“Enjoy Serenity in the Cool Forests!”
For a quiet, relaxing time, hike the cool woodland trailwhich meanders along the tranquil Des Moines River, or enjoy the view of the river valley from Dinosaur Ridge Overlook. You'll find pleasant surprises as you explore small creeks, prairie grasslands, and oak savannas. Visitors enjoy camping, canoeing, fishing, picnicking and hiking. The Des Moines River provides aquatic habitat for beaver and muskrat. Resourceful anglers catch walleyes, northerns, catfish, and bullheads from the river's pools and numerous snags. Woodducks nest in tree cavities along the river's edge while herons quietly stalk the shallows and back waters. Deer, squirrels and woodpeckers are abundant in the park. Red admiral butterflies are seen all summer long while the swallowtail butterflies are around during late summer. Long ago a nomadic people hunted and lived in the Des Moines River area. It is thought they were here over 6,000 years ago and may have been the authors of the drawings and symbols etched in rock at the Jeffers Petroglyphs, 30 miles to the north. The Dakota people were the last known indigenous people of this area. For hundreds of years they hunted bison, elk and waterfowl in addition to collecting roots and herbs growing wild on the prairie. In the 1830s Joseph Nicollet led an expedition that traversed the Des Moines River Valley. He provided one of the most accurate descriptions and maps of southwestern Minnesota. Nicollet noted an area slowly rising to several hundred feet above the surrounding open plains. This Coteau des Prairie, "highland of the prairie" held grand views of prairies, rivers and lakes surrounding the area. Kilen Woods lies on the eastern edge of this region he called the "Coteau des Prairies." The treaty of Traverse de Sioux of 1851 opened this hilly prairie country to the first pioneers and settlers. Settlers and Dakota Indians were involved in the U.S.-Dakota Conflict of 1862. Settlers turned the prairie wilderness into farms and communities. The advent of railroads hastened the influx of immigrants into the county, and with them, the destruction of the prairie. Blizzards, droughts, grasshoppers and windstorms plagued early settlers of the river valley throughout the years.
Reviews of Kilen Woods State Park
5 people have reviewed this location
Ratings Summary
Cell Coverage
Verizon 4G
Confirmed by 4 users | Last reported on July 15, 2022Excellent Park staff. Park is well maintained. Will stay here again the end of the month.
Nightly Rate: $27.00
Days Stayed: 1
Site Number: 24E
Cell Coverage Rating
Verizon 4G
Had a great time. My sons had a great time riding bike down the hill. Really fun weekend.
Nightly Rate: -
Days Stayed: 2
Site Number: 17E
Cell Coverage Rating
Verizon 4G
We had site 9 which was a pill through site in Loop A. Our site had good space and good privacy. Some of the other sites, especially those in Loop B dont offer much privacy. The campground was mostly quiet with the exception of the usual annoying children. The sunrise and sunset views from the campground are pretty and the sites at the south end of Loop A have a good view of the Milky Way. We arrived on a Friday and through Sunday morning our loop was probably 75% full and Loop B was probably 90% full. After the weekenders left Sunday morning we were the only people in loop A and Loop B was maybe 25% full. My partner enjoyed the trails at the park. There is no dump station in the park. There is a dump station behind the Burger King in Jackson but the sewer inlet was higher than the outlet on our trailer so drainage didnt work well and the rinse water pressure was not strong enough to be effective. We ended up not finishing and doing it closer to home. The Verizon LTE coverage was mostly reliable.
Nightly Rate: $20.00
Days Stayed: 3
Site Number: 9
Cell Coverage Rating
Verizon 4G
I was here over a weekend in July. I was in a spot in the middle so there were some trees but not many. The spots around the edges are in full shade.. The bathrooms and showers have been recently upgraded and are really nice.
There are hiking trails that go through the woods and down to the Des Moines River and back around across the open prairie. Lots of flowers. I think some of the trails are a snowmobile trail in the winter. All of the roads and the sites are gravel.
Nightly Rate: $30.00
Days Stayed: 2
Site Number: 27E
Cell Coverage Rating
Verizon 4G
Didn’t see another person the whole time I was there. Beautiful hiking club trail through woods and prairie. Bridge was under about a foot and a half of water due to recent rain.
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Kilen Woods State Park
Hours
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Parking
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Pets Allowed
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Restrooms
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Wifi
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Wheelchair Accessible
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Credit Cards Accepted
- Max Stay
- 14
- Affiliation
- State park or forest
- Last Nightly Rate
- 30.0
- Lowest Nightly Rate
- 20.0
- Longest Vehicle Length Reported
- 29.0
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Laundry
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Propane
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Showers
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Big Rigs
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Boondock
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Firewood
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Fifty Amp
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Tent Sites
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Cabin Sites
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Full Hookup
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Dump Station
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Mobile Homes
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Public Water
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Pull Through
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Reservations
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Sewer Hookup
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Water Hookup
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Potable Water
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Age Restricted
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Dispersed Sites
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Open Seasonally
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Permit Required
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Group Tent Sites
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Fulltime Residents
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Standard Tent Sites
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Pull Through RV Sites
Campground
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