Today’s hiking adventure was at St. Croix State Park.
We began our adventure at the fire tower.
The change in weather, colorful trees, and crunchy footsteps, I LOVE IT ALL!!! I may have taken a few hundred photos today. Sit back and enjoy a little bit of fall from my part of the world!
Our hike began at the Kettle River Highbanks Scenic Vista Trail.
The Kettle River
We continued on the Kettle River Highbanks Trail.
The crunching sound of our boots stepping on the leaves is so relaxing.
Another Kettle River Overlook
Two Rivers Trail was the next trail we hiked.
It’s not fall without finding mushrooms and feathers along the trail.
The confluence of the St. Croix River and Kettle River.
The blue sky sure was trying to show through the thick clouds.
We hiked Split Rock State Park January 30th, 2025.
To be honest, we really didn’t hike much of the park. We only hiked from the parking lot to Lake Supervisor to take in the stunning winter view of the historic lighthouse. Please check out our previous hike at the park here.
We hiked Gooseberry Falls State Park January 30th, 2025.
The weather was winter perfect to look at the falls.
Gooseberry Falls were almost completely frozen. It is the first time in my life seeing the falls frozen. It was beautiful!
I tried to get as close as I could to the frozen falls.
As I walked onto the frozen river to photograph a direct shot of the falls, I could hear my mom’s voice in my head say, “be careful, you’re standing on a river.” If you are not familiar with frozen waterways, rivers are much more dangerous than frozen lakes due to the current flowing below. Luckily, I made it out without falling in the river.
The view of the frozen river with a heart stomped on to the snow.
Today’s hiking adventure was at Carley State Park.
The first time we hiked Carley State Park was near the end of June two years ago. During our visit, we learned that the park is known for their Bluebells during spring. I have been wanting to return to see these beautiful flowers. Well…they’re back which means spring is officially here!
Our hike began at the picnic area of the park. We hiked alongside the North Branch Whitewater River.
Giant concrete steps laid across the river allowing us to cross.
Wildflowers created a wonderful pop of color along the trail.
Baby ferns are just beginning to push through the forest floor.
The forest floor was so alive and vibrant.
We crossed the river again using the giant concrete steps. Once on the other side of the river the trail split, we decided to follow the trail that led us up a steep staircase.
The group campsites and the service road awaited us at the top. Back down the steps we went to hike the other trail.
Bluebells were everywhere!
The river mirrored the green leaves and even the blue from the Bluebells.
As we looped back to our starting point, we learned the trail we had hiked was called the Wildflower Trail.
The picnic area had a painting of the beautiful Bluebells. I am so happy we got to see these gorgeous flowers.
Today’s hiking adventure was at Fort Snelling State Park.
We hiked at one of my favorite places, Pike Island. The island is surrounded by the Minnesota River and Mississippi River.
As we made our way to Pike Island, we spotted several deer having their morning breakfast.
To access Pike Island, one has to cross a small bridge with the Minnesota River flowing below.
The trails are nice and wide around the island.
The Minnesota River
We made our way to the sandy shores of the island where the Mississippi River and Minnesota River meet. Lots of people were fishing out on their boats enjoying the beautiful morning.
The Mississippi River was to our left and the Minnesota River was to our right.
We continued along the trail following alongside the Mighty Mississippi River.
Last night’s adventure was a hike by candlelight at Nerstrand Big Woods State Park.
There is something magical about hiking in the freezing cold, at night, by candlelight. The sky was crystal clear, the almost full moon and stars sparkled above us, and the world around us was quiet.
The fragrant scent of the roaring bonfires radiated throughout the park.
The candlelight trail was very family friendly and not terribly long, so all ages could enjoy themselves. We hiked the trail twice before calling it a night. At the park office, a friendly ice snowman greeted us.
We hiked Fort Snelling State Park December 23rd, 2023.
Our hiking adventure began at Picnic Island.
We saw numerous deer having their morning breakfast as we made our way along the trail.
We got an up-close view of the Mendota Bridge.
The busy beavers are at it again. Boy, they do not like flowing rivers, do they?
The air was foggy and thick. The Mendota Bridge cast a surreal reflection on the calm Minnesota River.
Two eagles were perched atop the tree across the river.
We continued along the trail around Picnic Island.
We found an eagle’s nest. They aren’t hard to miss now that the trees are bare.
A hornet’s hive fell from the tree above. Pretty cool to see how detailed their hives are.
The fog laid heavily like a blanket across Snelling Lake.
I have hiked all over Fort Snelling State Park over the years, yet this was the first time I hiked around Snelling Lake. The squirrels made lots of noise on this side of the lake. They were digging through all the leaves looking for snacks and chasing each other around.
As we made our way back to our starting point, I noticed a pink flamingo just off the shoreline of the Minnesota River. My cousin looked at me like I was crazy and said “A what…? Where?” Ha! I never said it was real.
Today’s hiking adventure was at Frontenac State Park.
The weather in Minnesota has begun to change, again. It was a bit chilly this morning with the temperature in the low 30’s. The wind whipped around us, keeping us on the move.
Our adventure began on the Riverview Trail. Golden leaves paved the way towards the Mississippi River Overlook.
We veered off the paved trail to hike the Upper Bluff Trail. It was hard to see where the trail was at times due to all the fallen leaves.
We took in another overlook of the river as we made our way towards In Yan Teopa Rock.
In Yan Teopa is a giant rock with a hole in it. The view from the overlook allowed us to view only the top of the rock.
As we made our way down towards the Lower Bluff Trail a sign was posted warning people of the rough terrain ahead. Spoiler alert, the trail was rough, but definitely worth it.
In Yan Teopa came into view as we made our way down the bluff. An amazing sight!
Down down down we went…
Large boulders were coated with a vibrant green moss. We really enjoyed the contrast of colors on this hike.
We made our way down to the river.
Nature always astounds me! Check out this interesting rock and design in the trunk of a tree we found.
Finding the trail was tricky at times.
So many large boulders made their home along the bluff.
We continued along the trail and eventually made our way back down to the river.
More interesting designs were found in the trees located by the river.
Up the bluffs we went. There was a bit of a human traffic jam as we made our way up. Everyone was stopping to rest and breathe. I, too, was one of those people trying to catch my breath. The only photos I took on the way up were of the colorful leaves on the ground.
Near the top, we passed through the former Frontenac Quarry.
We enjoyed all the views of Lake Pepin which is a lake on the Mississippi River.
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!
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.
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.
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.
Neaton Adventures 