Buffalo River State Park
Buffalo River State Park is a state park in Clay County. It was established in 1937. 5 graded lakes are within 15 miles of the park, including Beseau Lake, Turtle Lake, Bjorndahl Lake.
Buffalo River State Park is a Minnesota State Park covering an unrecorded acreage acres. State parks are the most heavily-developed of the public-land designations — campground, picnic, boat-launch, interpretive-center. The park is paired with 5 graded lakes nearby — enough for a multi-lake visit. Average grade among them: C.
For visitors planning around water quality, the nearby-lakes list below is the practical tool: a park is only as good as the lake you intend to use it from, and the LakeGrade for that lake gives you the water-clarity, nutrient, and algal-pressure context you need.
Official Resources
Nearby Graded Lakes (within 15 mi)
Lakes closest to Buffalo River State Park, weighted by size. Click a lake for its full water quality grade, fish species, and depth.
| Lake | County | Grade | Surface Area | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beseau Lake | Becker | B | 225 acres | 15 mi |
| Turtle Lake | Becker | A | 196 acres | 14.7 mi |
| Bjorndahl Lake | Clay | F | - | 8.5 mi |
| Barnesville Lake | Clay | A | 11 acres | 14.4 mi |
| Lee Lake | Becker | D | - | 14.5 mi |
Other Parks in the Area
- Maplewood State Park— State Park, 33.3 mi
Where to stay near Buffalo River State Park
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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.