Buffalo River State Park

Buffalo River State Park is a state park of Minnesota, United States, conserving a prairie bisected by the wooded banks of the Buffalo River. Together with the adjacent Bluestem Prairie Scientific and Natural Area owned by The Nature Conservancy, it protects one of the largest and highest-quality prairie remnants in Minnesota. With the closest swimming lake to the Fargo–Moorhead metropolitan area, however, it is most popular for swimming and picnicking. The park is located just off U.S. Route 10 in Clay County, east of Glyndon and east of Moorhead. Buffalo River State Park was established in 1937 and developed by the Works Progress Administration. Three buildings and three structures built in the National Park Service rustic style were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1989. The park was originally focused on providing outdoor recreation amenities like the swimming pool, since there were few other opportunities in the area. It was expanded beginning in the 1960s as the quality and rarity of the surrounding prairie were recognized. The Scientific and Natural Area (SNA) section is used for environmental education by local schools and regional colleges and universities. It is also a destination for viewing the spring courtship ritual of the greater prairie chicken.