Inspiration Peak State Wayside Park

The Inspiration Peak State Wayside Park features sweeping views from the top of a glacial moraine hill. Inspiration Peak is located west of Urbank, Minnesota just off the Otter Trail Scenic Byway (County Highway 38).  Inspiration Peak is the highest hill in the Leaf Mountains and the second highest point in Otter Tail County. Inspiration Peak rises to an elevation of 1,726 feet and is about 400 feet above the nearby countryside. Minnesota author Sinclair Lewis, a native of the area, wrote of Inspiration Peak, "there's to be seen a glorious 20-mile circle of some 50 lakes scattered among fields and pastures, like sequins fallen on an old paisley shawl”.

There are no fees to visit the park and dogs are welcome if they are on a leash. The Inspiration Peak State Wayside Park has a large paved parking area. Near the parking lot there is a wooded picnic area with vault toilets. From the parking area visitors can make a quarter mile hike through the woods to the top of the Inspiration Peak. There are two paths to the top that are mostly paved with asphalt. There is a historical marker near the start of one of the trails. The trails are fairly steep, gaining about 170 feet of evaluation in a quarter mile. There are benches that can be used for a rest along the way. Near the top of the landscape changes to a prairie habitat with tall grasses and wildflowers. This provides unobstructed views in three directions of the landscape below. The view can be quite scenic in the autumn when the hardwoods show their color. There is a sign at the top of Inspiration Peak that provides information about the peak and wildflowers in the area.