Bend in the River Park

Just north of the St. Cloud metro, nestled along the Mississippi River off Highway 10, sits the beautiful, serene Bend in the River Park. The 289-acre farm that is now Bend in the River was previously known as the Graves Farm, owned by Carlton Graves and his wife, Brenda. Carlton was a farmer and veterinarian, and when he died, Brenda wanted to fulfill Carlton’s dream of seeing the farm preserved and not developed. 

Benton County acquired Bend in the River Park in 2002. Located a mile South of Rice, the farm features half a mile of undeveloped Mississippi River frontage. The farmstead, which remains today, consisted of an eclectic collection of buildings constructed by the Graves family, often using materials salvaged from other structures.  Some refer to this type of building as “salvage architecture.” The County partnered with the State of Minnesota Department of Natural Resources to pool resources to purchase the farm. In keeping with Carlton’s wishes, the farm will always be preserved largely as a natural area with minimal development.

“Oftentimes, when people visit parks, they might expect features like playgrounds and sports fields. At Bend in the River, the visitor’s experience will be quite different. You’ll find restored prairie, woods, meandering trails, stunning overlooks of the Mississippi River, and the historic farmstead. Storyboards throughout the park tell you about the history of the park and area, its ecology and future development plans. Development is intentionally minimal so as to restore and preserve the natural environment as much as possible,” shared Monty Headley, Benton County Administrator.

“Originally, the County partnered with the State of Minnesota to acquire the Park. Three years ago, the County partnered with Stearns County to create a joint master plan for Bend in the River Park and the Stearns County Mississippi River Park. This combined effort led to both parks being designated as Regional Parks by the Greater Minnesota Parks and Trails Commission. This designation then made both parks eligible for State of Minnesota Legacy Grants. More recently, we entered into an agreement with Great River Greening to restore more prairie, manage the woods, and remove invasive tree species, such as buckthorn. Great River Greening is a non-profit based in St. Paul that helps leverage State grants for natural area restoration, and they recently helped the County restore 60 acres of formerly farmed land back to prairie. We plan to continue working with them on additional acreage, too.”

The Summer and Fall of 2024 will be an exciting time for Bend in the River Park. Earlier this year, it was announced that Benton County was awarded an $800,000 Clean Water, Land, and Legacy grant from the state of Minnesota to make improvements and add amenities to Bend in the River Park. “Combined with County funds, this $1 million project will add more trails, a natural area playground, and a large shelter near the farmstead. We expect the new features to be completed by this Fall. The new shelter will be available for reservations in the Spring of 2025. The project will also include additional trail signage, more benches, and more interpretive storyboards.”

But those grants never come easy, and funding is always a challenge. “Obtaining resources to improve the park has been very competitive. Overall, the County has been successful in securing $1.8 million in State grants since 2002 for the Park. Development of the park and restoration to a more natural state has been a slow and gradual process. Restoration work must be well-planned … and as we have seen with State grants, considerable work is required to secure and administer state funding, including environmental studies, historic preservation, wetlands protection, and endangered species surveys.”

“We have, from time to time, heard interests in cross-country skiing at Bend in the River. Unfortunately, we don’t have the staff or resources to groom trials in the Winter, but would be open to partnering with a local club if it is interested in grooming the trails. We would love to see more Wintertime use of the park and are willing to provide storage for grooming equipment at the park. Once the shelter is complete, the Park could host larger gatherings such as weddings or family reunions since it’s planned to seat about 100 guests. We would also welcome any civic groups that would like to help with invasive species removal and control. That will be a long-term ongoing effort.”

If spending more time outside - at any time of the year - is on your bucket list, we can’t say enough good things about Bend in the River. “We would love to see people visit the park and tell their family and friends about it. Bring along a picnic lunch.  Explore all the trails. Check out the storyboards. Relax and enjoy nature. Bend in the River is considered a regional park, so we hope people from all over Central Minnesota visit and take advantage of this resource. The state's investments reinforce the park's regional nature. Located a mile South of Rice on County Road 55, the Park is about 20 minutes from the St. Cloud area. Look for the signs on Highway 10 as you are heading North.”

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