About four years ago, I was alone at the cabin and decided to take a little trip to explore a State Park that was not too far from there. Scenic State Park is a little east and south of Marcell, MN. With its pristine lakes, virgin pines, swimming beach, and wilderness-like setting, Scenic State Park is well deserving of its name. Here, visitors can hike the Chase Point Trail for hypnotic views of Coon and Sandwick Lakes and listen to the wind whistle through the giant pines. The park's overnight facilities include campsites (boat-in, drive-in, backpack), and a cabin. The historic lodge houses interpretive displays.
More than 40 species of animals inhabit Scenic State Park, including bald eagles, ospreys, loons, jays, pileated woodpeckers and a variety of songbirds. Birders consider this one of the best places in the state to see the hard-to-find spruce grouse. Along the lakes, marshes and streams, you may come across frogs, toads or even snakes. Otters, beavers and an occasional moose share this 3,360-acre habitat.
History - Although the Ojibwe used this area as part of their hunting grounds, there is little evidence that it was heavily used.
During the last glacial period, imagine a sheet of ice hundreds of feet high slowly creeping and gouging the earth. As the climate changed and glaciers began to melt. The retreating glaciers left behind depressions, ridges and deposits of soil that formed the rolling hills throughout the area.
Scenic State Park protects the entire virgin pine shorelands of Coon and Sandwick Lakes, plus part of the Lake of the Isles, Tell Lake, Cedar Lake and Pine Lake. Coon and Sandwick lakes are the most popular places in the park and offer great fishing for walleyes, northerns, bass and panfish. The park is located in the Laurentian Mixed Forest landscape region, abundant with aspen-birch, white and red pine, jack pine and mixed hardwoods.
On my next visit to the cabin, I plan to visit Scenic State Park and do a little more exploring. I may try a little fishing from the fishing pier on one of the lakes. I plan on exploring some of the places where I can fish from shore. I have a couple of boats that I can use, but, I am not as flexible as I was a few years ago, fishing alone doesn’t seem quite as safe.
There are two drive-in campgrounds at Scenic State Park. Chase Point campground is on a hill above the lake, which can be accessed by steps that lead to a boardwalk. Non-electric sites in this campground have a moderate screening between sites. The electric sites are more open. Chase Point campground is closest to park office. The Lodge campground sites are predominantly open under a canopy of huge white pines. Lodge campground is closer to the beach and fishing pier.
21 electric pull-through sites are located in the Chase Point campground.
Camper cabins are rustic, one-room, 12 by 16 foot wooden cabins containing a table, benches, and wooden bunkbeds with mattresses. Most cabins have a screened porch, heat, and electricity. All cabins have an outdoor picnic table and fire ring with a grate for cooking or grilling over the fire. No cooking is allowed inside the cabins, except for crockpots and coffeepots. Only approved firewood is allowed.
Camper cabins hold up to six people, or up to five people in accessible cabins. Sorry, no pets allowed.
Camper cabins do not have indoor plumbing. They are located in or near the park's campground, where seasonal restrooms, showers, and drinking water are available. Primitive toilets are available year-round at all locations.
Until next time: There are still some walleyes being caught on Albert Lea Lake. According to the Shell rock River Watershed, the weeds that are growing along the shoreline on Fountain Lake will start to disappear by the end of June. We can only hope that that will open up more shoreline for fishing.
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