Rose stands beside bunk beds at the cabin, which allow for more people to sleep comfortably. ties that Minneopa offers, Rose said. The park has winter hiking trails and also began renting out snowshoes last year. “A lot of people come because it’s really relaxing,” Rose said. “It’s a quiet place to come camp. It’s very popular. Rarely do we have anybody who is not happy.” In fact, Rose said the cabins have many veteran users who come back year after year. “We do get quite a lot of the same people coming back,” he said. “It’s not the same every year, but a lot of people seem to book the same date year after year.”
New at Flandrau
Flandrau State Park, located in southwest New Ulm, is another park within the Minnesota State Park system that offers cabins for all four seasons. Park manager Gary Teipel said the cabins were built after park staff noticed how popular other parks’ cabins were. “They’ve been pretty popular in other state parks, and we’re close enough to town and to the metro area that we figured that we’d get a lot of people coming out to use (them),” Teipel said. The park just recently began offering its two cabins in 2010, but they’ve already become pretty popular. “They’ve gotten a lot of use,” Teipel said. “In general, they’re rented almost every weekend during the year. During the summertime, they’re rented most days.” Flandrau’s two cabins have different features for different users. One has two bunk beds and is handicapped accessible. It sleeps five. The other cabin sleeps six. Like all cabins within the Minnesota State Parks system, these have outdoor grills and fire rings, and they don’t have indoor plumbing, but bathrooms with showers are available at the park. Visitors need to bring their own utensils and bedding. Teipel said people book the cabins for a number of reasons. “We have all kinds of different people coming,” he said. “Sometimes it’s families using them, sometimes it’s a gals’ night out. … In the wintertime, we get people who want to cross-country ski and snowshoe.”
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The ski trail goes right past the cabins, and there are also hiking trails available. These are just a few of the many winter activities Flandrau has available when the snow hits.
More cabins on the way
Because of how popular winter cabins have become, more are being planned. “There’s always a demand for them, and they are being utilized at a high rate,” Rose said. “They are being added every year to state parks.” Rose said he doesn’t think Minneopa will build another cabin for some time, though, partly because of how expensive cabins can be to construct. He said when Minneopa’s first cabin was built, it only cost around $15,000. Now, cabins can cost up to $60,000 to build. For now, outdoor adventurers hoping to make some memories this winter should book early, especially for weekend dates. (Cabins can be reserved in person, by calling 1-866857-2757, or by going online at www.stateparks.com.) M
The stove keeps cabin campers warm during the cold months.