Lake Carlos State Park, created in 1937 about 10 miles north of Alexandria, serves as a public recreation area in central Minnesota’s long-established summer resort region. Centered on the deep, 2,605.12-acre Lake Carlos, it is known for scenic shoreline, fishing, and wildlife including beaver, deer, loons, grebes, ducks, and herons. The lake supports species such as walleye, northern pike, bass, bluegill, crappie, perch, and tullibee, and its name preserves a link to early local settlement. The park also holds five Works Progress Administration Rustic Style buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places, reflecting how Minnesota’s state parks were shaped in the 1930s.