“full of natural surpises”
Three days' travel out of Independence, the untried, greenhorn Oregon Trail pioneers came upon a hill rising from the flat grassland around it. Blue Mound seemed strangely out of place in the midst of the prairie. Eager emigrants climbed it to get a look at what lay ahead. Officers and guides urging the parties to move on allowed the curious only a quick glance. Blue Mounds State Park is full of natural surprises. Start with the Sioux quartzite cliff, rising 100 feet from the plains. A bison herd grazes on the prairie. Prickly pear cactus blooms in June and July. A sea of prairie grasses and flowers sway in the wind. The park is also a favorite for birdwatchers who want to see nesting blue grosbeaks and other birds. Enjoy camping and swimming. Plains Indians depended on the bison to survive. Different weapons were used to kill bison including the lance, and the bow and arrow. It is not known if the park's quartzite cliffs were used by the Plains Indians to stampede the bison off the cliff. Local rumors have persisted for years on the existence of large quantities of bison bones piled at the base of the cliff. No evidence exists today to substantiate these claims and stories. The large rock outcrop, first known as "The Mound," has provided the park area with an exciting past. The cliff appeared blue to settlers going west in the 1860s and 1870s. They named the prominent landmark, the Blue Mound. The mystery of the Blue Mound is not restricted to the cliffs. At the Mound's southern end is a 1,250 foot long line of rocks aligned in a east-west direction. Who built it and why is unknown. It is known that on the first day of spring and fall, the sunrise and sunset are lined up on this stone alignment. Visitors can hike to these rocks. In 1934, Rock County citizens asked the U.S. government for a Work Projects Administration (WPA) project in the Blue Mounds area. The first phase of the project was completed in 1937 with the construction of two dams on Mound Creek. These form the present lakes in the park. In the 1950s, thousands of trees were planted around the two lakes and in the campground. In 1961, the name of the park was changed from the Mound Springs Recreation Area to Blue Mounds State Park. That wasn't the only change: the park added three bison from the Fort Niobrara Wildlife Refuge near Valentine, Nebraska to start the present bison herd. Today, the Blue Mounds' herd is maintained at more than 100 bison.
Reviews of Blue Mounds State Park
18 people have reviewed this location
Ratings Summary
Cell Coverage
Verizon 4G
Confirmed by 7 users | Last reported on July 10, 2024AT&T 4G/5G
Confirmed by 3 users | Last reported on May 26, 2023T-Mobile 4G
Confirmed by 3 users | Last reported on September 04, 2023Reviews
Camping: $15-$36 depending on facility
It's not a bad campground, but it's not a great one. Good thing it has Bison.
The sites are small and close together, but in nice condition.
The park is pretty, but not special.
We could'n't use any water due to an e. coli outbreak, nor could we use the showers or restrooms so I can't comment on the condition of those.
On the plus side, the fireflies were AMAZING. It's was a panorama of low level fireworks throughout the campground. Tiny sparks floating all around made the night feel a bit magical.
Also interesting was the Bison herd. I love bison, but was disappointed you could only view them from a distance. At Minneopa State Park (also in Minnesota), you can drive through the bison herd like oyu can at Yellowstone. Much cooler.
Works as a stop over place, but I can't seeing spending a weekend here.
Nightly Rate: $31.00
Days Stayed: 1
Site Number: 13
RV Length: 17 ft
Cell Coverage Rating
Verizon 4G
This is a 30 amp park. They will be closing early this season to upgrade to 50 amp. Restrooms were clean and showers were hot. They charge a 7 dollar use tax per night. Lots of trails to hike. We went on the Bison Prairie Tour. A 1.5 hour tour of the Bison on the Prairie and the Nauturalist Amber was very informative about Bison . I would recommend its worth the 10 for adults and 8 dollars for kiddos. A little pricey for a 30 amp site but I would come back. Alot of Trees to dodge on backing in. Excellant cell service ATandT.
Nightly Rate: $29.00
Days Stayed: 2
Site Number: 61E
RV Length: 33 ft
RV Type: Fifth Wheel
Cell Coverage Rating
AT&T 4G
This is a beautiful state park, north of I-90 by a couple of miles, so very easy access. There is a bison herd and beautiful quartzite rock formations. We had 50amp service. The campground has many mature trees so the site had welcome shade. We were one of the first campers when the state parks reopened this year and look forward to staying again.
Nightly Rate: -
Days Stayed: 1
Site Number: 32E
RV Type: Travel Trailer
Lovely, smaller state park situated in an expansive grass prairie setting. The park offers a small bison herd grazing in the grass range and a cliff climbing area. Numerous grass trails travers the park, and the paved trail is suitable for a nice bike ride. The three loop campground is located in a mature cluster of trees along a slow winding stream. The grounds are very clean and spacious, roads are asphalt and site pads are dirt with a very nice grass yard around each site –plenty of room with lots of shade. Bath houses also well maintained with toilet and showers. The town of Luverne appears very cute with beautiful homes and an interesting Main Street. Very nice to walk around and explore a bit, however, only a small grocery store for provisions and only the most basic of services. Nice long paved biking trail that follows the southern perimeter of the park. We caught an occasional glimpse of the bison herd in the distance.
Nightly Rate: $30.00
Days Stayed: 4
Site Number: 45
Cell Coverage Rating
Verizon 4G
The campground is very clean, quiet even though full on the weekend. The sites are spread out but not as private as some state parks. Sights all have mature trees and partially shaded. New showers. Free WIFI.
Nightly Rate: $30.00
Days Stayed: 2
Site Number: 26
Cell Coverage Rating
Verizon 4G
Arrived 10-1-2020 with 18’ travel trailer. Gate attendant was pleasant and informative. With map provided the site was easy to find. $30 for site and $7 for parking? Not clear as to why two fees. Sites reasonably separated though neighbors are clearly visible. Site not level but adjustable. Power only. Dump station and potable water available on the way out. Experience was fine but price high for our use. Distinct odor at the site as if someone had released black water previously.
Nightly Rate: $37.00
Days Stayed: 1
Site Number: 31
Cell Coverage Rating
T-Mobile 4G
We spent one night here driving from Wall, South Dakota to our home in Indiana. I looked online to find somewhere to stop and saw that this campground only had two spots left, so we changed it and made our way to the office to see if there would be any spots left when we got there. This was a nice stop and a nice break from the wind we have been experiencing on our long drive home. The park office employee was very knowledgeable and knew a lot about the campground and the park itself. There are buffalo, but we didn’t have a lot of time to spend looking at them. We did walk on one of the trails at the end of the campground that cuts through a field and around the lake, but I only wanted to get some good shots of the sunset, which was beautiful. We ran into some deer near the trail and lots of wild birds. This is a nice stop for anyone needing a last minute stop, provided there are campsites left.
Nightly Rate: $34.00
Days Stayed: 1
Site Number: 32E
RV Length: 22 ft
RV Type: Travel Trailer
We spent 2 nights here and found the spot, even when full, was quiet. Clean bathhouses (although muddy after overnight storms!). Trails around and about. My kids enjoyed the natural play area of pink quartzite. There was no bison prairie tour because of covid but a ranger gave a presentation one evening at the amphitheater that was great for families. A pleasant surprise.
Nightly Rate: -
Days Stayed: 1
Site Number: 2E
RV Length: 40 ft
RV Type: Class A
Cell Coverage Rating
Verizon 4G
Blue Mounds State Park campground is located on tree-lined paved roads tucked in between a prairie and farmers' fields. It's quite peaceful and relaxing, especially with most sites unoccupied during the week. While the sites don't offer a ton of privacy, they are well-spaced for the most part and some of the loops have foliage behind the sites so you have a bit of a buffer there.
The loop we were in (on site 28) has a relatively new bathroom and shower house that is very nice. The other loop has the older-style bathroom and shower house that looked clean but is showing its age.
Even though you probably could rely on your cell phones here due to good and great signals (Verizon and T-Mobile respectively), the campground also offers wifi that is actually quite good. The transmitter for our loop is on the bathroom building and we have been able to work, including video calls, all week without any issues.
The sites themselves have gravel pads and decent-sized grassy areas to set up screen tents, etc.
The park itself offers several things to do, including watching for the protected bison herd out on the prairie, as well as hiking and biking trails that can lead you to a historic quartzite quarry and some great vistas of the area around you. At night, it's nice and dark so you can see a lot of stars -- if you walk a short way down one of the trails from the campground you can even see the Milky Way.
If we are in this area again, Blue Mounds would certainly be a place where we would check for openings.
Nightly Rate: $34.00
Days Stayed: 6
Site Number: 28
RV Length: 21 ft
RV Type: Class B
Cell Coverage Rating
Verizon 4G
T-Mobile 4G
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Blue Mounds State Park
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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
- Affiliation
- State park or forest
- Last Nightly Rate
- 36.0
- Longest Vehicle Length Reported
- 40 ft
- Lowest Nightly Rate
- 24.0
- Max Length
- 40 ft
- Max Stay
- 14
- Sites Count
- 73
- Standard Tent Sites Count
- 14
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Fifty Amp
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Full Hookup
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Pull Through
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Tent Sites
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Dump Station
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Big Rigs
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Open Seasonally
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Age Restricted
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Boondock
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Cabin Sites
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Dispersed Sites
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Firewood
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Fulltime Residents
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Group Tent Sites
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Laundry
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Mobile Homes
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Permit Required
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Potable Water
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Propane
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Public Water
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Pull Through RV Sites
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Reservations
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Sewer Hookup
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Showers
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Sites
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Standard Tent Sites
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Water Hookup
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Outdoor Seating
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