Lake Shetek Campground

When you’re camping at the Lake Shetek Campground, you can enjoy all the outdoor pursuits of Lake Shetek, which is the largest lake in southwestern Minnesota. It takes its name from the Ojibwe word for “pelican,” and these large birds can often be seen on the shores of the lake during their annual migration, together with ruddy ducks, northern shovelers, and American coots. Lake Shetek is regularly stocked with walleye, northern pike, and yellow perch for anglers to lure, not to mention crappie, sunfish, and black bass. Launch a kayak to explore the islands of Valhalla, Keeley, and Loon, then just soak up the views of the surrounding wetlands and rolling hills that were created during the Wisconsin glaciation. A short drive west of Lake Shetek near Balaton is the Northern Tallgrass Prairie National Wildlife Refuge, which preserves a portion of one of the last remaining tracts of northern tallgrass prairie in Minnesota. It sprawls across 1,800 acres of big bluestem, Indian grass, and switchgrass, with a huge variety of wildflowers igniting the landscape in the spring. The prairie also supports several grassland-dependent wildlife species, such as grasshopper sparrows, greater prairie chicken, and Dakota skipper. Directly south of the Lake Shetek Campground is the Big Slough State Wildlife Management Area, which is located between the cities of Slayton and Avoca. In the 1940s, the wetland was drained, and the site was transformed into row crop production, only to be restored and converted back into native habitat in the 1990s. The Big Slough State Wildlife Management Area is a popular area for waterfowl hunting, with boat access to several of the wetlands where you can hunt pheasants. Alternatively, stretch your legs during a walk along the dike to spot a variety of wetland birds and maybe even catch a glimpse of white-tailed deer and small game species.