Icelandic State Park

Icelandic State Park is a public recreation area on the north shore of Lake Renwick, six miles (9.7 km) west of Cavalier in Akra Township, Pembina County, North Dakota. The state park encompasses more than 900 acres (360 ha), two hundred of which are wooded. The park features a beach, museum, historic buildings, the Pioneer Heritage Center, and the Gunlogson State Nature Preserve.[3][4]

Icelandic State Park
Lake Renwick and Renwick Dam
Location in North Dakota
LocationPembina County, North Dakota, United States
Nearest cityCavalier, North Dakota
Coordinates48°46′43″N 97°45′43″W[1]
Area930.3 acres (376.5 ha)[2]
Elevation971 ft (296 m)[1]
DesignationNorth Dakota state park
Established1964
AdministratorNorth Dakota Parks and Recreation Department
WebsiteIcelandic State Park

History

The park was established in 1964 to preserve evidence of North Dakota's Icelandic heritage after G. B. Gunlogson (1887-1983) donated 200 acres (81 ha) of his family's lands to the state in 1963. The land had been in the Gunlogson family for over 80 years when it was donated to North Dakota.[5]

Activities

The park offers camping, fishing, swimming, kayaking, and boating.[3] The nature preserve has three miles of trails for hiking and cross-country skiing.[4] The 6-mile-long Cavlandic Trail connects the park and the city of Cavalier.[3] The park sits adjacent to the Cavalier Country Club, a 9-hole public golf course.[6]

Nature preserve

The Gunlogson State Nature Preserve is an arboretum and nature preserve dominated by mature elm and basswood that lies along both banks of the Tongue River. The preserve's many rare species include plants such as the ladyfern, water arum, and two-seeded sedge and animals that include the piliated woodpecker, western wood pewee, and the finescale dace.[4]

The Tongue River through Gunlogson State Nature Preserve

The preserve's woody plants include species of maple (Acer negundo), birch (Betula papyrifera), dogwood (Cornus stolonifera), hazel (Corylus cornuta), hawthorn (Crataegus rotundifolia), silverberry (Elaeagnus angustifolia), ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica), quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides), balsam poplar (Populus balsamifera), chokecherry (Prunus virginiana), willow (Salix amygdaloides, Salix bebbiana), American linden (Tilia americana), and elm (Ulmus americana, Ulmus pumila). About a hundred other species are represented on the site.[4]

References
  1. "Icelandic State Park". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey.
  2. "State Parks Data Table". North Dakota Geographic Information Systems. December 26, 2018. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  3. "Icelandic State Park". North Dakota Parks and Recreation Department. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  4. "Gunlogson State Nature Preserve". North Dakota Parks and Recreation Department. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  5. "Historical Overview". North Dakota Parks and Recreation Department. Archived from the original on December 8, 2017. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  6. "About us". Cavalier Country Club. Retrieved May 19, 2018.
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