Carley State Park

Carley State Park in southeastern Minnesota occupies a small but distinctive part of the Whitewater River Valley within the Driftless Area, where ancient limestone bedrock, windblown loess, and an unglaciated landscape shaped both the land and surrounding farmland. Long before European settlement, Dakota people hunted, farmed, and gathered food here, and named the Whitewater River for its muddy spring runoff. After the 1851 treaty opened much of southern Minnesota to settlement, the land was eventually donated to the state in 1948 by State Senator James A. Carley and the Ernestina Bolt family to preserve a notable grove of native white pines, later damaged by a severe 1957 hailstorm. The park is also known for spring bluebells, wildlife, and outdoor recreation.

Minnesota · United States