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.
Today’s hiking adventure began at West Palmer Park.
A light dusting of snow gently covered the trail as we began our hike.
We diverted from the Palmer Lake Trail to follow along Shingle Creek on the Shingle Creek Regional Trail towards Brookdale Park. The ducks were enjoying the open waters of the creek.
Brookdale Park has a nice looping trail that follows alongside Shingle Creek.
We spotted a deer across the creek from us. It was so still I thought for a minute it was a statue. As soon as our eyes adjusted to the brown landscape, we began to notice several more deer were lying down camouflaged by the tall dry grass.
We continued to hike around Brookdale Park crossing over Shingle Creek again.
After closing the loop at Brookdale Park, we made our way back to the Palmer Lake Trail. I loved seeing the little footprints in the snow of the wildlife throughout the park.
Once again, we diverted from the Palmer Lake Trail to hike the Shingle Creek Regional Trail.
We crossed over Highway 94/694.
On the other side of the highway was Centennial Park. This park also has a short looping trail that follows alongside Shingle Creek.
After closing the loop at Centennial Park, we made our way back to Palmer Lake.
Growing up, I used to rollerblade and bike around this area with my brother and friends. I haven’t been to these parks since I was a teenager. It was interesting to see how the trail system and parks nearby have changed for the better.
Today’s hiking adventure began at Lake Susan Park.
We hiked the Riley Creek Trail. Our goal was to hike past 3 different lakes and cross over Riley Creek several times.
Crossing over Riley Creek for the first time.
It finally snowed!!! We were the first people on the trail this morning. The only other foot prints were from squirrels and rabbits.
We left Lake Susan and followed the trail across Highway 212.
Part of our hike was through neighborhoods. We didn’t mind though, the houses were beautiful! We passed by a giant snowman. The snowman looked like he was waving us on as we passed by him.
At times, we did need the help of Google Maps. Not a lot of signage, but we persevered as we made our way towards Lake Riley.
Crossing over Riley Creek for the second time.
The freshly fallen snow gently coated the trees.
We made it to Lake Riley.
We continued along the trail towards the next lake, Rice Marsh Lake.
Just before we crossed under Highway 212, someone left a cute art display with Riley Creek as a backdrop. The happy taco won over my heart.
We arrived at the third lake, Rice Marsh Lake.
Our third and final time crossing over Riley Creek.
We crossed through a tunnel on our way towards Lake Susan.
We made it back to Lake Susan.
Today was our last hiking adventure of 2023. We hiked 9.2 miles.
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 Cleary Lake Regional Park.
The beach may have been closed but it was definitely not empty. Canadian Geese were everywhere! I have never seen so many geese in one location before. Cleary Lake must be a safe location for them from all the duck hunters we heard nearby.
Our hiking adventure began on the paved trail along Cleary Lake.
Fallen leaves lined the creek we crossed over.
Not far in front of us an owl took flight from a nearby tree. It landed close enough for us to take in its beauty. Seeing an owl on a hike is such a magical experience.
The sun tried to make an appearance several times as we rounded the lake.
Most of the trees were bare except for a few that were still hanging on to a bit of color.
The trail looped us back to our starting point.
We decided to continue our hike on the non paved trails. I love the sound of the leaves crunching underneath our feet.
This old tree fell, trapping the upper part of two trees. The trees’ trunks didn’t break, they bent into an archway. Maybe a portal to another dimension? Nah, I walked through the archway and I’m still here.
Today’s hiking adventure was at Hyland Lake Park Reserve.
Watching the sunrise over Hyland Lake was a magical way to begin our adventure.
We followed the trail closest to the lake to enjoy all the views the lake had to offer.
Most of the brilliant fall colors are past their peak however, some trees are still holding strong.
We briefly hiked on the paved trail towards the Lake Trail. The Lake Trail was littered with crunchy leaves.
Hyland Lake looked like glass. The sun highlighted the trees across the lake creating a beautiful mirrored reflection.
We diverted from the Lake Trail and began hiking on Oak Knob Trail.
Frost still coated the tips of the grass.
As a sliver of ice coated the edges, it made some of the fallen leaves so artistic.
The rolling hills offered an impressive landscape.
We hiked on the paved trail to loop us back to our starting point.
Out of the corner of my eyes, something grabbed my attention. I stopped, backed up and took a good look through the trees. Boy, am I glad I did. A giant buck was laying down just out of view from people on the trail.
We made our way back to Hyland Lake. The clouds had rolled in and gave the lake a completely different appearance.
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.
Today’s hiking adventure was at Seven Mile Creek Park.
Our hike began on Trail 3 near the entrance of the park. Beautiful fall colors lay atop of the sandstone bluff. The maps posted at the park had seen better days.
The trail led us up and down the rolling hills, so many of the leaves had already fallen.
Fall is such a magical time of the year. The way the sun catches the colors of the leaves is breathtaking.
These were the only mushrooms we found at the park! Maybe the others were hiding under all the leaves.
We crossed over Seven Mile Creek and hiked Trail 8.
The following are some of my favorite photos from today.
The trail looped us back towards the beginning of the park. We hiked between Seven Mile Creek and the sandstone bluffs.
The sun felt wonderful as we hiked across the ball field.
We followed the trail under Highway 169.
The Minnesota River
We didn’t hike the trails on this side of the highway due to hearing a few gun shots. Most likely from duck hunters on their property which was nearby. We decided to head back to our starting point. I snapped a few photos of the colorful tree line before crossing back under the highway.
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!
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.
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.
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.
Neaton Adventures 