Lac Qui Parle Lake is a ten-mile-long reservoir which stretches between the towns of Appleton and Watson in the state of Minnesota. The lake was created after the Works Progress Administration dammed the Minnesota River to improve flood prevention in the surrounding areas in the 1930s. If you're planning on going to Lac Qui Parle Lake in your rig for a few days, you'll find the closest Corps campgrounds are in the Lac Qui Parle State Park which borders the lake's south-eastern shore.
Lac Qui Parle Lake is just one of a chain of reservoirs that the Minnesota River flows through as it meanders through the state. Lac Qui Parle Lake's neighboring reservoir is Marsh Lake, and to the north-west of the Marsh Lake, alongside the river, there's a thirty-four thousand acre wildlife management area which attracts hundreds of thousands of migratory birds every year. While hunting isn't permitted in the state park, controlled hunting is allowed at the Lac Qui Parle State Management Wildlife Area, with geese and waterfowl being the most popular quarry.
The lake is an excellent spot for walleye fishing too. For anyone who likes walking and wildlife spotting, there are several easy trails winding around the lake and through parts of the State Park with waterside observation points. For history fanatics, the nearby Lac Qui Parle Mission makes for a fascinating visit. Inside the wooden chapel are various artifacts relating to the Dakota and the Frenchman who helped develop the Dakota alphabet.
If you're motoring to Lac Qui Parle Lake from either the north or south of Minnesota, you'll have a pretty straight run once you're on the MN59. You'll be on the right track for getting to either of the Corps campgrounds in Lac Qui Parle State Park too. To get to the Upper Campground, which is on the lake's south-western shore, after you've taken the junction off the MN59 and onto the MN 33, you'll be inside the state park boundaries. It's easy driving all the way and the roads are well-maintained inside the park and out. The Lower Campground is located on the southern shore of the lake and accessible via 1st Street W heading through Churchill.
From the west of the state, you'll approach Lac Qui Parle Lake on the MN 40. If you're going to the Upper Campground, you'll need to keep going until you've crossed the Milan Bridge which stretches over the reservoir before taking the MN 31. The drive to the Lower Campground from the west of Minnesota is more complicated and you'll find yourself negotiating a network of minor roads to get there unless you take the long way round on the MN 40 followed by the MN 59. The approach from the east is simple enough if you stay on the MN 40 heading west until you reach the junction for the M59. Make sure you go south on the MN 59 or you could find yourself pitching your RV somewhere like the Big Stone Lake State Park instead.
The campgrounds at Lac Qui Parle Lake are located in the Lac Qui Parle State Park. The Upper Campground is on the reservoir's western shore and the Lower Campground on the southern shore. Both campgrounds have an eight-month high season running from April through to November when reservations are required.
The Lower Campground is perfect if your RV is less than fifty feet as none of the twenty-four campsites can cater for larger rigs. It's a quite small and primitive corps campground with no amenities other than pit toilets and picnic tables. Very few of the pitches have electric hook-ups.
The Upper campground is bigger and has forty-plus campsites for RV's up to sixty foot. Not all have electric and water hook-ups, so check what you're getting when you make your reservation. The campground has decent facilities including hot showers and toilets that flush.
There are over seven miles of easy graded trails around the shores of Lac Qui Parle Lake and running through the Lac Qui Parle State Park. Many of the trailheads can be accessed directly from the Lower Campground. While you're out walking, and depending on what time of the year you're there, you'll have the chance to spot pelicans or geese on the water and deer around the shore.
With over five miles of trails designated for equestrian purposes in the Lac Qui Parle State Park, it's a great place to pitch up with your RV and horse trailer. The trails running through the prairie-lands around Lac Qui Parle Lake are flat and easy going for both horse and rider. Always check the weather before you go though. If there's been heavy rain some of the trails can be flooded and unusable.
If you're planning to go goose hunting in the wildlife management area while you're staying at Lac Qui Parle Lake, you should be aware there are stringent rules put in place for the activity by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Hunting is only permitted from designated hunting stations which are allocated on a first-come-first-served basis. Shooters are only allowed to use a maximum of twelve shells, so you need a good aim if you're going to bag your game.
While the Ice Castle Classic might sound like a competition for ice sculptures, it isn't. The Ice Castle Classic held annually at Lac Qui Parle Lake in February is a fishing contest. Holes are cut in the lake ice – so long as it's frozen over – and ice fishermen have three hours to try and catch a fish. There's only one fish per angler that counts at the weigh-in and it's the biggest one overall that wins. If you just want to spectate, there are lots of food and drinks stalls to help stave off the chill.
Snowshoeing is one of the more popular winter activities at Lac Qui Parle Lake and you can go more or less anywhere you please – so long as you have the stamina – apart from on the trails which have been groomed for cross country skiing. It's a great way to see the reservoir in its icy winter finery while getting some fresh air and outdoor time.
Part chapel and part museum, the wooden structure that is the Lac Qui Parle Mission was the first church in Minnesota. Missionaries arrived there in the early 19th century to work with the Dakota and Sioux. It was at the mission that the vocal language of the Dakota was converted to the written word by a French fur trader. The museum houses remnants, relics, and documents from the era. Next to the mission is what remains of Fort Renville, the old trading post.
