Visit the Richard J. Dorer Memorial Hardwood Forest!

RICHARD J. DORER MEMORIAL HARDWOOD FOREST MAP

Kruger Campground and DUA
KRUGER CAMPGROUND MAP - This campground is on the Zumbro River and features 19 drive-in camp sites, 13 picnic sites and hiking trails, which include one wheelchair-accessible trail and a one-mile nature trail. The facility is managed by Frontenac State Park. Call 651-345-3401 for more information.

Snake Creek Trailhead DUA
SNAKE CREEK MAP - This area offers 10 miles of off-highway vehicle trails, five picnic sites and some of the best fishing in the area.

Zumbro Bottoms Horse Campgrounds
ZUMBRO BOTTOMS MAP -The Main Zumbro Bottoms Horse Campground, which is located near the Zumbro River, has 15 horse sites, trails and one picnic site. The West Zumbro Bottoms Horse Campground has 50 horse sites, four picnic sites and one picnic shelter. The North Zumbro Bottoms Horse Campgroundhas five horse sites. The entire campground contains 46 miles of horseback riding trails. The campsite fee is $15/night. For more information, contact Frontenac State Park at 651-345-3401.

Trout Valley DUA
TROUT VALLEY MAP

RJD Memorial Hardwood Forest History
Plainview is surrounded by portions of the two million acre Richard J. Dorer Memorial Hardwood State Forest.  The forest is located in Dakota, Fillmore, Goodhue, Olmsted, Houston, Wabasha, and Winona Counties. The land along the bluffs of the Great River Road of the Mississippi River and much of the watersheds of the Cannon, Root, Zumbro, and Vermillion Rivers are within the forest's boundaries.  

The Minnesota Legislature established the Whitewater management Area in 1931. Richard J. Dorer, was was working for what would become the Department of Natural Resources, helped to establish the Whitewater's boundaries and lobbied for funds to buy the land. Dorer, however, saw the need to protect and reforest a larger tract of land. In 1958, he was joined by Willis Kruger, Wabasha County game warden; Phillip Nordeen, Goodhue County game warden; George Meyer, Whitewater refuge manager; and Ed Franey, Minneapolis conservation writer. These men worked with the Izaak Walton League to develop a prospectus, after Dorer's first plan was rejected as too visionary and costly by the Minnesota Legislature. The prospectus, which was endorsed by the League, was transformed into law, and on March 17, 1960, George A. Selke, then Commissioner of Conservation, announced the creation of the Minnesota Memorial Hardwood Forest.

The Memorial Hardwood State Forest was created in 1961 as a memorial to the state’s pioneers and veterans. In addition to the recreational and aesthetic opportunities of all state forests, the founders of the RJD forest set out additional goals. Improved wildlife habitat, prevention of erosion, and the stability of streams and timber productions were set out as specific conservation goals for the forest. The Izaac Walton League began the push for a state forest in the area in 1948. They were soon joined by the County Boards of many of the counties involved in 1949 and then by the Commissioner of Conservation in 1960 (1 Minnesota 1965). Richard J. Dorer, who worked for the Minnesota Department of Conservation in 1938, was among the first to see a need to protect the quickly disappearing forests of southeast Minnesota. Initially, he helped to restore ponds and plant trees in the area. Because of his work, the forest was renamed in his honor in 1974 (Breining 2000).

The RJD Forest is unique in that the state does not own most of the land. In fact, the state only owns 45,000 acres out of the nearly two million acres covered by the forest. Strangely, not even all of the land is forested at present. Why this is exactly is not readily available at this time. The forest also represents what used to be forested land (Breining 2000). The RJD Forest is also the only forest where the use of mountain bike, horse, OHVs, and ATVs are restricted to designated trails only (Minnesota DNR).

The best times to visit the RJD Forest are in early spring to view spring ephemerals before mosquito season. Also, autumn is a great time to see fall colors. The DNR lists the RJD forest as among the best places in the state for fall color viewing, bird watching, motorized trail riding, horseback riding, and mountain biking (Breining 2000).