Category: South Minnesota Hikes
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Flandrau State Park
New Ulm, Minnesota is south of Hutchinson, west of Fairbault, north of Fairmont, and east of Walnut Grove. If you are familiar with Little House on the Prairie, you might remember Pa Ingalls making trips to Mankato now and then. Most likely he crossed the Minnesota river at New Ulm.
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Nerstrand Big Woods State Park
Solo camping trips. If you have never done one I highly recommend it. Unplugging from everyone and everything for a defined amount of time can be so healing. If you have lots of “stuff” in your emotional backpack it can get intense. I’ve unpacked and re-packed all that many times. This trip was just me enjoying re-connecting with the woods.
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Red Wing, Minnesota: Memorial Park
I’ve been to this park before and was disappointed at the lack of longer trails, but this time I found them! Follow the park road all the way to the end. It is called “lower quarry”. I walked 5 miles (8 km) and did not get to all of the trails.
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Carver Park Reserve
South Central Minnesota has rolling hills, lakes, and a mix of prairie and deciduous forests. This park is at the Southeast edge of the Twin Cities metropolitan area. I imagine it is a big deal to the people that live there whether or not this park is labeled as Metro Area or SE Minnesota. If you have a strong feeling on this, please comment!
Paint and Hike 