Where Beauty & Nature intersect

Fall brings out the best in the north woods as the pace changes with kids starting school, whistles blowing on the football field, leaves and pine needles waiting to be raked and equipment moving about for the fall harvest. The northern landscape has begun turning to orange, gold and red, all the beauty mirrored on […]

Park Rapids Area Fishing Report – August 26, 2015 Courtesy of Smokey Hills Outdoor Store With the days of summer winding down, and the water temps dropping, the fall bite is starting to pick up more and more. Fisherman are putting the leeches and crawlers away and grabbing the minnow bucket. Walleye- Slowly moving into […]

People find all kinds of ways to celebrate summer. Pick your favorites: biking, water skiing, grilling that fresh caught fish. It’s all here and the best is yet to come. Starting with a parade of Independence Day activities, July brings the county fair, community festivals, live music, live theater and more. From the early morning […]

The docks are out, the boats are in and the lakes are waiting for you to catch a memory this summer. It’s pretty hard to imagine catching just one – fish or memories – with all the things the Park Rapids Lakes Area offers to see and do. At Itasca State Park, you can walk […]

Park Rapids Area Fishing Report 5/24/15 Report written by Josh Severtson of Smokey Hills Outdoor Store With Between six to eight inches of rainfall in the Park Rapids area within the last week ,water temps haven’t moved much from lake to lake. Expect water temps to be hovering around 55-60 degrees. Like the previous weeks […]

  After two years of spring arriving late in our part of the world, the ice is out and the docks are in. Tiny buds promise leaves and lilacs soon. Friends gather for spring rituals like ditch clean up, and residents and resort owners are glad for nice weather to rake and spruce up their […]

Park Rapids Area Fishing Report 4/24/15 Submitted by Smokey Hills Outdoor Store, Nathan Campbell   With the ice off of all the Park Rapids area lakes and the waters warming quickly.  The Crappie and sunfish spawn is moving quicker than usual.   Crappies- With spawn in full swing the crappies will be biting aggressively. Tie on a […]

About all that remains from winter are small patches of white in shady spots, tree debris lost in a wrestling match with ice, wind and snow, and thinning lake ice. April might still bring anything the weather department can produce, but the snow will cease, lawns will be cleared and the ice will retreat. A […]

Snowmobilers, cross country skiers and those who just enjoy the beautiful landscape are welcoming fresh snow after a relatively dry winter. As the days get longer there’s no shortage of fun in store. Walleye, pike and bass fishing season has ended in this part of Minnesota, but avid anglers can still enjoy excellent pan fishing […]

Submitted by Smokey Hills Outdoor Store Saturday, February 21, 2015 With Walleye, Northern, and Bass winding down to a halt for the next couple of months, anglers are hitting the lakes harder than ever looking for that one special Northern or Walleye before the season comes to a quit. The majority of the Park Rapids […]