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Fort Ridgely State Park is located along Minnesota State Highway 4, six miles south of Fairfax in Nicollet and Renville Counties. The entrance to the park is off Nicollet County Highway 29. The drive to this park is beautiful! Winding through bluffs with the occasional river sighting. If you're traveling from the east be sure to stop at the Harkin Store out of New Ulm! (Scroll down to map your trip!)
Visitor Alert!
New lodging facility available - Rustic Farmhouse: An old farmhouse that sat empty for a number of years has been renovated and given new life as a rental lodging unit at Fort Ridgely State Park.
The handicapped-accessible farmhouse accommodates six people. The sleeping room includes a double bed and a double over double bunk bed. A day room and dining/kitchen area includes a table and benches, microwave and small, dorm-style refrigerator. The microwave allows guests to heat food and beverages but there is no hot plate for cooking food and cooking is not allowed in the building. A grill and picnic table are provided outside, next to the farmhouse. Although there is no indoor plumbing, a vault toilet is located nearby and a shower building is available for use in the equestrian campground. Horse Stalls are available.
The farmhouse rents for $50 per night, plus tax and is available from April 1 through November 1. Reservations can be made up to a year in advance of the date of your arrival by contacting the state park reservation system.
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| Many thanks to Tammy Enz for supplying the pictures of Fort Ridgely (because I forgot my camera at home) and to Molly Harvey for scheduling our outing! Wide meandering paths through prairie grasslands and wooded bluffs with an occasional stream crossing made our relaxing horseback riding day-trip through this park on a crisp fall day ideal! Our weekday tryst with nature took approximately three hours with a break for lunch, and we had the park to ourselves for most of the day. Although we did not cover all of the park’s horse trails, we did make it to the empty horse camp which was bordered by a creek and boasted hot showers and electrical hook ups. According to Molly, the farm house rental was a great experience (with the exception of the Asian beetles). NOTE: Water and bridge crossings may present challenges to horses not familiar with these types of activities.
Overall, I am excited to visit this park again to ride all of the trails and try out their camping facilities with friends in tow!
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