lake louise state park

We recently camped at this state park for the first time. It's a gorgeous park in a serene prairie setting. The campground hosts are dedicated to making the visitors feel welcome, and it's a good feeling to know that someone is watching out for you. However, I must share this with you: the first night shortly after dusk, we saw a small furry animal peeking through the bushes - and then another one nearby. It turns out these two creatures were actually small kittens! And, boy were they adorable. One was almost pure white and other was gray and white. They were shy and would run away from us, but I don't believe they were totally feral. We were a bit worried for their safety, but assumed that mama cat wasn't too far away. The following day, we were chatting with the campground host and told him what we saw. He said that he set a live trap in his campsite and caught one of the kittens and relocated it to an area closer to a "farm." He then said that he and his wife have trapped a couple of cats and kittens, and, amazingly, racoons and opossums! All of which they "relocate." I don't get it. I just left a message with the State Park Manager informing him of this activity and also to inquire as to what their policy is on trapping. I hate to see the hosts get into any trouble, but if anything they should be better informed about what they can and cannot do.

If you haven't been to Lake Louise State Park just north of LeRoy, MN, it's worth a trip. It sits on a man-made lake on the Upper Iowa River. The park has a bunch of pretty hiking trails that are fun and fairly easy for a family to do together. It also has a great bike trail (Shooting Star bike trail) through the park that extends into the town of LeRoy and beyond, in both directions. Super easy to ride the bikes into town for ice cream treats or take the kids to play on the playground at the school. The campground is great. We love it for a few reasons. One, it's small, so there isn't a lot of traffic. Two, the campground hosts are really friendly. Three, they work to keep it well maintained. Four, the new shower house/restroom building is REALLY nice. Five, the location of the campground within the park makes everything easily accessible. Two other reasons to love this park: if you go on the right weekends, there are fun activities that are planned by either the park staff or by the local town (ie: candlelight walks, 10K/5K runs, etc). Also, the park is really important to the people who live in the town of LeRoy, and they volunteer during the different seasons to help the park staff keep it maintained. Ask about the history of the park, and ask to see the restored "Wildwood" sign on the east side of the park near the dam. Kind of fun to see where the old entrance was before it became state land.If you have a canoe or kayak, this is a great place to use it...or teach someone how to use it. The current is so gentle that it's easy to navigate. We have tried to go all the way up the Upper Iowa and the Little Iowa (they meet in the park), and it's a fun little adventure. I give the overall rating a four-star, simply because the lake is small and a little too muddy for swimming (my opinion, though I have seen many people swim), and the campground feels a little tight in some spots when bigger RVs are present (when neighbors are tenting it, there is plenty of room...also, pop-ups, no prob).I totally recommend for families who want to camp in a friendly, small-town, sort of place. Especially good for people who appreciate new, clean bathrooms and shower facilities (separate shower rooms from main bathroom, and it's ADA compliant). Did I mention firewood for sale on site and an actual grocery store in the town nearby? Go! You'll love it. We sure have!