Tag Archives: fishing

Lodging, Travel

Wilderness Bay Resort, Park Rapids, MN

Wilderness Bay Resort, 36701 Wilderness Bay Dr, Park Rapids, MN 56470

We were looking for a place close to Itasca State Park to stay and Jon found Wilderness Bay Resort.  It was fairly easy to find.  It consists of family friendly cabins.  Most visitors are return guests.

The owner that was on staff while we were there has a hard time getting around so you need to give her time to get to you.  We checked in and were handed the keys to our cabin.

Bedroom at Wilderness Bay Resort

It doesn’t look like much from the outside, but it was really pretty nice inside.  Ours was a two bedroom (small), with a nice big living room and a convenient kitchen area.  You are expected to clean up after yourself before you leave.  I think I killed over a dozen flies in that place, but they do provide the fly swatter.

Living Room at Wilderness Bay Resort
Kitchen at Wilderness Bay Resort

This resort seems to be about fishing since it is on a lake.  There is a place where you can clean your fish.  They have life jackets and you can rent equipment.  There were some paddle boats available that we almost took for a spin, but then didn’t.

There was enough room between neighbors that we didn’t feel crowded.  it is the type of place my parents would have taken us as kids.

The view from the enclosed porch was nice.  There was a grill and a fire pit available.  The porch even had a table and chairs so you could eat out there if you didn’t want to eat inside.

View of fish house from our porch

It was a very sweet and laid back place to stay.  If you have kids, want to go fishing, or want to stay at a small cabin near Itasca State Park, Wilderness Bay Resort is a good choice.

Lodging, Parks, Sights

Bemidji Lake State Park, Bemidji, MN

Bemidji Lake State Park, Bemidji, MN

We decided to stay a night at a cabin in Bemidji Lake State Park.  As a child my parents would occasionally take the long drive up to Lake Bemidji for our family vacation and the chance to fish.

The park is on the northeast side of the lake.  The WiFi was surprisingly strong in the park.  It is always so hard to find good WiFi inside a park.

Inside of the Bemidji State Park cabin

The cabin was very cute.  It held four beds, a table, and bench seats.  It was warm enough that we didn’t need to use the heater which looks like it was baseboard.  The bunk bed were low enough that we ended up sleeping on the top bunks in order to avoid hitting our heads.

The trail was mere steps from our cabin.  The crown jewel of this particular park is the bog walk.  It is definitely worth checking out all of the plants.  We found a carnivorous plant on our walk.

There are a lot of pretty flowers in this park.  Try to spot all of them.  If you get tired of this park you are just a short drive over to Lake Itasca State Park.  You could even go fishing.  I hear it is kind of fun.

Parks, Sights, Travel

Lake Vermilion State Park, Soudan, MN

Lake Vermilion State Park

We sneaked onto Lake Vermilion State Park while it was still under construction.  We were greeted by the most interesting turtle, not cute, but interesting.  I tried to get a selfie with it and then we moved it off the road so that no one would hit it.

I have to say that the lake itself is beautiful.  There are a few docks and you can fish from them.  We stayed at the Vermilion Park Inn and one of the other temporary residents said that he caught a fish there.

View from on of the many docks on Lake Vermilion State Park

Like I said, the park wasn’t open when we started walking the trails.  The unfinished trail was still fairly nice.  We walked until we reached a point that we clearly couldn’t pass, or shouldn’t pass.

I think this park could be pretty much whatever you want it to be.  It is just a really pretty place to visit.

If you plan on visiting this park than you also need to make sure you stop in and see the Soudan Mine.  It really is a must see.

Parks, Sights, Travel

Forestville Mystery Cave State Park, Preston, MN

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Forestville Mystery Cave State Park, 21071 Co Hwy 118, Preston, MN 55965

Forestville has it all camping, hiking, horseback riding (bring your own, I think), and even a cave.

The park is in two sections.  One section has the main part of the park where you will find the majority of the trails, the fishing area, the old Meighen Store, and fishing.  This is a great place to catch a trout apparently.

Forestville State Park 40

The Meighen store is across the bridge that is out, pedestrians only these days.  Plenty of people try their had at fishing along the stream that runs under that bridge.  Take a look around.

Forestville State Park 51

There is a pretty good trail just across the bridge.  It will get your heart racing if you take it very far, but the view from the lookout is nice.  Most of the trails seem to be both hiking and horses so watch your step.

Forestville State Park 16

You can rent a cabin and stay in the park.  Take a few days and enjoy as much of the park as you can.  It is a rather large park.  We explored a good portion of two days.

Forestville State Park 64

When you have your fill of the main area of the park you can head over to the gem of the park Mystery Cave.  Yes, the cave has bats, but they are cute little bats that eat the mosquitoes in the area which is great.

Mystery Cave 7

I highly suggest checking out Mystery Cave.  Take a tour.  Reserve your spot.  Enjoy the dark and most importantly the trip through time.

Parks, Sights, Travel

Buffalo Bill Dam and Reservoir

Buffalo Bill Dam and Reservoir – Cody, WY

Wow, this thing is huge.  Not the dam as much as the reservoir.  Keep in mind you are in a desert.

You drive by this on your way from Cody to Yellowstone and never really think much about it, but find someone to take you our on it and you will see just how big it is.

We went fishing on this reservoir a few years ago.  The came close to the dam so we could see it, but getting too close is really dangerous.  Take a look from a distance.

2007 resevoir outside of Cody 4

The fishing is good.  Someone introduced an unwanted fish some years ago.  Please people:  introducing two fish or one pregnant fish not from the area can destroy an entire ecosystem.  Make sure your boat is clean and do not bring fish from other areas and dump them into the reservoir.

The fishes we caught were really big.  I think they were rainbow trout.  They were really pretty.   There are several different types of trout in this reservoir.  Get yourself a fishing license and have fun.

2007 resevoir outside of Cody 1

Just boating around the reservoir is a good time as well.  It is really big and they let me control the boat for a while.  The boat we were on had an underwater view and my job was to keep us the same distance from the line at all times.

If you are a boater or like to fish this is a great place to go.

Here is another website with additional information – Buffalo Bill Reservoir.