upper sioux agency state park

Spent a 3 day weekend camping at the Upper Sioux State Park. Has a lot of history associated with the park, especially about the Native American Indians that inhabited the region. The park has tipi's erected for people to rent. Fishing the Yellow Medicine river will fill your afternoon as it runs through the park.

This Great serene park is one filled with great views and frogs. I have never been anywhere that I have seen so many frogs at and toads as well. As we hiked down the trail hundreds of frogs scrambled to get out of our way. The views of the Minnesota River Valley were breathtaking. I have heard there is teepee camping here but we didn't see the campground on our hike. Really an amazing park filled with spectacular scenery.

Rich in state Native American history, Upper Sioux Agency Park offers something no other campground in the state, and perhaps the nation, does - enable you to camp overnight in a tipi! Three authentic Dakota Sioux dwellings are erected each season providing campers with an opportunity to experience life on the prairie over 150 years ago. Each tipi has a large decking-style platform as literally the ground floor of the 15' tall structures. There's plenty of room to sleep (even with several cots inside). The interior is completely bare, but is sitting on a sit that has all the usual state park amenities: fire ring, picnic table, parking area and even tent space on the lawn.At Upper Sioux the first tipi (Site #6) is clearly the premium site, laid out along the trees bordering the Yellow Medicine river. It's on the edge of an otherwise open campground area. The tipi is only about a 1/4 mile from the banks of the Minnesota River and sits below a large, grass-covered knoll above the prairie lowlands.One night in October, I sat outside the tipi, the flames flickering dancing images across the canvas covered in beautiful Dakota colors and symbols. As a full moon rose up from beyond the ridgeline along the Minnesota River, coyotes started howling....very mystical, especially when camping in a tipi.This park has a few walk-in campsites along the river - open but private and separate from the campground loops. Another set of campsites are strung out along the river (in another section of the park) . These are all open and appear as one continuous stretch of grass along the bank so the campsites seem to flow into each other. This site draws some boaters and serves often as a collective fish camp for die-hards.The park offers typical western Minnesota river scenery but the tipis and the "Dances With Wolves" setting makes it an appealing place to camp in western Minnesota (about 6 miles south of Granite Falls).

This is an important stop on the Dakota history trail. There isn't a lot left of buildings, etc. but learning what happened here is so interesting. There is a very good educational exhibit. And a large piece of restored prairie. The staff is excellent and obviously devoted to this park.

We are committed state park campers but often can't seem to make decisions in advance. A week prior to the Labor Day weekend we decided to go camping with friends. Finding a spot within 2 hours of the cities proved challenging until we found Upper Sioux Agency. We picked two spots next to each other and were pleased when we arrived to find that we had shaded spots. Without electricity and highs in the 90s this was a must. We all enjoyed exploring the historic sites but the real highlight was "frog hunting" - the leopard frogs were plentiful and really fun to catch. Also enjoyed fishing for catfish, something we have never done. The main bathroom was fantastic (new?). Another plus - clean and not-very-stinky valut toilets!

We love this park. You can rent a tipi. kayak the Yellow Medicine River, fish and hike. One of western Minnesota's best kept secrets. Great place to camp during the annual Upper Sioux Community Pow wow. Wonderful and clean modern bathrooms and showers.

While this state park is not the largest, it has very pretty scenery. There is an overlook that is truly beautiful. The small museum inside the Park office is informative and gives an overview of the Dakota war and the reasons behind it. There are markers throughout the park giving a short history. The campground is by the river and is very pleasant and quiet down there. If you have a MN State Park annual pass it's free admission. We have a pass, otherwise entry would be $5.

We stayed one night at the Upper Sioux Agency State park. There are a total of 5 tee-pee sites, 4 of which have some shade. Our site (#24) had small trees planted around it, but it was basically in full sun all day. This made it very hot, the tee pee sits in an open field / prairie area. The tee pee itself was a nice way to camp, with a wooden floor. It can be opened and closed at the top to increase ventilation (however there were not instructions about how to do this). The campground had very nice shower / bathroom facilities, but no water that was close to the camp site. The park itself is quite small. We spent some time on the trails, most of which was walking along mowed trails in the "prairie". The campground does have some nice tent sites next to the river. There are a ton of frogs, jumping out of the way as you walk along the trails. This was not the most scenic of the MN state parks, but if you want to experience sleeping in a tee pee, it is fun.

we went to this park for 2 days. it is fairly small and not the place i would camp at for a week, but it is a good place for a few days. we slept in a tipi , which was fun. we got to test it's waterproofness when we sat out a tornado watch in it. it didn't leak alot. it wasn't as waterproof as the park claims, though. They said it was 99.9% waterproof. the minnesota river bluffs arn't really steep, but all of the prarie makes up for that. you are sure to see pelicans if you visit this park (and vultures).one highlight is the trail along the river where there are tonnes of frogs(really. everytime you step one jumps away.) another is the yellow medecine river delta. kids especially like this spot in the park, because we can dig in the muddy sand. the upper sioux agency is a historic site where the white people lived after a treaty with the indians. it is 2.5 hours from twin cities.