#1 · McCarthy Beach State Park
0.0(0)ParkSide Lake5 trails
McCarthy Beach State Park’s hilly landscape and lakes have long made it a popular destination. Its pothole lakes were made during the retreat of the last continental glacier 12,000 years ago. The glacier left behind large chunks of ice. The depressions they created filled with water, forming lakes. Many years later, "McCarthy’s beach" became a popular picnic and swimming spot for families along the Mesabi Iron Range. In 1945, the park was established as a living memorial to area servicemen that lost their lives in World War II. Named for former owner John A. McCarthy, the park protects a northern boreal forest with red and white pine, leatherleaf-black spruce lowlands, birch and aspen. More than 175 species of birds visit the area and visitors are treated to sights of loons gliding on the lakes and great blue herons stalking small fish in the shallows.