Father Hennepin State Park in MN -- Camping

Waterfront park on the southeast shore of Mille Lacs Lake, Minnesota's largest inland lake. Features a mile-long sandy beach and mixed forest of maple, oak, and aspen across 320 acres at 1,276 feet elevation. Named for Father Louis Hennepin, the Franciscan priest who explored the region in 1680. Authorized in 1941 and developed from 1953 onward with 103 campsites. The lake supports walleye and northern pike; shoreline marshes host hawks, eagles, beaver, and deer.

• Moderately separated here.
• Sits on broad, near-level ground.
• The Mille Lacs Lake shoreline is 0.3 mi off.
• Open country, with nothing named rising within 30 miles.
• Estimated night sky: Bortle 3, a dark rural sky.