We hiked Bethel Haunted Forest October 17th, 2023.
Fall is definitely here! The smell, sound, and sight of the colorful leaves were amazing for our senses.
The afternoon sun filtered through the trees creating an incredible site.
We found sooooo many magical mushrooms along the winding trails.
Even the old tree stumps looked surreal.
The haunted forest used to be host to a spooky event put on by the Bethel Fire Department. The props were left in the forest for hikers and bikers to explore.
Ghosts swayed in the wind as they hung from the trees.
Skeleton heads as well as bones were randomly placed throughout the forest.
A few gravestones scattered themselves throughout the forest.
Finding baby dolls hanging upside down nailed to the trees was rather creepy though.
Most of the old scary buildings had seen better days.
Hansel and Gretel apparently won the fight over the evil witch that was trying to eat them for dinner.
We even found a few random items hanging from trees.
I would have loved to have seen the haunted forest in its prime. There are so many places for creepy characters to hide and jump out at people.
We hiked St. Croix State Park on October 8th, 2023.
The fire tower was our first destination. The fall colors were at a minimum. We noticed quiet a few trees were already bare, so we may have missed some of the bright red and orange fall colors. I absolutely love the views from fire towers.
Our hiking adventure began at post #13 on the Matthew Lourey State Park Trail. There were so many leaves on the ground. The crunching leaves added a cool soundtrack to our hike.
We crossed over Bear Creek.
The trail led us to a large open field. A sign posted nearby said the area is used as a helicopter evacuation site. Thankfully, we didn’t need to be evacuated.
The sound of the Kettle River crashing across the rocks as it flowed by us was so relaxing. A guy fishing nearby said the river was higher today due to all the rain we have had recently.
Hiking on the Kettle River Highbanks Trail allowed us to hike near the river.
The overlook of the Kettle River was stunning! The blue water reflecting off the brilliant blue sky was incredible.
Chapel Grove Trail looped us back to our starting point.
The fire tower in the distance.
A small pond mirrored the clouds above.
A fall hike is never complete without finding mushrooms, and we found a giant mushroom patch!
We hiked the Downtown Minneapolis River Trails on October 2nd, 2023.
Our hiking adventure began at B.F. Nelson Park. We followed the paved trail towards Boom Island Park. Boom Island is no longer an actual island, its back channel has long since been filled in. Logs used to float down the Mississippi River past the island towards the saw mills that the St. Anthony Falls powered.
Views of Downtown Minneapolis appeared through the trees.
We crossed over the walking bridge towards Nicollet Island.
We hiked up the stairs and followed the sidewalk on Nicollet Island towards St. Anthony Main. Fall is beginning to make its presence known.
We made our way towards the 3rd Avenue Bridge.
Once on the other side of the 3rd Avenue Bridge, we took in the view of the St. Anthony Falls.
The lower trails brought us to Hennepin Island. I found this to be a very interesting place to explore. We found large metal pieces and possibly an old tunnel. The adventure side of my brain always kicks in when I see tunnels. I always want to know what is inside the tunnel!
We continued exploring Hennepin Island. We found a Dam. The amount of wood at the bottom of where the water was rushing down was impressive especially since I don’t think beavers created the Dam.
There are two bridges on the lower trails. Even though both bridges brought us to dead ends, it was worth the visit. It was an interesting perspective seeing the old buildings on St. Anthony Main from such a lower point of view.
The second bridge we crossed had an amazing view of the Stone Arch Bridge. I have never seen the Stone Arch Bridge from the shoreline.
As we crossed over the Stone Arch Bridge, we could see Hennepin Island. I have to wonder, how many times have I crossed this bridge and I never paid any attention to the hiking trails on Hennepin Island before.
The view from the Stone Arch Bridge is always beautiful.
Once on the other side of the Mississippi River, we began the loop back to our starting point. The Hennepin Avenue Bridge and the Grain Belt Beer sign are historic sites to see.
Boom Island Lighthouse with views of the Plymouth Avenue Bridge and Downtown Minneapolis.
Today’s hiking adventure began at Vermillion Falls Park.
Vermillion Falls used to power the mill that is across the river in the mid 1800’s.
We set out to hike the Hastings 10 mile loop.
After leaving the Falls, the 10 mile loop followed along the Vermillion River Trail for a bit.
Wasps were taking over a bench. Hopefully, they were just resting and not creating a new home.
The trail followed alongside the Vermillion river.
A large corn field appeared to glow from the golden sun shining down on the end of season stocks.
The trail continued for several miles throughout several neighborhoods, schools, and businesses. After hiking through town, the trail led us closer to the Mississippi River.
One of my favorite trails in Hastings is along the River Dike Trail/Mississippi River Regional Trail. The Mississippi River is on one side of the trail and Lake Rebecca on the other side.
Lock and Dam #2 was our next stop.
We continued on the trail alongside the Mighty Mississippi River.
A Turkey Vulture was seen resting and another was in flight.
We crossed under the Hastings Bridge and made our way towards Levee Park.
The trail led us through the Historic Downtown Hastings and across several train tracks as we made our way towards C.P. Adams Park.
The Vermillion River Bridge has love locks all along the fence. Couples add their locks to the bridge as an expression of love.
For a change of scenery, we hiked a few non-paved trails towards the Old Mill Ruins.
The Old Ramsey Mill was built in the mid 1800’s. The mill caught fire on December 22, 1894. Today, we got to explore the old mill.
Our first hike at George H. Crosby-Manitou State Park was on June 23rd, 2023.
It had been raining on and off all afternoon. Dampness had set in on the land around us and the air was humid. We began our hike on the Middle Trail.
Large rocks and tree roots were exposed on the trail.
We made our way to the stunning falls. A bit of fog lingered in the air.
We thought the trail continued past the falls, however, we could not locate it. If you have followed this blog for a while, you may notice that at times we are a bit directionally challenged. Especially, when we are near water. I find hiking along the water so peaceful which can make all my common sense be tossed to the wind. So…since we didn’t locate the trail, we thought we made an error when reading the map. We backtracked a bit and began hiking along the Manitou River.
The Manitou River
The terrain at George was not necessarily easy. We climbed up and down lots of large rocks on the trail.
We crossed over the river. Now, in the back of our minds we knew we weren’t supposed to cross the river, but we continued moving forward despite this thought.
The trail became very steep and we had to navigate through large rocks on the trail. Again, thinking we were on the correct trail and we knew it was a loop, we persevered. I mean, we only had to climb these giant rocks once, right? Once we made it to the top of what felt like a mountain, a gorgeous view appeared. Totally worth the climb!
All of a sudden our phones had service. We pulled up a map of our current location and we were nowhere near where we were supposed to be. We had been hiking on the Superior Hiking Trail. For a moment, we contemplated continuing along the trail until we reached civilization and hoping someone would give us a ride back to our car. We thought long and hard about what our next move was going to be. The trail was so hard and steep we really were not looking forward to hiking it again. To give an idea of how hard the trail was, it was taking us 45 minutes to hike a single mile. Normally we hike a mile in 14-17 minutes. After a few moments of rest, we admitted defeat and began our hike back to our car. George kicked our butts!
Our hiking adventure was 5.9 miles.
On August 18th, 2023 we made our way back to George. We decided to hike the trail loop in the opposite direction from our last visit. We began on the Hump Back Trail.
We noticed these cool blue berries growing on the side of the trail. I’m still not sure what they are. The blue was stunning though.
The trail continued up and down the rocky landscape.
The higher elevation views were impressive.
At times, the trail was hard to see due to all the overgrowth of the plants.
The trail led us near a small pond. Across from the pond was an old dried up fallen tree. The roots were sticking upright. It looked like a sculpture or a creature from fairy tales.
The trail became all rocks. At times, we didn’t know which way to go.
Once again, the views from the higher elevation were worth the climb.
We reached the Manitou River Trail. Excitement rushed through us as we knew the falls were not far ahead. We were eager to see the trail we missed on our last visit to George.
We approached the falls from the top and made our way alongside the rocks for a frontal view. Another sensational view!
The next two photos are of the trail we didn’t see the first time at George. With the trail being wet on our last trip, I can understand why we missed it.
We hiked the Middle Trail back to our starting point.
We conquered George! Our hiking adventure was 3 miles.
We hiked Bear Head Lake State Park on August 18th, 2023.
We hiked along the Norberg Lake Trail.
The trail was rather rugged compared to our other hikes. Exposed tree roots and rocks made the trail look unique and extraordinary. With our eyes focused on the ground so we didn’t trip, we had to keep reminding ourselves to look up and enjoy the view.
We diverted from the trail to take in the view of East Bay. The water was crystal clear.
As we made our way back to the main trail, we found a giant boulder. Its top was full of baby ferns.
Hiking through the tall pine trees was magnificent.
An owl landed in a tree not far from us. I am always amazed how quiet their flight is. Thankfully, I was able to snap its photo before it took off again.
We hiked alongside Norberg Lake. Everything was so still, the lake looked like glass. The mirrored reflections were spectacular.
We breathed in the relaxing scent of the pine trees as we made our way back to our starting point.
At the end of our hike, we stopped to take in the view from the beach at Bear Head Lake.
Today’s hiking adventure was on the Minnesota River Bluffs Regional Trail.
As soon as we exited the parking lot we had to make a decision on which direction to hike. We decided to hike towards the west. The sun was still rising and filtering through the trees.
We crossed over the bridge and continued to hike on the unpaved trail.
The sun was warm, however, the cool breeze felt great. It was a beautiful morning! I think everyone felt that way. The trail was full of people biking, hiking and running. Very rarely was I able to get a photo of the trail without people on it.
The wildflowers were still growing strong alongside the trail. We even saw some berries that I believe are Buckthorn.
Lake Riley began to make an appearance through the trees. Hiking to the beach provided us with a better view.
We hiked up to the Bear Path Golf Course and Country Club, took in the views of the giant houses, and turned back towards our starting point.
A few trees were already beginning to change their colors.
At times, the tree coverage cleared and we could see for miles. The landscape was so beautiful.
We hiked Schoolcraft State Park on August 17th, 2023.
Our hike began from the picnic area parking lot.
The trail led us towards the Mississippi River.
The trail quickly diverted from the river and into the forest.
The gigantic trees towered over us. The cool wind graced our senses with an intoxicating aroma from the pine trees.
This park is the perfect place to escape from the busy world. It brought perspective to how small we are in this enormous world. The photo below is of my cousin hiking in the near distance. She looks so small compared to the trees around her.
The landscape began to change as more wildflowers and ferns began to appear along the trail.
The trail led us to a wonderful view of the Mississippi River.
As we neared our starting point, we hiked out onto a dock to take in more amazing views of the mighty Mississippi River.
We hiked Savanna Portage State Park on August 17th, 2023.
Our hike began on the Old Schoolhouse Trail.
Colorful wildflowers lined the trail. The bees seemed to be enjoying the wildflowers too.
As we made our way along the trail, a critter ran in front of us and into the protected woodlands. My brain quickly searched for an answer to what we just saw…it was a porcupine! I have never been that close to a porcupine before. I tried to take a photo but unfortunately, it was quicker than I was.
We took in the view at the Continental Divide Scenic Overlook.
The tall trees danced with the wind as we hiked the Continental Divide Trail.
The landscape quickly changed the closer we got to Lake Shumway.
Lake Shumway
We saw a beautiful swan near the shore.
The Bog Boardwalk was a must see for us.
Along the Bog Boardwalk, different fluffy Cotton Grass shapes were growing.
The view at the end of the boardwalk was gorgeous!
The beavers near the lake had been busy cutting down trees.
We made our way back to our starting point by hiking Anderson Road Trail.
Mushrooms are so otherworldly to me. They all look so unique.
Being established in 1891, Itasca State Park is the oldest state park in Minnesota. The park encompasses 32,690 acres making it the second largest state park in Minnesota. I had to crop the summer map down to show the trails we hiked.
Our adventure began on the Ozawindib Trail near Douglas Lodge.
The tall trees towered above us. Mother Earth’s colors were so vivid.
There are more than 100 lakes at Itasca State Park. The first lake we encountered was Mary Lake. Mary Lake offered stunning views.
We continued hiking on Ozawindib Trail.
We diverted from the Ozawindib Trail to hike the Crossover Trail which led us to Deer Park Trail.
Myrtle Lake began to appear through the trees.
This next lake I am not too sure of the name. It is one of the following three lakes; Deer Park Lake, Fallstad Lake or Coffee Break Lake. Either way, it sure was gorgeous.
We decided to sidetrack from Deer Park Trail when we saw the sign for Aiton Heights Trail. A fire tower? Oh yes, we had to climb it!
Allen Lake and Kasey Lake were along the Aiton Heights Trail as we made our way to the tower.
The fire tower is 135 steps to the top and 100 feet tall. The views from the top of the tower were AMAZING!
Now that our adrenaline was pumping, we began our hike back on Deer Park Trail towards Douglas Lodge.
Our hiking adventure was 4.8 miles.
Our next adventure at Itasca State Park was a boat ride on Lake Itasca. I was very excited for our boat tour. Lake Itasca Tours did a wonderful job explaining the landscape, wildlife, and early explorers.
Lake Itasca Tours brought us close to the Mississippi River Headwaters before heading back.
Our final adventure at Itasca State Park was at the Mississippi River Headwaters. It’s interesting what excites me as I get older. I felt like a little kid on Christmas morning. I almost ran down the trail as we made our way towards the beginning of the Mississippi River.
We made it! Seeing the headwaters of the Mighty Mississippi River was an amazing experience. Of course, we had to cross over this mighty river’s beginnings.
The trail back to the Mississippi River Headwaters Center offered many views of the small yet magnificent river.
Another bucket list adventure crossed off the list!
We hiked La Salle Lake Scientific and Natural Area on July 15th, 2023.
There is something wonderfully magical about early morning hikes. With the morning dew gently resting on the leaves and a crisp smell in the air, it’s almost an intoxicating experience.
The first half of the trail is behind a fenced in enclosure. In 2012, this area lost many of their Jack Pine Trees due to a windstorm. The enclosure helps protect the young Jack Pine that were planted from hungry deer.
While hiking on the narrow trail, we noticed the abundance of flowers and berries that were growing. Without the deer being present, the plant life has really been able to flourish.
As we reached the end of the trail, a beautiful valley appeared. In the distance we saw a narrow river flowing by. It was the Mississippi River. I could not believe my eyes! I am used to seeing a wide, swift, and mighty Mississippi River. The river before me was none of that! A nearby sign stated the beginning of the Mississippi River is only 7 miles from where we were standing.
After a moment of feeling awestruck, we began our hike back to our starting point.
My cousin finished the hike well before me. I just had to stop and take photos of all the plant life.
We hiked Lake Bemidji State Park on July 14th, 2023.
Our adventure began on the Old Logging Trail. The trail would lead us all the way to Lake Bemidji Bog.
The tall trees surrounding the wide trail created a lovely canopy for us to hike under.
Our hike continued on the boardwalk at the bog. The staff at Lake Bemidji helped educate bog visitors by labeling many of the plants and flowers. The purple flower is called a Blue Giant Hyssop.
My new favorite plant that I learned about this summer is the Pitcher Plant. The Pitcher Plants we found along the boardwalk looked so unique.
Orchids can be found growing in the bog between mid-May and mid-June. I was overly ecstatic when we located a Tuberous Grass-pink Orchid. I have never seen an orchid growing in the wild before! To say the least, I was a bit excited and blown away by its beauty.
The boardwalk ends at Big Bog Lake. We took in the views of the lake before heading back to our starting point.
We hiked the Old Logging Trail again taking in all the views we enjoyed the first time around.
Today’s hiking adventure was at Treasured Haven Farm.
The sunflower fields are blooming! Treasured Haven Farm has beautiful sunflower fields and hiking trails. There is a cost to walk the sunflower fields and hike their trails though, it is definitely worth it.
We slowly walked through the fields of bright yellow sunflowers. I took so many photos! I absolutely love sunflowers; the bees do too. The field was buzzing with happy bees.
The farm had wide paths between the sunflower fields. This is a great place for a summer photo shoot. They have benches, hay bales and even a tractor on which to strike a pose.
Some of the sunflowers were just beginning to bloom.
After soaking in the beauty of the sunflowers, we began our hike through the woods. There were two trails that led to the creek. We hiked both of them. Pretty steep hills were involved on those hiking trails.
All the trails we hiked were well maintained. The farm has fun runs and half marathons throughout the year through the woods.
We exited the wooded trails and walked along the fields as we made our way back to the sunflower fields. We came across a herd of cows. They watched us just as closely as we watched them.
We just had to take a few more sunflower photos before ending our hike.
As we were leaving Treasured Haven Farm, we stopped at the entrance where their store was located. Nearby, a handful of pigs were enjoying their lunch. I had to stop and say hi. The pigs seemed pretty friendly too.
Treasured Haven Farm is a beautiful place to visit.
We hiked the Northern Unit of the Big Bog Recreation Area July 14th, 2023.
Our adventure began on the Ludlow Pond Trail. Several people were fishing from the dock as we made our way around the pond.
The Big Bog Boardwalk entrance is about halfway around the pond. The boardwalk is a mile long.
Tamarack and Black Spruce make up many of the trees in the bog. The further away from the pond we traveled, the space between each tree increased.
Along the boardwalk there are numerous educational signs about the bog. I will post all the signs at the bottom of this blog.
We found an interesting looking red flower along the boardwalk. It’s called a Pitcher Plant and it eats insects!
A large open field greeted us at the end of the boardwalk. Unfortunately, we did not see any moose in the field. We turned around and headed back towards Ludlow Pond.
We completed the loop around the pond.
After our hike, we drove to the Southern Unit of the Big Bog State Recreation Area to climb the fire tower. The tower is 100 feet high with 135 steps.
The smoke from the Canadian fires was rather strong. Our view at the top of the fire tower was limited due to the hazy air.
We hiked Franz Jevne State Park on July 14th, 2023.
It was a beautiful day for a hike along the border of Minnesota and Canada. Our adventure began as we hiked towards the Rainy River. The Rainy River separates The United States and Canada.
We located a U.S. marker along the trail.
Our first glimpse of the river included a view of a small island.
The saying goes “the early bird gets the worm” well, then I say the first hiker on the trail in the morning gets a face full of invisible spider webs. No complaints though, only laughs. The views made up for any itchiness we had to encounter.
Every side trail we saw leading to the river… we took. Nature’s colors were so vibrant.
The birds offered a wonderful soundtrack to our hike.
It was a surreal feeling to know the river in front of us was the only thing separating the United States and Canada. The view was spectacular!
We followed the same trail back to our starting point.
We hiked Hayes Lake State Park on July 13th, 2023.
A beautiful wooden map of Hayes Lake State Park was on display noting all the different activities at the park. Someone put a lot of time, energy and love into making that sign.
Grefthen Bay was our first overlook of Hayes Lake.
We began our hike on the Pine Ridge Interpretive Trail. A few people were fishing on the dock. We popped down to take a closer view of the lake.
The trail brought us through marvelous pine tree groves. The smell was so amazingly refreshing to our senses.
We found giant puffballs growing alongside the pine trees.
We stopped at Beauty Bay to take in the view.
The trail continued to run parallel to Hayes Lake.
We hiked to the Hayes Lake Dam. Unfortunately, the lovely smell of pine lifted and a pungent, unpleasant smell permeated the air. We quickly left the area.
We began our hike back to our starting point. The trail became a road in order to make a loop.
We took in one more view of Hayes Lake from Grefthen Bay before ending our hike.
We hiked Lake Bronson State Park on July 13th, 2023.
After taking in the view of Lake Bronson, we began our hike.
This park has wonderfully wide trails. I always enjoy walking alongside my cousin as we wander through nature.
When we rounded the corner, a bunny hopped out.
The trail led to a large prairie. I just love this next picture.
The wildflowers were growing everywhere! The sumac were a brilliant red as well as the berries we found. The bright colors of summer were alive at this park!
We saw a part of the South Branch Two Rivers. It flows through Lake Bronson.
We continued on the trail towards Lake Bronson.
A chipmunk ran onto the trail and paused long enough for me to photograph it.
We hiked Red River State Recreation Area on July 12th, 2023.
The entrance to Red River State Recreation Area threw us off a bit. Our directions had us turn into a mall/business parking lot. At the end of the parking lot was the entrance to the park. We parked and began our hiking adventure.
The Red River of the North was on our left and the campground was on our right. If you’re looking for a more urban campsite, this is the park. Lots of restaurants and shops are all within a few minutes walk from the park. The wide trail was nicely paved throughout our hike.
The trail led under the highway. North Dakota is just on the other side of the bridge.
We diverted from the trail several times to take in views of the Red River of the North.
The trail continued across the road from the river. A huge beautiful park lay on both sides of the trail. We couldn’t believe all the open recreation space. We later found out that the reason for all the open recreation space is due to the floods that happen every spring. Some years, the floods were devastating.
The trail led us through a neighborhood. We could not help but notice the large stone wall that divided the park and the neighborhood. As beautiful as the river is, it can also be so destructive.
The trail continued through a tunnel under the road as we made our way back to our starting point.
After we finished our hike through the Red River Recreation Area, we decided to take in the view from the bridge.
Grand Forks, North Dakota had a monument showing the different heights the flood waters had reached throughout the years.
We hiked Gooseberry Falls State Park on June 25th, 2023.
The trail began just past the Joseph N. Alexander Visitor Center. As we crossed the Highway 61 Catwalk, we took in the view of the Upper Falls.
We continued our hike on the Gitchi Gummi Trail.
The trail had a steady incline. A view of the Gooseberry River Valley began to appear through the trees.
The Gooseberry River was flowing by with Lake Superior in the near distance.
A sandbar appears to stop the Gooseberry River from flowing into Lake Superior.
The trail continued alongside the lake offering a different view of the Gooseberry River flowing into Lake Superior. The river is flowing under the sandbar. The photos below show the rich brown river penetrating the lake.
One final overlook of the lake before heading back through the forest.
As the trail looped us back to our starting point, we took a quick detour to take in the amazing view of the Gooseberry Middle Falls.
We hiked Tettegouche State Park on June 25th, 2023.
Tettegouche is the first state park we have visited that did not have a welcome sign at their front entrance. They do have a large Nature Center for visitors to rest, enjoy a coffee, shop and learn about the nature around them. We hiked the Shovel Point Trail alongside the magnificent Lake Superior.
The rain stopped shortly before we began our hike. Everywhere we looked the colors appeared to be richer and more vibrant. We approached our first overlook on the trail.
The beautiful wooden path the park put in place helped to preserve the land surrounding the trail. I can only imagine this is a well traveled trail.
Nature always seems to amaze me. I love how the tree continued to grow around the giant rock. Up, up, up, we went to the next overlook.
Are you brave enough to go to the edge of the cliff for the view? You better believe I am!
We reached the final overlook on the trail. The waves crashed into the rocky shoreline. The view was amazing.
We hiked Temperance River State Park on June 24th, 2023.
We parked at the wayside rest area off of Highway 61 and began our hike on the paved trail.
The paved trail ended once we reached the river.
The Temperance River flows through a steep and rocky gorge. The views were amazing and in places, very dangerous.
The higher we went up, the better the views.
The water spun around inside these carved out cauldrons.
The cascading waterfalls were such a sight to see.
My adrenaline was pounding as I stood on the edges of the rocks watching and hearing the river rush by me.
As we continued on the trail, the sounds of the river faded. The river became almost silent.
The trail led us away from the river and into the forest.
A little bird landed right in front of us on the trail. It watched us just as closely as we watched it. We ended up having to walk around it as it would not move. As soon as we made our way around it, it flew off.
The trail looped us back around to our starting point.
We hiked Cascade River State Park on June 24th, 2023.
Our hike began at the Trail Center. Rushing water from the river could be heard in the near distance.
A short distance from the stairs, we saw the Cascade River crashing down through the rocks creating a cascading waterfall. The photos I took of the majestic beauty of these falls cannot be compared to seeing it with one’s own eyes and hearing the rush of the water hitting the rocks with one’s own ears.
We continued on the trail alongside the river.
We diverted from the main trail for a few minutes for another closer view of the river. When the opportunity presents itself to take a quick detour, you better believe we take it.
Up the 96 steps back to the main trail towards Lookout Mountain.
I absolutely love when the trail is made from Mother Nature’s dirt and tree roots. To me this sight signifies a great hike ahead.
We crossed over a bridge taking in views of the river.
Once on the other side of the river we began our incline towards Lookout Mountain.
Now, I know we don’t have actual mountains in Minnesota however, climbing a giant hill sure feels like climbing a mountain. But, the view! The view is always worth the climb. Every! Single! Time!
After soaking up this amazing view, we made our descent from the overlook. The trail was lined with wildflowers and ferns.
Pioneer Trail was a quiet trail. Tall trees towered over us. Forests are a magical peaceful place, and this trail reminded us of that.
We crossed back over the river towards our starting point.
Neaton Adventures 