One enjoyable trail in the park runs along Minneopa Creek. The trail descends into the scenic Minneopa Creek gorge and ends where Minneopa Creek drains into the Minnesota River. Minneopa State Park is part of the larger Minnesota River Basin. The land area that drains into Minneopa Creek, its watershed, stretches all the way to Lake Crystal and Butternut.

Looking back thousands of years, the park's landscape was shaped by glaciers moving across the landscape and depositing material and a massive glacial river, River Warren, that carved out the river valley. From many places in the park, you can view a rocky terrace perched above the Minnesota River. Today the hard layers of this water-sculpted bedrock are covered with a thin veneer of prairie plants and bur oak trees.