Tag: hiking

Best of 2021-Minnesota

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Minnesota is home to many beautiful parks which offer amazing trails to hike. Below are just a few of the parks we visited in 2021. Please enjoy a snapshot of some of our favorite parks. 

Vermillion Falls Park in Hastings Minnesota is a beautiful place to visit year-round.

Frontenac State Park in Frontenac Minnesota

Minneopa Falls and Minneopa State Park Bison Drive in Mankato Minnesota

Wood-Rill State Natural Area in Wayzata Minnesota

Lowry Nature Center in Carver Park Reserve in Victoria Minnesota

Afton State Park in Hastings Minnesota

Richard T. Anderson Conservation Area in Eden Praire Minnesota

Normandale Lake in Bloomington Minnesota

William O’Brien State Park in Marine on St. Croix Minnesota

Interstate Park in Taylors Falls Minnesota

Dodge Nature Center in West St. Paul Minnesota

Lebanon Hills Regional Park in Eagan Minnesota

Lake Maria State Park in Monticello Minnesota

Jay Cooke State Park in Carlton Minnesota

Banning State Park in Sandstone Minnesota

Moose Lake State Park in Moose Lake Minnesota

Lake Vermilion-Soudan Underground Mine State Park in Soudan Minnesota

Superior National Forest Laurentian Divide in Virginia Minnesota

Happy New Year! Cheers to more adventures in 2022!

St. Croix Bluffs Regional Park-Hastings-MN

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St. Croix River
St. Croix River

This morning we hiked at St. Croix Bluffs Regional Park in Hastings, MN. Only a fraction of the trails were covered in snow. This allowed us to hike more of the park since the skiers were unable to ski them. Listening closely to the partially frozen river, we could hear the water breathing under the ice. The sun peaked out from behind the clouds long enough for us to capture the beauty of its rays hitting the ice. My favorite trail led us through a pine grove and the trail bed was covered in pine needles. We will definitely visit this park again during the summer months.

Lilydale Regional Park-St. Paul-Minnesota

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Under the Wabasha Street Bridge
Downtown St. Paul
Smith Avenue Bridge/High Bridge

My cousin and I hiked the trails along the Mississippi River on the Lilydale Regional Park trails this past Saturday morning. The air was crisp. The fresh early morning snowfall added to the beauty all around us. Several dozen eagles soared above us during our 8 mile hike. We started our walk at the Lilydale Trailhead parking lot and followed the river trail to Harriet Island and Raspberry Island in downtown St. Paul. I was surprised to see year-round houseboats and a bed and breakfast houseboat on the river by Harriet Island. I have now added staying the night on a houseboat to my bucket list. On the loop back to our cars we walked the trail next to Pickerel Lake. Several ice fishing tents resided on the opposite side of the lake. This is a beautiful trail to hike or bike and I cannot wait to revisit in the summer to get a different perspective.