Leech Lake Recreation Area

After two days we broke camp at Maplewood State Park and headed northeast...  At lunch time we were in Park Rapids, and stopped at the Tourist Information/DNR parking lot for a break.  What did we see but another large icon of Minnesota...a loon, complete with baby on her back.  A photo was definitely in order...

From Park Rapids we drove toward Leech Lake. Located in the Chippewa National Forest, Leech Lake has 316 miles of shoreline.  It is the third largest lake in Minnesota.  Our destination: U.S. Army Corp of Engineers Park at Leech Lake.  We would be camping there the next two nights.

Corp of Engineers manages the dam located on Leech Lake River at the outlet of Leech Lake.  It was originally constructed in 1882 as part of the Headwaters reservoir system...designed to feed water to the Mississippi River and keep river levels high enough for use by logging and milling industries, and for an alternative to traveling by rail. The wooden dam was reinforced with concrete abutments in the early 1900's.   In the 1970's the Corp's mission of regulating river levels switched from logging and river travel to recreation.  The surrounding recreation area offers opportunity for camping and fishing.  Most sites in the campground were occupied by some serious fishermen...

Once we arrived, we drove around the park and picked a site nestled in the hardwoods and pines...