Sakatah Lake State Park RV & Campground Guide
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Sakatah Lake is a natural widening of the Cannon River that offers relaxing boating and fishing opportunities. The hills at Sakatah Lake State Park were formed by glacier melts that left behind mineral debris and mounds of rock 14,000 years ago. Upper and Lower Sakatah Lakes were filled with melting blocks of ice that were left behind. In addition to hills and the Sakatah lakes, you'll find wetlands, upland forests and open fields at the park. Sakatah Lake State Park is a transition zone between the Southern Oak Barrens and the Big Woods Landscape Regions.
Spring 26–70 F
Summer 58–81 F
Fall 28–74 F
Winter 9–29 F
RV Resorts & Campsites in Sakatah Lake State Park
RVs up to 55 feet can camp at Sakatah Lake State Park Campground. Fourteen of the campsites have electric hookups. Campers can use the campground's dump station, showers, flush toilets and drinking water. These amenities are available from mid-May to mid-October, weather permitting. The campground also has picnic tables and grills.
What to Do at
Sakatah Lake State Park
Shady picnic areas throughout the park make it an ideal location for a summer picnic. You can buy firewood from the park office to enjoy a campfire during your stay. As one of the top birding destinations in Minnesota, you'll want to try spotting birds at Sakatah Lake State Park. You can borrow a birding kit that comes with binoculars and guidebooks from the park. Kayak, canoe and paddleboard rentals are also available at the park office.
In addition to excellent birding and picnicking opportunities, Sakatah Lake Park offers memorable fishing, boating and hiking adventures.
Fishing
You can target northern pike, largemouth bass, white bass, panfish and walleye at Sakatah Lake. The park has a fishing pier where you can catch one of these species, and you can prepare your fresh catches at the park's fish-cleaning shelter.
Geocaching
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources sometimes creates geocaches where you can collect a reward after finding all of the caches at their state parks. You can borrow a GPS kit from the DNR to search for a cache.
Nature Watching
While you're enjoying lunch at one of the picnic areas, you may hear blue jays, black-capped chickadees and cedar waxwings. There are over 100 species of birds that you have a chance to see at Sakatah Lake State Park. Serious birders can download a bird checklist from the park's website to try spotting all of the species. Common wildlife sightings besides birds at Sakatah Lake State Park include minks, rabbits, deer, squirrels and coyotes.
Flora and Fauna
The forests at Sakatah Lake State Park consist of maple and basswood trees. You'll find other tree species too, including elm, ironwood, butternut, ash and aspen.
Hiking
Big Woods Trail features bright wildflowers in the spring and fall colors in the fall. In the winter, it turns into a winter wonderland for skiing opportunities. Sakatah Singing Hills State Trail is a 39-mile trail that passes through three miles of Sakatah Lake State Park. It was developed on an abandoned railroad grade and travels through the Big Woods and prairie areas. In the winter, you can go snowmobiling and cross-country skiing on the trail. For the best views of Sakatah Lake, hike the Wahpekute Trail. It passes over rolling terrain that overlooks the lake. Hiking Club Trail is another top hiking opportunity at Sakatah Lake State Park. It meanders through old-growth oaks, rolling hills and sections of Hidden Pond, Oak Tree and Sumac trails.
Boating
Take the Cannon River State Water Trail for a beautiful view of the park from the water. You can go kayaking, canoeing and standup paddleboarding on the Upper and Lower Sakata Lakes.
Biking
You can ride your bike along Sakatah Singing Hills State Trail. Bike rentals are available in Waterville, the town where the park is located.
How to Get to
Sakatah Lake State Park
Sakatah Lake State Park is located at 50499 Sakatah Lake State Park Rd, Waterville, MN 56096. From Morristown, Minnesota, travel on MN-60 W for about 4.3 miles, then turn right onto a narrow road that leads to the park. After 0.1 miles, make a left turn to continue on your way to the park where you'll soon come across the campground and park office.
Entering Sakatah Lake State Park
Sakatah Lake State Park is open daily from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. You're allowed to ride a bicycle into the park and camp at the bike-in site. However, no vehicles are allowed in the bike-in site. You need a vehicle permit to enter the park, which you can buy at the entrance kiosk or the park office.
A one-day vehicle permit is $7. For $35, you can choose a year-round Minnesota permit to save money if you plan on visiting parks in the state frequently.
Daily Permit : $7.0
Yearly Permit : $35.0
Frequently Asked Questions About Sakatah Lake State Park
Spring and fall are the best seasons for water activities because mid-summer causes algae growth on the lake that can cause an odor and interfere with boating and fishing. The fish bite the most during spring and fall as well. If you intend to stay at the park's campground, keep in mind that the campground is only open from April to October.
There are over 200 species of birds at Sakatah Lake State Park. Other wildlife in the park include rabbits, mink, deer, squirrels and coyotes.
Sakatah Lake State Park offers over 60 RV camping spots. Although the campground has a max RV length of 55 feet, only some of the sites can accommodate this RV size.
You don't have to reserve a camping spot, but you should if your RV is at the higher end of the max RV length or you need electric hookups. It costs $7 to make a reservation online and $10 over the phone. The average cost of camping at Sakatah Lake State Park is $23 per night.
You can bring a pet to Sakatah Lake State Park as long as you clean up after them and supervise them at all times. Pets aren't allowed in certain areas, however, such as inside of park buildings and on beaches.