Forests & Wildlife
Step outside the city and reconnect with your wild side in Detroit Lakes. We have three state forests, three state parks, two national wildlife refuges and more than 70,000 acres of wilderness in our backyard ready to explore.
- Maplewood State Park
- Buffalo River State Park
- Itasca State Park
- Tamarac and Hamden Slough National Wildlife Refuges
Trails & Parks
Stay inside city limits and stroll through our city parks. Bring your pooch to our city dog park. Explore 117 acres of swamp, trout stream, marsh walk, shelter, woods and prairie at Sucker Creek Preserve. Or venture outside the city to our county park and beyond. Explore several trails that Detroit Lakes is part of:
- Pine to Prairie International Birding Trail
- Lake Country Scenic Byway, map and attractions
- North Country National Scenic Trail: America’s longest hiking trail, which stretches for over 4,600 miles!
Birding
Bring your binoculars so you can spot basically every bird in Minnesota. Detroit Lakes is nestled in the heart of a transition zone between tall grass prairie, northern hardwood and conifer forest ecosystems. This diversity of habitat is home to more than a whopping 275 species of birds! Mid-May birding is spectacular, so plan your birding trip to the annual Festival of Birds. Continue your birding adventures along the Pine to Prairie International Birding Trail, with multiple sites in the Detroit Lakes area.
Winter Wonderland Snowmobile Trails
Or venture beyond Detroit Lakes along 250 miles of snowmobile trails in Becker County. With the 2024-2025 City Snowmobile Map and 2024-2025 Becker County Snowmobile Map, and the latest winter trails report, you’re ready to go in the great outdoors!
