Yes, Minnesota Does Now Have a Yellowstone Park

While Minnesota isn't home to *the* Yellowstone National Park, there is a park here in our fair state that's being compared to that famous park.

Thanks to the TV series with Kevin Costner, it seems like anything with the name 'Yellowstone' in it is popular these days. That's not the reason my wife and I took a trip to the real Yellowstone National Park (the one in Wyoming and Montana) a few years ago, but, much like the scenery in that series, we were stunned by the scenic beauty and unique natural features of America's very first national park.

You've likely heard of that Yellowstone Park, right? But have you ever heard of the 'Little Yellowstone of Minnesota?' It's a park that is often called by that name, and it's right here in our neck of the woods.

ALSO INTERESTING: This Is The Creepiest Place in Minnesota

Seeing as Minnesota is home to 64 different state parks, there are a lot of parks I haven't been to yet. But I was a little surprised when I stumbled on this story about a park called 'Little Yellowstone' park which is right here in the Land of 10,000 Lakes. I'd never heard of it before. Of course, its real name isn't 'Yellowstone,' though.

The park Only In Your State refers to as the 'Little Yellowstone of Minnesota' is actually Alexander Ramsey Park (or, more accurately, Ramsey Park) and it's located in the city of Redwood Falls, in central Minnesota. (Google Maps says it's a little northwest of Mankato, about two hours southwest of the Twin Cities, and about 2-and-a-half hours away from Rochester.)

Get our free mobile app

According to the city of Redwood Falls website, Ramsey Park is the largest municipal park in the state of Minnesota, at a whopping 256 acres in size. (That's pretty big, but it still pales in comparison to the size of Yellowstone National Park, which is nearly 2.2 MILLION acres!)

 Termed as the “Little Yellowstone of Minnesota”, the park is enhanced by 1930′s Civilian Conservation Corps shelters and bridges and picturesque Ramsey Falls. The park serves as a focal point for community events, festivals and summer activities and features campground facilities, shelter houses, four miles of paved hiking trails, a DNR trout stream, scenic overlooks, and a zoo.

The biggest feature of the 'Little Yellowstone of Minnesota,' however, is likely Ramsey Falls. According to Only In Your State, "Ramsey Falls is not as large as the waterfall at Yellowstone, but it is certainly beautiful nonetheless. It drops over 30 feet into a wide, rocky gorge."

READ MORE: Kwik Trip Opening 2 New Stores in Minnesota

Just for comparison, here's a picture of Gibbon Falls at Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming:

And, from the Ramsey Park Facebook page, here's a picture of Ramsey Falls...

Get our free mobile app

They both look incredibly scenic, don't they? It appears that camping and shelter reservations at Ramsey Park are now closed for the season but will reopen again next spring. I'm going to have to check it out.

And if you're interested in Yellowstone or any other national parks, keep scrolling to see some amazing pictures of the most popular national parks here in the U.S.

Listen to Curt St. John and Samm Adams in the Morning
weekdays from 6 to 10 a.m. on Quick Country 96.5