Camp Ripley in Little Falls, MN

We drove from our Clearwater campground about 50 miles to explore Camp Ripley, which is an Army National Guard training center.

Camp Ripley, located near Little Falls, Minnesota, is a 53,000-acre regional training center hosting numerous ranges and state-of-the-art facilities to support the training requirements of military and civilian agencies

During our visit, we were given a presentation covering the environmental programs and studies being done by the Environmental Office on the Post.

 Camp Ripley abounds with plant and animal life unique to central Minnesota. Surveys have identified 565 types of plants, 202 bird species, 41 species of fish, 107 types of aquatic invertebrates, 65 species of butterflies, 51 mammal species, 23 reptiles and amphibians, and 8 mussel species. Wildlife species of particular interest include the bald eagle, white-tailed deer, black bear, gray wolf and Blanding’s turtle.

We were also given an informative a bus tour of the Camp and wrapped up our visit with a nice meal at the mess hall.