Category Archives: Parks

Glacial Lakes State Park, Starbuck, MN

Glacial Lakes State Park, 25022 Co Rd 41, Starbuck, MN 56381

Glacial Lakes State Park reminds me of home.  Home  being the Loess Hills of Iowa.  Although the flowers are different.

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We tried our third camping trip at Glacial Lakes State Park.  We took the Oakridge Campground which is near an overlook.  You can camp here, rent a cabin, or take one of the walk in camp sites.  Oakridge is a walking site about a mile past the parking spot they provide.

We grabbed our gear and headed to the campsite.  Everything was pretty great.  We had to hike in our firewood which added some extra weight.

The walk was fine until we got to the turn for the campsite.  It was like walking through a mosquito mine field.  They swarmed and we had to rush to start a fire.  The campsite had three entrances and all three were full of mosquitoes.

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Once we managed to get the mosquitoes somewhat under control we began to enjoy the campsite.  The tent went up and the food came out.  The next day I hiked back to the car just to bring back ham and cheese for our breakfast.

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We tried the trail up to the lookout and were literally chased by the mosquitoes most of the way up the trail and back to the campsite.  It was a nice view.  I think a different time or year might make this trip a whole lot better.

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There are campsites and cabins all around the lake.  Many of them look very nice.  Kids swim in the lake in a designated area.  I even hear there is some fishing on the lake.

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There are some horse trails as well and horse camping sites.  This park doesn’t have any bears the that is sweet.  I actually slept for the first time on a camping trip.

The flowers where nice.  The views were nice.  Anytime without a the mosquitoes would have been really nice.

High Falls, Tettegouche State Park, MN

High Falls, 5702 MN-61, Silver Bay, MN 55614

Along 61 in Silver Bay, MN there is this gigantic rest stop that doubles as an information center the Tettegouche State Park.  There are tons of trails in this area.  The woman at the center directed us to High Falls.

We drove down the road just a little bit to the parking area for the trail.  You will need a state park pass to park here, or you can keep your car at the rest stop and walk a little further.  The trail to High Falls is 1.5 miles.

The trail starts out by going under 61 and has a decent view of the river.  I think it use to go over 61, but the underpass is a lot safer.

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There are a couple of places that you can walk down to the river along this trail, but the best one is near the falls itself so just keep walking.  It had just rained when we went so the trail was muddy.  Some parts of the trail have wooden boards to walk on which was nice.  Some parts of the trail where just wooden stairs.  Other parts of the trail were just mud so wear appropriate shoes.

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The water fall itself is amazing.  You can feel the mist from the falls from about the distance that we took most of our pictures.  The sound of the falls is what got me.  The rushing water sounded so powerful.

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If you continue on the trail you can see the falls from the top and you can even cross over the suspension bridge and see it from the other side.

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June 2016 bridge Tettegouche State Park High Falls

There is even a campsite on the other side.  We didn’t walk to it, but it was pretty close, less than a mile.

The overall hike isn’t bad as long as you do not slip in the mud.  The water fall is completely worth seeing.  Even going over the suspension bridge was okay once I got the courage.

If you have a chance you should definitely take this little journey to high falls.

Caribou Rock Trail, MN

Caribou Rock Trail, Hungry Jack Lake Road, MN

This trail is off of the Gunflint Trail in Superior National Forest.  We headed out of our cabin and down the road to the trail head.  I starts with a climb.  When you get to the first lookout point you can see Hungry Jack Lake and it is big and beautiful.

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As you walk further on the trail you have the choice to go left onto Moss Lake Trail or right on Caribou Trail.  Stay to the right.

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There was this weird moss growing on a lot of the trees.  It was somewhere between really pretty and highly concerning.

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The trail itself was a little thick.  It isn’t a road well traveled for sure, but there were some neat nature sights along the way.

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This tree fell over during a storm and ripped its roots right out of the ground.

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I saw a toad.

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There were lots of pretty wild flowers.

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This particular trail was pretty great.  There is a lot of up hill and you need to watch your footing.  It isn’t an easy trail for everyone, but it isn’t really dangerous either.  Most of the best parts are at the beginning although we didn’t do the whole trail.  It is pretty far to the next trail and then you still need to get back.

Basically, if you want a one day trip go as far as you want and then turn around.  We enjoyed Caribou Rock Trail.

 

Moss Lake Trail, MN

Moss Lake Trail, Superior National Forest

Standing at the corner of Caribou Rock Trail and Moss Lake Trail we head down Moss Lake Trail.  I storm is coming and the wind is making the trees creek pretty loudly.

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Between looking out for falling trees and hoping that the rain would hold off until we returned, which it just barely did, we managed to see some pretty parts of nature.

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Probably halfway on the trail you hit another crossroads with a portage road.  The trail heads up and right into the most ferns I have ever seen.

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The trail was overgrown and between the mosquitoes, ticks, and ferns we finally gave up and turned around.  We kept thinking it was just a little further to what, the lake maybe.  I do not know what is at the end of the trail.  I do know it started to pour the second we returned to the cabin so turning back was the right call.

If you only have time to take either Caribou Rock Trail or Moss Lake Trail I suggest Caribou Rock Trail.  If you make it to the end of Moss Lake Trail let me know what you find.

Wild River State Park, Center City, MN

Wild River State Park, 39797 Park Trail, Center City, MN 55012

We decided to go camping, spur of the moment, and this is the park that had an opening.  It was the 3rd of July, the day was clear, and we were off on an adventure.

We packed our camping gear and headed northeast.  The park is right along the St. Croix River.  Do not use the GSP system to find the entrance.  It will lead you astray.

As we checked in we were told that there had been black bears seen in the park and that we would need to hang our food from a tree.  They gave us a safety sheet and sold us a rope.  Now if you are out camping and they tell you there are bears, black bears are the ones you want.  They generally avoid people, they scare easily, and they are not going to hunt you.  They will steal your food if they can.  We were armed with our information, our rope, and a can of bear spray.

We were told that we could pick up dead wood and us it for our camp fire.  We had a hand saw with us to cut up the wood which was super convenient.  I was glad that there was plenty of dead wood in the area because we had the last campsite on the trail.  This was a hiking campsite which all of the ones along the military trail were.

We parked as close as we could.  The road leads right up to the river with a perfect place to launch a boat into the St. Croix.  The trail was an old military road so it is nice and wide.  We marched our two full backpacks and the tent all the way to the end of the trail.  The trail itself seemed perfect for horses.  In fact everything about this park seemed ideal for horses.

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There are stables right next to the entrance of the park for the avid rider who wants their horse close to a great riding trail.  There are horse camp sites.  Most have electricity.  Overall this place has a ton of campsites and most of them you can drive to and car camp.  There are even six cabins.  Some have electricity and some do not.

Even with all of the stuff that we brought the hike down to our campsite wasn’t terrible.  There was a picnic table at the perfect spot so that we could rest a moment before finishing the hike.  I didn’t get a lot of pictures along the way, but the campsite was amazing.

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We were right on the St. Croix River.  You could watch boats travelling up and down the river.  The boaters were so joyous with the 4th being the next day.  There was a little tree that provided us some welcome shade.

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The campsite had a fire pit with a grate for cooking.  There was a picnic table and a couple of spots to choose from for the tent.  We picked the spot under the tree.  The tent went up and then we were off to find firewood.

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There were dead trees all over so picking out a few to drag back to the campsite was easy.  I cut up the firewood with my handsaw.  Some of the wood burned extremely fast.

The bathroom, the vault toilet, was just a little further down the path and had a privacy wall.  Don’t forget the bear spray and toilet paper because you might need them.

We made mac chili in a bag which was pretty good.  We brought snacks, but we only ate the cashew nuts for fear of drawing in the bears with our jerky.  All of the trash went into a plastic bag and that went into my sleeping bag carrying pouch along with the other food we brought so that we could hang it all from a tree.

We setup some music and enjoyed the view of the river and the fire and as it got dark the stars.  You never get to see the stars in the city.  We could hear fireworks going off all around us, but none of them were visible to us.  Instead we were treated to a show from the fireflies in the area.

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As we finally settled in for the night all we could think about were the bears.  This was my second camping trip as an adult and lets just say I have yet to have a great night in a tent, ever.  Every rustle outside sounded like it could be the bear coming to get us.  Something kept eating grass really close to our tent and it was so loud.  All of the noises were probably squirrels, rabbits, or something else completely harmless, but we didn’t sleep and couldn’t just pack up and go home.

We got up the next day, completely fine.  Our food bag was still in the tree where we left it.  Nothing came into our tent and ate us.  I still have no idea what was eating grass near us.  We packed everything up and hiked back to our car so that we could go home and sleep.

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If we could have slept instead of being paranoid and feeding off of each others paranoia I think the whole trip would have been great.  I loved the campsite.  The trail would have been better suited for a horse.  I have no idea how the rest of the trails are, but from what I saw I would only want to enjoy this one on horseback.

I wouldn’t necessary be opposed to camping here again, but then again I do not like worrying about bears.  I loved that the site was far from the next campsite.  We couldn’t even hear them.  I assume the bears have been seen near the other sites where more people would be cooking and possibly dropping food.  If I could have slept the camping experience would have been great.

If you do not fear black bears I highly recommend camping here.  If you have a horse I highly recommend riding through this park.  If you are looking for a good hike, go somewhere else.

Whitewater State Park, Altura, MN

Whitewater State Park, 19041 MN-74, Altura, MN 55910

Did someone say stairs?  Whitewater State Park has stairs and great views from high places.  It has a river with a swimming area and plenty of places to fish.  The trail goes through some amazing wooded areas, possibly the most beautiful wooded areas I have ever seen.

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There are easy trails and even easier ways to walk some of the more difficult trails depending on where you start.  We started near the camping area and looked at the nature center with the stuffed animals.  The area has timber rattle snakes, but it isn’t much of a concern.  Outside on the opposite side of the parking lot from the ranger station is a place to get drinking water.  No need to get water directly from the well just outside.

Next we drove over to the picnic area.  If you wonder into that area there are plenty of tables and a swimming hole.

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There is a trail called Chimney Rock Trail which we didn’t get to, but we could see from the trail we took.  It is mostly uphill, but if our view was any indication of their view, it looked amazing.

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We took the Dakota Trail which starts with stairs, lots of stairs.  You climb up and up and up.  We say some hawks flying around when we got to the top.

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What you step as you walk along the edge of the cliff.  The path is plenty wide and a tree would probably stop you decent, but you do need to pay attention.  What an amazing view at the top and all along this part of the path.

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The path splits, but we stayed on the Dakota Trail down to the river.  The flowers along the way were very pretty and I just loved walking through those trees.

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Walking through these trees was so peaceful.  They were spread out just enough that they didn’t feel imposing.  Other than the views it was my favorite part of the trail.

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At the river you got to cross over a floating bridge.  It isn’t nearly as scary as it looks.  The water isn’t deep so if you do fall off you can just walk out.

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Overall it is a pretty calm river.  Even at its wider points it isn’t too deep.  At least not from what I could see.  Looks like a great place to caught trout possibly.

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I had a good time.  Even with the stairs the trail wasn’t bad.  We saw some other people pretty far on the trail.  The views are worth the climb.  The larger birds were pretty neat.  The views on the trail varied a lot which was nice.  I would like to return and see the views from Chimney Rock.

If you live near this park go and check it out.  Take a picnic.  Swim if you like.  Walk the trails.  There was an area near the picnic tables perfect for a game of kickball or Frisbee or football.  Overall this is a pretty great place.

The camping areas seemed a bit close together as we drove through that part of the park.  There really isn’t a reason for anyone to be driving around there except that the roads are a little confusing through the park, at least the first time that you are there.

Overall I would recommend visiting this park and snapping some of your own pics.

Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge, MN

Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge, 3815 American Blvd. East, Bloomington, MN 55425

I saw signs for the Wildlife Refuge from time to time, but I could never figure out how to get there.  Then one day I was visiting the Hilton in Bloomington for an event and I finally saw it.

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This refuge extends from Bloomington all the way down to Burnsville and beyond really.

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Despite the fact that a good portion of this is river and swamp the mosquitoes aren’t bad at all.  In fact the path isn’t really near the swamp areas

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You get to walk through flowers to start your journey down the path along the refuge.  If you are lucky you will spot a bird or two.  I have seen cranes and turkeys and hawks.  Most of the path is shaded and cool.  There are stretches that are open.

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It really is a great place.

Devil’s Lake State Park, Baraboo, WI

Devil’s Lake State Park, S Lake Road, Baraboo, WI 53913

This place was amazing, but it is also one heck of a hike.  Be prepared for your legs to shake.  The lake itself was formed by Glaciers and there are these huge rocks all around it that you get to walk up or down depending on the direction you choose to go.

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The park requires a sticker.  You can pay by the hour, the day, or the year depending on what you need.  It is more expensive to have an out of state car, but the prices will not break your bank.

You could get an hour pass and just have a picnic at one of the many picnic tables.  It is right along the beach which is a really nice beach.  You could even swim in the water if you like.  It was too cold for swimming when we went, but that made if perfect for hiking.

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There are canoe rentals and the water looks perfect for such an activity.

A lot of the paths that you can walk on were built back in the 1930’s by the Civilian Conservation Corps.  As I followed the trail I kept questioning how they could make this path so far into the wilderness with such difficult terrain.  When I learned it was done back in the 30’s I realized they did it with real men putting in real work.  The history of this park is really interesting.  Check out the DNR’s page on the subject.

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March out into the woods around Devil’s Lake and make your way to the top of the bluffs.  The views are incredible.

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Between 1.3 and 1.7 million people will visit this park each year.  You should be one of them.

William O’Brien State Park, St. Croix, MN – Camping

William O’Brien State Park, 16821 O’Brien Trail N, Marine on St Croix, MN 55047

The last day of April 2016, the weather looks as if it might rain, but it doesn’t smell like it.  We head out with a car load of stuff for our car camping trip.

Driving into the park we sign in and get our site tag.  We made reservations online.  The process is simple.  We drive past all of the cabins and campsites with electricity until we find our simple sight.  This particular park has bathrooms everywhere so just pick a site where you like.

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We setup our tent and head out for a nice walk.  A trail starts a little ways up the road, or if you keep going down the road you will meet the trail.  The main trail is a large loop with a few offshoot loops.

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The camp site has a spot for your car, a place for your tent, a picnic table, and a fire pit.  You can purchase wood at the entrance.  Bring something to light it and some skills to get it going.

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When you return from your walk have fun around the campfire.  Use the grate to cook yourself a meal.  Make yourself some marshmallows.  Enjoy the evening.

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Our trip was a bit cold.  Make sure you bring a good enough sleeping bag or extra sheets.  The nice part about car camping is that you can drive in plenty of supplies.  Take advantage of it.

The site was nice.  The trails were convenient, yet far enough away that people do not randomly walk through your site.  There is some group camping closer to the middle of the park.

Mystery Cave, Forestville State Park, Preston, MN

Mystery Cave, Forestville State Park, 21071 Co Hwy 118, Preston, MN 55965

Once you have explored the rest of Forestville State Park or perhaps before make sure you visit Mystery Cave.  Take a tour.

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Grab your jacket because the cave is always about 48 degrees, or something like that.  It is also wet so be prepared for that.  I was dripped upon several times.  You can bring your children, but make sure they are well behaved.  You wouldn’t want to lose one.

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History, a trip through the caves is a trip throw history.  The layers of the cave are made up of sediment from when the oceans used to cover Minnesota.  Let me repeat myself here, the ocean used to cover Minnesota, but not just one time.  You see the ocean recedes for a while and then comes back again over the over again, layer after layer.  We are currently in one of those receding periods.

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There are little bats in the cave, but nothing to worry about.  In fact we are more of a threat to them than they are to us.  Apparently there is some sort of bat disease that is killing the bats.  This is rather unfortunate as these bats eat half their body weight in mosquitoes each night.  Bats are cool.

This cave has stalagmites and stalactites.  Water seeps into the cave and as it drips it creates these formations.  The stalactites are at the top and the stalagmites are on the bottom.

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As the water makes its way down through the cave floor it slowly becomes ground water.  Unfortunately there are so many chemicals on the ground these days that the water isn’t drinkable anymore.  Wrap your head around that for a moment.  We are slowly poisoning our own drinking supplies.

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Now for those with a bit more adventure in them there are crawling tours.  It is just down that corridor.

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I prefer the path more traveled and well lit myself.

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There is a little treat if you want to call it that.  At one point in the tour they turn off all of the lights and you get a sense of what it is like to be unable to see at all.  It isn’t a darkness you have ever known on the surface, not even on the darkest night.

The cave is great.  Plenty of interesting things to see.  You might even get a look at one of those tiny bats.  Pay attention to the tour guide.  The history lesson is worth the time even if your are as much of a scaredy-cat as I am.