When folks think of Minnesota’s vast and varied landscape, they wouldn’t be faulted to think first of our shimmering lakes, expansive North Woods, and rugged Lake Superior shoreline, not to mention the 600-plus miles of the Mighty Mississippi that meanders through Minnesota from its headwaters at Lake Itasca. But anyone considering our geography would be remiss if they didn’t also think about the stunning tallgrass prairies in western and southwestern Minnesota. This artistic Minnesota landscape is so gorgeous, it could have been ripped out of an Andrew Wyeth painting. And nowhere is this more obvious that at Glacial Lakes State Park.

Andrew Wyeth was a preeminent 20th century American painter.
Andrew Wyeth, Dodges Ridge, 1947/Smithsonian American Art Museum
He was renowned for his often stark, foreground-dominated landscapes.
Although Wyeth lived and worked primarily in the eastern United States, the terrain at Glacial Lakes State Park in Minnesota is evocative of the landscapes seen in many of Wyeth's works.
Mykl Roventine/Google Reviews
Take Christina's World (1948), for instance.
Andrew Wyeth, Christina's World, 1948/Museum of Modern Art
The rolling grasslands and distant horizons of Glacial Lakes State Park mirror the world of Wyeth's best-known painting.
Brett Whaley/Flickr

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 Enjoy A Long Walk At This Underrated State Park In Minnesota

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There are times at the park, in fact, when I feel like I'm walking through a painting.
Todd Mulvihill/Google Reviews
An it doesn't matter the season. Wyeth worked throughout the year.
Andrew Wyeth, Winter, 1946/North Carolina Museum of Art
And the landscapes at Glacial Lakes echo Wyeth's changing palette with each turn of the seasons.
Charles Atanga/Google Reviews
You'll even find spitting images of Wyeth's dead-of-winter snowscapes in the park.
Andrew Wyeth,The Granary, 1961/Rochester, New York, Central Library Arts Division
Don't you think these camper cabins are wonderfully evocative of Wyeth's The Granary (1961)?
Wyatt W. Penke/Google Reviews
I sure do.

Every time I visit Glacial Lakes State Park – or see images of it like those above – I think almost immediately of Andrew Wyeth and his paintings. It may be that the parts of the eastern United States in which he lived and worked experienced glaciation similar to that of western Minnesota. Or maybe it’s all just a coincidence. Either way, I would wager this evocative Minnesota landscape is dramatic enough to inspire any artist. If you haven’t been to Glacial Lakes State Park, I suggest an immediate road trip – or at least put it on your must-visit list. Don’t forget your watercolors and your muse! If you’re interested in learning more about Andrew Wyeth and his paintings, check out the selection of books on him at BookShop.org. The Minneapolis Institute of Arts and the Minnesota Marine Art Museum in Winona both have works by Wyeth in their collections, but they may not always be on display. (But they’re both wonderful museums worthy of an afternoon!)

Have you visited Glacial Lakes State Park? What Minnesota landscapes remind you of artists’ works? Let us know in the comments!

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Glacial Lakes State Park, 25022 Co Rd 41, Starbuck, MN 56381, USA