Tammy Nara

A refuge for wildlife and a refuge for a seeker of solitude. That is what I found here.

This post was first published in February, 2020. Updated on January 1, 2024.

The trails are natural and not maintained in winter which means that if you are the first to enter after a snowfall, it is up to you to blaze the trail. I love that. In February 2020, I entered where the map said there was an entrance. I felt like I might be doing something against the rules, tromping through snow up to the tops of my boots. I trusted my sense of direction, found a deer trail, and followed it until I found a bridge and the tracks of other humans. The rest of the time I was on trails covered with hard packed snow and the walking was easier. The other two entrances to this nature preserve had more defined tracks. I was never more than 300 meters from houses, businesses, and busy roads, but it felt like being far from the city. I saw evidence of a large carnivore, possibly a wolf or a coyote? It was feces with big chunks of fur. This is not unheard of in Minnesota, but unusual in a large city. There is lovely variety of scenery here: forest, wetland, open grassland, hills. I had a rare unscheduled day with mild weather so I stayed a long time. There were a couple other people walking dogs, but otherwise I had the place to myself. A practical note: There are no facilities here. Take care of water and bathroom needs before you arrive.

Being in nature is what give me energy and makes me feel refreshed. My art is an expression of that energy. That is still true in January, 2024. My most recent visit to this trail was December 29, 2023. It was an unusually warm day. There were still green plants and no snow. A bit of sunshine. A lovely day even though the overwhelming evidence of climate change is unsettling.

Below are more photos from that same day.

While it was strange to experience weather that felt more like early November than late December, I still very much enjoyed this walk. I encountered a few others out enjoying the day as well. Very different from the solitude of my February 2020 visit. After crossing the wetland boardwalk I went up the hill and followed that trail about a half mile. It went past an industrial area with large white cylindrical tanks and wire fencing. The trail still seemed established so I continued. It went back into the woods for a bit and then opened onto a train track. I was not comfortable walking along the train track so I went back. After checking the map again, I do not believe that was part of the nature preserve. Probably best to turn around when you see the big white tanks.

I enjoyed that the trails in this park loop across each other, allowing for many variations of route. I think the total number of miles is only about 2. Maybe 3 km. It would be possible to walk quite a while and experience different views by walking the loops in different directions. The only wildlife I saw this time was a red-headed woodpecker and a few cardinals. A lovely afternoon.