“ This is very unique . This can ’ t be replicated , which is what gives us such an experience here .
The mine pits , the lakes , mixed in with the scenic overburden that has turned into these gorgeous mountains , no one else in the country has this .”
-Aubrey Koop , Director of the Cuyuna Lakes Chamber of Commerce
ROCK HUNTING
Where to Go Rock Hunting Up North
BY RACHEL M . ANDERSON , EDITOR AND CONTRIBUTING WRITER
The Brainerd Lakes area is one of the hottest spots in the state for recreation . It ’ s a great place to go boating , fishing , camping , hiking , biking , canoeing and kayaking ; but did you know it ’ s also a great place to go rock hunting ?
Many people associate Lake Superior with agates , a banded variety of chalcedony that is a versatile gemstone often used in jewelry making , but thanks to the glaciers — and gravel trucked in to build the plentiful hiking and biking trails — you can find plenty of them in the Brainerd Lakes area too ; but agates aren ’ t the only desirable rock to be found .
In and around the former mining pits that now make up the 5,000-acre Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area , you can also find plenty of jasper , banded iron , manganese and Binghamite . The park is east of Brainerd near the cities of Crosby and Ironton .
Jasper is an opaque rock originally formed in sediments or ash . It is not native to the Brainerd Lakes area . It was brought in by the glaciers
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