
There was a gravel lot with one accessible van spot.
Bathrooms
Vault toilets are available throughout the park. Flush toilets are located in the campground and visitor center.
Getting to the trail
The trail starts right off the parking lot. Just follow the gravel and it’ll lead you right there. There’s also vault toilets and a pavilion here.
Big Bog State Recreation Area Trail Information
Ludlow Pond Trail and Big Bog Boardwalk is an out and back trail that is 2.3 miles in length and has 6 feet of elevation. They say it takes less than an hour, but it took me longer, since I was slow moving with back/pelvis issues. I don’t have my stats because my phone died, but I feel the distance and elevation lined up.
Since this place is known for a variety of plants, I aimed to orchid hunt, but it was too late in the season. Instead, I looked for carnivorous plants and found a few. I was also hoping to see a moose, but that didn’t happen either. The greenery was beautiful and there’s an outlook point at the end. If you don’t know much about native plants and animals, there’s so many informational signs. They’re well kept and have both text and pictures, so you can learn new stuff. I definitely did.
The gravel path leading to the boardwalk is flat, even, and wide making it accessible to a wide variety of abilities. The boardwalk itself is made up of metal and slotted plastic, which is cool. It isn’t what I expected, as I thought it was going to be made out of boards, but it’s easier to navigate and better for the bog. It lets the light in, so the plants don’t drown and have more resources. Like I said, cool. The boardwalk is even, flat, and wide as well, making it accessible. There are some slight corners, but they should be navigable. Several benches are available throughout the entire trail. I definitely utilized a few of them.
Now, I went fairly early in the morning, so the morning dew hadn’t burned off yet. That made it a little slick. I didn’t slip or fall though, so that’s good. Just something to keep in mind.
My rating
This trail would fall into the easy category of my rating scale. Getting to the trail was easy and accessible. Since the boardwalk isn’t a traditionally built one with actual boards, I’d consider it more accessible. It’s wide, even, and flat, which makes is easier to navigate for those with wheels or other mobility devices. People like me too where inclines take us out. It is over two miles long, so keep that in mind when planning. That was a little much for me, but I had other problems this day. The number of benches to sit on is awesome.
My Camping Experience at Big Bog State Recreation Area
Site 5E
This site (and all of the ones near me) is small with few trees, so there isn’t privacy. That being said, it’s on the river and there’s a dock right there. Also, it’s right next to the drinking water and bathroom/showers.
Aside from that, it’s a pretty typical site with gravel pad, fire pit, and picnic table. Something to note though, the electrical box is fairly far away from the pad, so bring a long cord. I purchased a 25 foot one plus my regular two (6 feet each). I could have passed with one of the 6 foot ones, but I liked the extra length inside the tent.
Facilities at the Campground
I know I’ve been posting pictures of the facilities lately, but didn’t get to take them due to the issues I had after setting up and then I forgot. However, there are accessible bathrooms with grab bars and room for navigating with mobility devices. I do have to say the one that seemed to be the most accessible had a weird sink situation. It was far back on the counter, which makes it difficult to reach. The shower in this bathroom had grab bars and a seat, but the showerhead was mounted to the wall with no handheld option. The rest of the shower rooms were pretty small and were for standing showers.
Have you been to Big Bog State Recreation Area? Want to go? Comment below. I’d love to hear from you.
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Be safe out there! REMEMBER YOUR MAPS AND PASSPORT STAMPS!! Seeyalaterbye <3
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