Tag: minnesota parks
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Whitewater State Park
Southern Minnesota has beautiful river bluffs. A wonderful place to experience them is at Whitewater State Park near Elba, Minnesota. If Elba is not familiar to you, perhaps you have heard of Rochester or Winona? This park is close to the midpoint between those two Minnesota cities. The Whitewater River carved a landscape that offers a variety of trail types. It also created a valley that no cell service has been able to penetrate yet.
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Carver Park Reserve
I first wrote about this park in September of 2020. Over the past couple years I have returned multiple times to explore it further. It is a gem of Southern Minnesota between the towns of Victoria, Waconia, and St. Bonifacius. Driving 45 minutes southwest from my studio in Minneapolis will get me there (if traffic is running smoothly).
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Sand Dunes State Forest
First of all, if you are looking for information about Sand Dunes National Park, this is not it. Sand Dunes State Forest is in Minnesota. You will not find huge flowing waves of sand here, but you will find miles of good hiking that is not too crowded. If you have horses, this is also great for trail rides.
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Charles A. Lindbergh State Park
This park is a great place to stop and stretch your legs anytime that your travels take you through Little Falls, Minnesota. I walked most of the trails here in a few hours. It is a beautiful place with interesting history but not a place for an all-day hike.
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Lake Maria State Park
If you like to hike unpaved loop trails without having to share the trail with bikes, this Minnesota State Park might be for you. You also will not see RVs or car campers. This park has only hike-in campsites and a few hike-in cabins. My husband and I almost camped here once years ago but the mosquitoes convinced us to go elsewhere. This past Sunday was my first time back since that buggy day and I am happy to report that bugs were not an issue at all. Disclaimer: It is mid-September and it has been unusually dry. That explains the change in mosquito population.
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Crow-Hassan Park Reserve
Many miles of trails through woods and prairie are what you will find here. Bring your dog, but not your bike. These trails are shared between hikers and horseback riders. I’m no expert on horse or bikes, but I imagine it would be best to keep those two types of trail users separate.
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Bunker Hills Regional Park
This is a place where you can walk for miles. Like paved trails? Got ’em. Like earth-surface trails? Got ’em. Like loop trails? Oh, there are loops upon loops. Name almost any outdoor activity and you can probably do that here, too. Ride horses, play golf, swim, camp, picnic, take the kids to a playground, it’s all here.
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Tony Schmidt Park, Arden Hills, Minnesota
Once again, snow is in the forecast and I am trying to get all my errands done while the roads are still clear. My three errands are all in Roseville, MN. I chose locations as close together as possible to use less gas. Two errands are done. The third errand is to pick up a hiking hat I ordered online as a gift to myself. It is not ready to be picked up yet. Langton Lake Park is only two blocks away and would be a lovely walk. I could just keep walking loops around the small lake until the notification email comes in. This would be a great plan except for my bladder. The older I get, the more I need to take this into consideration. Correct me if I am wrong, but I do not think any Roseville parks have pit toilets or restrooms. Arden Hills, however, understands. The closest Arden Hills park with trails is Tony Schmidt park on the shores of Lake Johanna. Have I already written a post on this park? I must have…I know I have photos…checking….huh. Not yet… Well, here we go!
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Blaine Open Space and Pioneer Park
Back in March we only walked the length of the open space and back. My opinion was that it was an amazing space but not really a place for a long walk. Nearby is another beautiful small park. Between them is residential neighborhoods. I decided to try walking both parks in one walk and see if I could get to 10 miles. (16 km).
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Crow-Hassan Dog Off-Leash Area
40 acres of packed earth trails through woods and open prairie is only a short drive northwest of Minneapolis. Crow-Hassan Dog Off-Leash Area was designed for people with dogs and I own zero dogs. Still, I enjoy being in the same space as dogs. Each dog and their human is a unique pair.
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Itasca State Park
Between Park Rapids and Bemidji, Minnesota is Lake Itasca, the headwaters of the Mississippi River. People from all over the world come to wade across the great Mississippi without even getting their knees wet.
Paint and Hike 