BEST State Parks in the Midwest!?🗺️🌲🐻

three state parks + two other spots to hit on a budget this summer!

It’s that time of year again! Time to start planning your local & budget-friendly adventures because you’re broke and thrifty! Lucky for you, the Midwest is full of unique adventures and some of the best State Parks in the country. Here are five parks to add to your summer list:

Tettegouche State Park, Minnesota

Tettegouche State Park is easily the best state park in Minnesota for hiking, waterfalls, campsites and views. Here, you can hike to the gorgeous High Falls on the Baptism River, explore Lake Superior waterfront cliffs, or tackle sections of the Superior Hiking Trail.

Hiking the nearby Bean and Bear Lakes hike; Hiking High Falls

Tettegouche (pronounced “Tett-a-gooch”) is located about an hour north of Duluth on scenic Highway 61. I used to live in the area and personally I think this is one of THE most underrated state parks I’ve ever visited.

Read: Best Things To Do Tettegouche State Park, Minnesota

Wyalusing State Park, Wisconsin

If you’re looking for a unique adventure spot not too far from the Twin Cities, check out Wyalusing State Park in Wisconsin located on the confluence of the Wisconsin and Mississippi Rivers.

drive-up campsite in Wyalusing State Park; Pictured Rock cave

Wyalusing State Park has several great hiking trails but probably most notable is the drive-up campsites (above, left) over the Wisconsin River in the Wisconsin Ridge campground. You can see pretty easily in the online map when booking which sites have the view, and most of them on the ridge do!

Wyalusing is one park of many in Wisconsin’s Driftless Region, an area not subject to glacial drift (aka not glaciated in the last Ice Age) and there is some really cool geology, geography and hiking in the area.

Read: Best Hiking in Wisconsin’s Driftless Region

Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park, Michigan

Way up in Northern Michigan, Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Parks offers some of the best beginner-friendly backpacking, waterfall hikes, views, and A-list campsites in the Midwest.

left: camping in the porkies. right: lake of the clouds in the fall

Head out on a day hike or overnight to swim in Mirror Lake, camp on the shores of Lake Superior, catch peak fall color (think Mid-October), ford a river, and seek out backcountry waterfalls.

Read: Ultimate Guide to the Porcupine Mountains

Shawnee National Forest, Illinois

Tucked away in southern Illinois the Shawnee National Forest is easily one of my favorite spring destinations in the Midwest. This place truly feels like the land before time and is teeming with wildlife and special little places to discover.

left: sunset at Garden of the Gods (can you spot the hikers!?) right: Deep in the Burden Falls Wilderness

Here, you can’t miss the unique sandstone formations in the Garden of the Gods (above left), the Rim Rock hiking trail, and the many hidden waterfalls in Burden Falls wilderness.

Read: Weekend Guide to the Shawnee National Forest

Red River Gorge, Kentucky

The Red River Gorge, KY has the highest concentration of sandstone arches in the US outside of the American Southwest— I was actually in Arches National Park, Utah last week and gotta say, I think the Red River Gorge is better.

left: copperas falls. right: princess arch

Where Arches National Park is sandstone arches, a desert backdrop, and teeming with tourists, the Red River Gorge is arches tucked into the old and green Kentucky forest or overlooking rocky ledges of the Red River. It’s a popular climbing destination, but really can’t be missed for hiking too.

READ: Best Things to do in the Red River Gorge

other adventure ideas…

• Explore Ely, Minnesota just outside the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness

• Check out the Ultimate Guide to Visiting Isle Royale National Park

• Plan your Northern Wisconsin Waterfall Road Trip

• Head out to Michigan’s Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore for hiking and swimming