Father Hennepin State Park

Just a few miles from my home, this is a great place to camp or just spend the day at the beach.
Be sure to bring your camera!
The chances of seeing the resident albino deer are always good and it's definitely a once in a lifetime photo op!
A winter with deep snow is the ideal time to get photos of these rare deer.
They like to hang out close to the plowed roads and parking areas in the park so I wasn't there long when I got these photos!
Summer or winter, this park is worth stopping by to have look!

We had a great time at Father Hennepin state park last week. The hiking trails were well-maintained and offered beautiful views of the lake and the forest. The fishing was relaxing, and we caught some nice Fish nothing big unfortunately. The fall colors were amazing, especially in the morning and evening light. We enjoyed the crisp air and the cozy campfire. It was a perfect getaway from the city. We highly recommend this park for anyone who loves nature and outdoor activities. The park is also close to a town that you can walk, bike or drive to and get supplies. The beach area is also great.
One suggestion for all state parks is adding more electric camping sites.

This was a beautiful park! So quiet and peaceful. The water was clean and clear and the trails are clean and well kept. The park looks nice for kids. Will definitely come back again!

You will have a great time at this very small park. It packs a lot of punch for its size. Mille Lacs lake really makes this park exceptional. It is one of the nicer swim beaches you can find in the MN park system with a very long sandy beach area. Great option for families to camp or use for a single day visit to enjoy the lake. It has ok campgrounds, boat launches, fishing pier, and the trails it has are in great shape.

A beautiful lakeside park with no hunting so I was free to walk it with my puppy. A calm beach area with pretty stones and little shells if that’s something you’re looking to pick through. Phenomenally wheelchair accessible.

We love father Hennepin. There are a few trails to explore. But the campsites are really good and we love the beach and access to the lake!

We visited the park with our dog, and she had a refreshing dip in the lake. Then we hiked a half mile to the "pope point", where you can enjoy a great view of Mille Lacs lake and in the distance you can see Spider Island towards the left side. It's a small park, the full loop is probably under an hour and a half.

Great swimming beach. Playground is just swings and a slide - no other equipment. Fishing piers are nice. Was quite buggy but where isn’t right now?

This state park has a huge beach area and plenty of playground rides for the little one's. We visited here for our fall color trip that lasted about an hour.

I have been camping here since I could hold a fishing pole. Just love my memories- and give yourself a few days here (especially with your kids) but regardless! You will too!

The park is stunning, trail is good with nice scenery. There are two shelters, around the beautiful beach and another like .7 miles away from the beach. When you enter the park the picnic area comes first and then the beach.

I liked the camp grounds facing the shore and it was calm. The sun rise would have been amazing. The shoreline is cool as well.

The bathrooms were neat as well compared to other parks i have been. Must go place for the lake. Not much fall colors at this time though.

Beautiful park with a nice beach, sand volleyball, playground, BBQ areas with picnic tables. There is a campground, fishing Pier and boat launch. Miles of great trails to hike and cross country ski in the winter.

Spacious campground to set up our tent, great walking paths to explore your surroundings, they have an open restroom & shower to clean up,and you can bring up your pet with you.

Great beach and grassy area with picnic tables. Water was warm, shallow, lots of weeds. There were two places to launch boats or paddleboards. Rangers were helpful and friendly.

Great, sandy, mile long beach. We were there for the day and mainly just used the beach. Bathrooms are rugged/vintage but beach, trails, picnic tables, etc are all excellent for a MN beach set up. Buy your parking pass ahead of time. As of June 2020 (COVID-19) there wasn't a park attendant to help so it took awhile to do online. Park scan attached.

This is a very nice State Park right off the highway and right on the lake! The hiking trails are very nice but didnt seem like alot of trails to choose from.

There is a public launch and a big sandy beach area that's walking distance from the campsites. Low bugs and good sized sites!

Great state park to camp at! We stayed at the Maple grove campground which was nice! The beach area and restrooms were within walking distance. Crazy amount of mosquitoes and caterpillars though!

Small compared to other park but has stunning hikes along the shore. Closed in winter but you can hike in. It has an amazing beach and picnic/grill area that usually has a breeze to keep to bugs away. Bathrooms by the beach are stinky and dated. Pet friendly, leash required.🦮

Beautifully maintained! We were there the first part of November.Can't wait to camp there! Great walking trails and to see the deer (especially the albino deer) was a special treat.

Great Campground! Every other site is closed for social distance. The bathrooms are clean, ample hot water, large sites, honor system firewood available. Lots of paved and mowed walking paths. Beautiful views of HUGE Mille Lacs Lake. Would be happy to return!