Community spotlight – Parkers Prairie
Written by Jenna Kvidt & pictures by Micah Kvidt of Wander the Map
Parkers Prairie is located in the southeastern corner of Otter Tail County and is home to just over 1,000 residents. During our visit, we rode the bike path, visited the brewery, snacked on ice cream, enjoyed the lakes, explored the parks, and hiked Inspiration Peak, which is not too far from town!
If you are looking for a place to stay in Parkers Prairie, GrandStay Hotel & Suites is a great option. The hotel is conveniently connected to the Parkers Prairie Event Center, and it is located close to both Adley Lake and downtown Parkers Prairie. The hotel’s amenities include a heated pool, whirlpool, laundry facilities, and some suites with full kitchens. Plus, you can even bring Fido with you to stay, as it is a pet-friendly hotel!
Ride the Bike Trail to Lake Adley Park
The bike path in Parkers Prairie connects the south side of town to Lake Adley Park. The trail is a paved 10-foot-wide path that is accessible to both walkers and bikers. We enjoyed riding the trail all the way to Lake Adley Park, especially the portion of the trail that goes through the trees and next to the lake.
Lake Adley Park offers lakeside picnic shelters, campsites, a grill, playgrounds, restrooms, running water, a fishing pier, and a boat launch. Riding bike is a convenient and fun way to get from town to the park!
Grab a Beer at Thousand Lakes Brewing Company
Thousand Lakes Brewing Co. is named for the abundance of lakes in Otter Tail County. Did you know that the county has more lakes than any other county in the USA? Otter Tail County in fact has over 1,000 of them, and the brewery’s name pays homage to that fascinating fact! Thousand Lakes Brewing Co. offers beautiful views of Lake Adley, and they serve more than 10 different beers on tap, plus a couple of cream sodas and root beers. Some of the creative beer varieties you might find on tap when you arrive are lagers, IPAs, sours, pale ales, and even an oatmeal stout on nitro.
Hike Inspiration Peak
I can’t believe we had never made the hike to Inspiration Peak prior to this trip! The trail is located less than 20 minutes from downtown Parkers Prairie, and it’s a fantastic trail to hike if you are in the area. Inspiration Peak is the highest point in the county and one of the highest points in the entire state of Minnesota. Its elevation is 1,750 feet and the peak rises 400 feet above the surrounding land. The trail to reach the top is a quarter of a mile long, which makes it short and sweet but still pretty steep. The views from the platform at the top are expansive with trees, lakes, and farms as far as the eye can see. It’s beautiful any time of the year, but the fall colors make it even more special!
Play at the City Park and Parkers Prairie Aquatic Center
City Park in Parkers Prairie is home to a large playground, picnic shelters, and a municipal pool. We visited too late in the season to enjoy the pool, but we did swing by to take a peek at the pool and explore the park. The Parkers Prairie Aquatic Center looked like a ton of fun with a 10-foot-deep pool, diving board, basketball hoops, and sprinkler features. It definitely looks like a great place to bring the family on a hot summer day!
Enjoy the Lakes
There are several lakes in and around Parkers Prairie to enjoy, some of which are Lake Adley, Cora Lake, and Horsehead Lake. Lake Adley, one of the larger lakes in the area, is located right off the main street in town. Head to Lake Adley Park, located on the southeast side of the lake, to enjoy the fishing pier or launch your boat from the park’s access. The lake is good for fishing crappie, northern pike, bass, and sunfish. Of course, you can also enjoy the lake with other activities such as swimming, paddling, jet skiing, or pontooning.
Grab a Treat at The Little Dipper and Diner
When we spotted the adorable little ice cream cone sign with “The Little Dipper and Diner” scrolled on it, we couldn’t resist stopping for a visit. This cute establishment serves a huge variety of ice cream treats like floats, blasts with your choice of mix-ins, and what looked to be about a million different ice cream flavors! In addition to a huge sweet treat menu, they also serve burgers, sandwiches, wraps, soups, snacks, and fries. We treated ourselves to both lunch and a treat before heading out to do more exploring.
Since Parkers Prairie is about an hour drive from where we grew up (Otter Tail County is pretty big after all!), we really haven’t spent much time in the area. With lakes, bike trails, parks, pools, breweries, and more, there are plenty of fun adventures to enjoy in Parkers Prairie. And it was fun to explore all these new to us spots right in our own backyard!
