Glendalough State Park

Introduction of Glendalough State Park

Glendalough State Park, located near Battle Lake in Otter Tail County, Minnesota, is a 2,761-acre public recreation area known for its spectacular natural features and historically significant sites. Glendalough is an Irish word that means “Valley of Two Lakes.” The park is named after an Irish glacial valley. True to its name, the park began as a merger of two lakes, Annie Battle and Blanche Lake, totaling 30 acres of breathtaking lake views. The park now has even more lakeside beauty.

The park’s scenic beauty is due to five lakes. Annie Battle Lake, the park’s highlight; Sunset Lake, the land of captivating sunsets and abundant waterfowls; Lake Emma, renowned for wildlife sightings; and Molly Stark Lake, the park’s picnic spot The majority of the lakeshores have been left untouched, preserving their old-world charm for visitors. In addition to its undeveloped lakes, the park has a beautiful prairie landscape, marshy wetlands, high uplands, dense hardwood forests, a variety of birds, and an abundance of wildlife.

Glendalough was designated a Minnesota state park on Earth Day in 1992. The land was previously used as a resort and game farm before becoming a state park. History buffs will enjoy exploring the park’s rich historical heritage. Glendalough Lodge, which was built in 1905, now serves as an interpretive center, providing information about the park’s history as a hunting camp, resort, and game farm. The lodge is also available for day use by visitors and campers during the peak seasons at the park, which are summer, spring, and fall.

For cart-in and canoe-in camping in Battle Lake, Minnesota, the park provides two primitive camping sites for a unique and peaceful camping experience free of any vehicular disturbance. Cabins and yurts are also available for overnight accommodation. Fishing, boating, swimming, geocaching, and other activities are available in the park.

Glendalough State Park Camping

Because of the lack of vehicle traffic, the camping at Glendalough State Park is exceptionally pristine and untouched. The park provides a tranquil, peaceful cart-in campground free of vehicular noise. The campground has 22 cart-in tent campsites in a quiet wooded area. Free wheeled carts are available to assist you in transporting your belongings to the campground. There is one electric RV site available, but visitors may only use it during the winter season. In the summer, RV parking is completely unavailable, making for a primitive camping experience.

A campsite can only accommodate two tents. The campground only has water during the peak season, which begins in May. The trail centre at Annie Battle Lake, on the other hand, is open all year. The campground’s restrooms have hot showers that are only available during peak season. Both the campground and the trail centre have modern flush toilets and vault toilets. Pets are welcome as long as they are kept on a leash at all times.

Try the canoe-in campground if you want even more rustic camping with even more privacy. It has three campsites that are accessible by canoe, which the park provides. Hiking and biking are also options, but canoeing is far more convenient. The canoe-in campground also has two yurts available year-round. During the winter, however, these yurts are only available from Thursday to Sunday.If you visit during the off-season, you will need to find alternative ways to stay warm because the Osprey and Eagle yurts do not have electricity or other hookups. The park does provide free wood for use in the woodstoves. The canoe-in sites are all on Annie Battle Lake’s southeastern shore. Reservations can be made up to a year in advance by contacting the park. Pets are not permitted in the yurts.

Between Molly Stark and Annie Battle Lakes is the group campground. The group campsite is only for tents. The campsite has four picnic tables, four fire rings, a hand water pump, and vault toilets. The group site can accommodate groups of up to 40 people. Reservations can be made up to a year in advance. Generators are not permitted, and there is no Wi-Fi.There are no dump stations in the campground or throughout the park. Battle Lake, about three miles away, has the nearest dump station. The swimming area, ADA accessible fishing pier, picnic area, and boat ramp are all located near the group campground on Molly Stark Lake. You’ll also have access to the 0.6-mile Prairie Hill Interpretive Trail, which features two spectacular overlooks.

Four year-round cabins are available in the park’s cart-in campground. Four camping cabins are located in the woods on the west side of Annie Battle Lake, 200 to 1,200 feet from the parking lot. Each of these cabins has a propane fireplace, three sleep six people, and the other sleeps five people but is ADA accessible. They all have heat and electricity, a screened-in porch, and a wheeled cart to transport your belongings from the parking lot to the cabin. To the north of the campground, near the parking lot, there is a shower house with hot water and modern restrooms with flush toilets and running water. Reservations are accepted up to 12 months in advance.

Other campgrounds in the area can accommodate RVs up to 100 feet long and offer amenities ranging from primitive and rustic to practically glamping with full hookups, hot showers, and RV dump sites. There’s even one with a swimming pool, as well as several with playgrounds, fishing, and boating. All of these options are suitable for pets. Every campsite has a picnic table and a campfire ring with a grill for cooking, and some even have full BBQ grills, lantern hangers, and bearproof food boxes. Try Maplewood State Park or Lake Carlos State Park if you want to RV camp in a Minnesota State Park.

Glendalough State Park Activities

Hiking

Glendalough State Park’s hiking trails, which wind through its pristine lakes and prairie landscape, are a welcome respite for campers. Over 13 miles of hiking trails begin at Annie Battle Lake Trail and wind their way through the park’s wetlands, prairie lands, and sandy beaches. The Annie Battle Lake Trail is a nine-mile hiking trail that provides beautiful views of the park’s scenery. There are also two self-guided trails. The 1.5-mile Beaver Pond Trail and the 0.5-mile Prairie Hill Trail both offer breathtaking views of the lakes and prairie.

Picnicking

A few tables have been set up near Molly Stark Lake for the park’s RV and tent campers to enjoy a fancy picnic party. In addition, if you have a large group of friends or family, the picnic shelter built at Molly Stark Lake can accommodate up to 100 people. Reservations are also accepted for the wheelchair-accessible shelter. The shelter has excellent amenities such as electricity, pedestal grills, drinking water within a few steps, and fire rings. There are also a few picnic tables and benches near the Annie Battle Lake Hiking Trail.

Fishing

Annie Battle Lake, the park’s most spectacular tourist destination, offers fantastic fishing opportunities. If you’re a serious angler who plans to bring your RV or pitch a tent in the park’s campgrounds, don’t leave without checking out the fishing at Annie Battle Lake. The 335-acre lake is a Heritage Fishery with sunfish, crappie, walleye, and bass. Electronic fishing equipment is not permitted. Anglers are also limited to catching no more than five sunfish and five crappies per day in order to keep the lake’s fish supply in check. Molly Stark Lake’s waters also contain species such as sunfish and bass. There is also an ADA-accessible fishing pier.

Mountain Biking

Bring your bike to Glendalough State Park because there are plenty of opportunities to ride it. The park has an 11.8-mile finely paved biking loop where you can enjoy mountain biking while also exploring the park’s natural features and wildlife. The Glendalough Trail begins in Battle Lake and winds through the park, providing a scenic view of the lakes, which include West Battle, Annie Battle, Molly Stark, and Sunset Lakes. You’ll also pass through Halverson Park, which is home to the Chief Wenonga statue.

Glendalough State Park Location

Glendalough State Park in Otter Tail County, Minnesota, is just three miles from the town of Battle Lake. You’ll be only about two hours from St. Cloud and three hours from Minneapolis if you want to visit one of these large cities while you’re in the area. The roads around the park are usually wide and easy to navigate, but be cautious when towing a trailer or driving an RV.

The park can be reached in minutes by driving north or west on MN-78 or south or west on I-94, or by taking County Road 16, which turns into Whitetail Lane. When you enter the park, there is a parking lot at the entrance, and the park office is one mile to the left. Park permits and other necessities can be purchased at the office, which also houses a gift shop.

Annie Battle Lake has a day-use trailhead as well as a modern restroom building. All of the park’s hiking and biking trails begin here. The majority of the roads in the park and campground are RV-accessible, but none of the campgrounds have RV camping, so you’ll have to park your rig in one of the parking lots and hike or canoe into the campsites. You can also choose to stay at one of the many RV-friendly campgrounds in the area.

Parking

Parking is available

Public Transport

Public transport is not available