More RV Adventures: Sandy Lake Recreation Area Minnesota

We have enjoyed our stay at Sandy Lake Recreation area. It is located 13 miles from McGregor, Minnesota and is part of the historic canoe route that linked Lake Superior and the Mississippi River. The native Americans had villages on the Lake about 10,000 years ago. A major fur trading post was on the western edge of the lake by the Northwest Fur Company in the1700s.

The original wood dam was built in 1895 and included a lock that allowed steam boats to travel through to the Mississippi River. The original wood structure was replaced with concrete in 1912 and the lock was last cycled in 1956. They grow wild rice on the lake too.

Lock on the dam and small museum

Today, the lock house has been converted into a small museum containing historical artifacts of the area. Educational programs are also offered seasonally and are open to the public free of charge.
The lake is very beautiful and has lots of duck, geese and occasional white swans.

Sandy Lake

I ran into a snake on one of my walks it was a garter snake he turned around and looked at me. The water to the park has not been turned on so we filled our tank at the office and have been using it sparingly as we stayed for 7 days. We drove to Lake Superior from here it is about 75 miles. We have seen many deer in the park and in the fields. They don’t have any horns at this time of year so we don’t know if there were any bucks in the mix. We have gone to some of the small towns in the area to do the laundry and look around.
We have seen all kinds of lakes as they are everywhere.