Inspiration Peak facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Inspiration Peak |
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View from Inspiration Peak, showing prairie vegetation (foreground) at top
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| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 1750 feet (533 m) |
| Geography | |
| Location | northwest of Alexandria |
| Parent range | Leaf Hills Moraines |
Inspiration Peak is a prominent peak of the Leaf Hills Moraines and of Otter Tail County in the U.S. State of Minnesota and is commonly considered the highest of both the Leaf Hills Moraines and Otter Tail County. It is 22 miles (35 km) northwest of Alexandria. The peak rises about 400 feet (120 m) above the surrounding plains, to an elevation of about 1,750 feet (530 m) above sea level. It is the central feature of Inspiration Peak State Wayside Park, a small park maintained by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, which manages it from nearby Lake Carlos State Park. The wayside has a paved parking lot and a picnic area. The hike to the top is a short but strenuous walk up a well-worn trail from the parking lot. Higher terrain, reaching to 1,790 feet (550 m), is located five miles (8.0 km) to the northeast of Inspiration Peak.
The conical-shaped hill is a kame formed atop the Alexandria Moraine, a terminal moraine left by the Wadena and Des Moines lobes of the Wisconsonian glaciation. It is on the boundary between the deciduous forest to the east and prairie to the west. In fact both biomes are present on the hill; its foot is covered with a predominantly oak forest, while its open upper reaches have prairie species such as pasqueflower, blazing star, asters, and goldenrod.
Author Sinclair Lewis, a native of nearby Sauk Centre, Minnesota, said 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."
