Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area

Jennifer Myers / P&TC photo contest
About the park

This stunning landscape has become a mecca for outdoor adventures: mountain biking, paved-trail bicycling, kayaking, swimming, and scuba diving. It wasn’t always that way. Between 1900 and 1950, Cuyuna was an industrial mine site, and by 1980, it was abandoned. The deep pits filled with water, and the forest grew back. With vision and persistence, it has become a natural playground.

On this page

A mecca for outdoor adventures built within a former mine site.

Exploring the Park

Tap for captions

Overlooks from the state trail are marked with former mine site signage.
Lisa Filter/P&TC
Enjoy amazing views while mountain biking.
Brett Feldman/P&TC
Deep blue and clear lakes make for incredible kayaking.
LeAnn Plinske/P&TC Photo Contest
Fall brings spectacular colors.
LeAnn Pliske / P&TC photo contest
The paved trail winds through to connect the various mountain bike areas.
Dave Simpkins / MN Trails Magazine
The mountain bike trails are shaded.
Lisa Filter/P&TC

Park Location

Park Highlights

Trails

  • Mountain bike ~ Over 50 miles
  • Winter fat bike ~ 40 miles
  • Paved Bike ~ 8 miles
  • Snowshoe ~ anywhere

Camping

  • Drive-in, Electric
    ~ 18 sites
  • Drive-in, Non-electric
    ~ 15 Sites
  • Walk-in ~ 4 sites
  • Yurt ~ 3 sites
  • Group Camp ~ 1 site
    (25 people)

Activities

  • Picnic Tables
  • Canoe & Kayak
  • Boat Launch
  • Swimming Beach
  • Fishing
  • Snorkling
MNDNR Official Page - Cuyuna SRA

Our Land Projects

for Cuyuna State Recreation Area and State Trail

P&TC Projects by the numbers

Projects
0
Acres
100
Year of Last Project
2010
A detailed map of Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area. It marks specific trails, lakes, amenities. Parks & Trails Council land projects are highlighted in green.

Our Land project stories

A serene forest trail lined with birch trees and a carpet of fallen leaves in the Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area. The path is bordered by green grass and gently slopes through the sun-dappled woods. In the distance, a couple of hikers can be seen walking along the trail.

First land to encourage a future SRA

  • 100 Acres
  • 1989 - Acquired by P&TC
  • 1990 - Conveyed to park

Before Cuyuna Country SRA was established in 1993, this parcel was acquired with the thought that it could expand and provide a buffer for the city-owned Croft Mine Historical Park. This park is now part of the SRA with a museum and tours of part of the mine.

We understood both the importance of acquiring this land for the immediate use for the city park as well as providing an overlook to view Portsmouth Mine Lake. But it also provided encouragement for the future development of this area into an SRA. At that point discussions and interest had already begun on the vision for the SRA.

This was one small but symbolically important parcel in the future development of the SRA.

A grassy campsite with several tents and vehicles scattered around in Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area. Trees and bushes surround the area, and a dirt path runs through the middle. The sky is partly cloudy. Camping gear and picnic tables are visible near the tents.
The campground

Adding a campground

  • 80 Acres
  • 2001 - Acquired by P&TC
  • 2003 - Conveyed to park

At the time the private campgound along Portsmouth Mine Lake went up for sale, the SRA was still largely undeveloped. Realizing the importance of offering Cuyuna Country visitors the opportunity to camp during their visit, we worked to acquire the campground for the park.

The campground orginally had 34 sites on Portsmouth Lake. The DNR reconfigured the campground so that today there are 25 sites, of which 18 have electricity. There’s also a group campsite and a swimming beach.

A paved path curves through the forest in Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area, with trees displaying autumn foliage in vibrant reds, oranges, and yellows. A wooden fence lines part of the path, and the ground beside it is covered with green grass and fallen leaves. The sky is clear and light.

Connecting the trail into town

  • 16.3 Acres
  • 2004 - Acquired by P&TC
  • 2010 - Conveyed to park

Trails are connectors. The Cuyuna Lakes State Trail connects several towns that are situated close by to the Cuyuna Country SRA. This trail provides another option for people to experience the outdoors with a paved trail that complements the mountain bike trails that run through the SRA.

Between 2004 and 2010 we worked with several landowners to acquire easements for the trail to connect into the town of Riverton. In addition we purchased land that would be used to create the trailhead in Riverton.