Camp Cozy Park

Where is Camp Cozy Park?

Camp Cozy is an Elk River city park tucked away on the city's western edge, just north of U.S. Highway 10 on the Elk River. The meandering river borders the southern edge of the park, which boasts roughly 2,000 feet of river frontage.

The restoration of Camp Cozy is our third project in Elk River. It joins the William H. Houlton Conservation Area and Bailey Point Nature Preserve as spots where Friends of the Mississippi River has planned and implemented habitat improvements.

The public is welcome to visit Camp Cozy, but no camping is allowed here or at other Elk River Parks. (See the Elk River Parks website for more info.)

Our work here takes place on Indigenous homelands.

What's special about Camp Cozy Park?

Camp Cozy is a true gem for its 48 acres of diverse habitats. Prairie devotees who visit will be treated to a pair of remnant dry prairies within the park's boundaries. You might find unique plants such as needle and thread grass, wild lupine, blue-eyed grass and Carolina larkspur. The presence of these more uncommon species indicates that these are remnant, rather than restored, prairies.

In the oak woodlands that ring the prairies, spring ephemerals such as bloodroot and Virginia bluebells make brief appearances before the canopy trees get their leaves and shade the understory. Beyond these woodlands are the Elk River's wide floodplain forests, carpeted with sedges and ferns, such as porcupine sedge and sensitive fern.

In addition to Camp Cozy's interesting plants, the beauty of the Elk River is another draw to the park. The mowed trails within the park don't quite reach the river, but in 2025, the City of Elk River acquired a residential property at the park's northeastern corner. At this location, Elk River Parks and Recreation will build a park shelter and boat access to the river, providing improved recreational amenities and river access.

Adding these amenities takes a page out of Camp Cozy's history book. The name "Camp Cozy" comes from the name of the summer resort that operated on the site in the 1920s before it closed during the Great Depression. Later in the 1930s, a bar, dance club, roller rink and fast food restaurant operated at Camp Cozy until the buildings burned in the 1950s. An interesting feature of the resort was a series of hand-dug "chutes" that allowed river paddlers to loop through the resort and back to the Elk River. These chutes are still visible now, 100 years later.

Our work at Camp Cozy Park

In 2022, we learned of this park from an Elk River community member who suspected that the prairies held some remnant species. He encouraged us to work with Elk River Parks and Recreation staff to create a natural resources management plan for the park. (Read more about this story.)

We did just that in 2023 by cataloging plant species, conducting breeding bird surveys and recommending management. We set a few priorities, including removing common sumac, eastern red cedar and green ash from the prairies and returning prescribed fire to this landscape. After removal, we'll plant carefully chosen local seed of dry prairie species. Being selective here will preserve the balance of plant species adapted to the sandy soils on this river peninsula while adding additional genetic diversity.

We'll also work to remove a few pockets of common buckthorn to protect the diverse woodland understory and shrub layer. If the buckthorn cover were left to increase, its rapid growth would quickly shade out the spring ephemerals that provide resources to early emerging pollinators.

Because this cozy park is tucked away at the end of a small road, it's not well-known across the community. Elk River Parks and Recreation will add interpretive and trail signage, and we hope to introduce some volunteers to the park when we host events to collect prairie seed for the restoration process.

Find out more and get involved

• Volunteer with us to restore places like this.
• Check out other special FMR sites with prairie wonderlands.
• Read more about our first visit to Camp Cozy and how we plan restorations.
• Contact FMR project lead Laura Domyancich-Lee.

Partners and funders for our work at Camp Cozy Park

This work was made possible by the City of Elk River, Sherburne County's Minnesota Statewide Health Improvement Partnership, the Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council, and by our generous volunteers and donors like you!