Tag: Suburban hiking
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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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White Bear Lake
This is both a lake and a town in Minnesota. Years ago, it was a resort town but now has been enveloped by the Minneapolis/St. Paul metropolitan area. It still has that resort town feel. A downtown full of shops, galleries and restaurants that is easy walking distance from the lake.
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Oakdale Nature Preserve
This is 200 acres of forest, lake, and marsh that has many paths, both paved and earth-surfaced. A beautiful “Discovery Center” has modern restrooms, an art gallery, outdoor classroom spaces, covered picnic area, free parking, and a historical restoration of a 19th century schoolhouse. Other Oakdale parks are nearby. I am sure it would be possible to create a longer suburban hiking route that would have minimal road-walking. On Friday I enjoyed just wandering the loop trails, talking with my friend, and soaking up the spring sunshine. One of our discussion topics was racial justice.
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Vadnais-Sucker Lake Regional Park, part 2
Last time I wrote a post about just this park it was 2018. A lot has changed since then. Something that has not changed is that I still believe this is one of the best places to walk in northern Ramsey County. I included this place in my “Hike in Place” series and I think it is time to revisit it with a post of its own. If you explore this place you can choose your distance. You can stay on the main wide trail or explore the narrow footpaths. The areas where you should not go are clearly labeled. Ramsey County Parks has information you may want to check before you go. Rules sometimes change.
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Snail Lake Regional Park
It is New Year’s Day. My plan is to create one map that will have ALL the trails in one red line. I am curious. What will the distance be? Small loop first. 0.6 miles. That is exactly one kilometer. So a person could just do loops here if they wanted to do a specific km distance. Interesting.
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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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Hike in Place: Part 3
Three more hikes for part 3 of this series. It is surprising how many places I have found that are new to me even though they are close to home. It is all about showing up and putting in the steps. We notice more when we are willing to see.
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Hike in Place: part 2
It is almost June. In Minnesota that means we are in our shortest season: spring. It seems that overnight we went from slush and ice to green plants and baby animals. I especially enjoy wind on my face with the scent of lakewater. The water is not ice and the wind is not cold. It is a welcome contrast.
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Rice Creek West Regional Trail: Locke County Park to the Mississippi River
This day was all about connections. In the past I hiked east from Locke County Park. One of my earlier blog posts is about slipping on the ice in the section between Central Ave and Silver Lake Road. East from Locke County Park the trail meanders back and forth across the creek for a couple miles, joins the road for a bit, follows the railroad track, and eventually meets up with Long Lake Park. On this day I wanted to try going west all the way to the Mississippi and see how this trail connects to the Mississippi River Trail.
Paint and Hike 