Hiking adventures and photography
Today’s hiking adventure was at Wood Lake Nature Center.
Wood Lake offers hiking and ski trails. They are currently under construction, building a new nature center.
The air was cold as the wind whipped across our faces.
We made our mark!
The trail looped us around the other side of the lake.
We completed the loop twice.
To all my fellow Minnesotans, please be safe. Self-care is important, especially right now. Nature helps!
Our hiking adventure was 3 miles.
This evening’s hike was at Lebanon Hills Regional Park for their Trails by Lantern Light Event.
We began our hike at the visitor center making our way towards the Schultz Lake Loop Trail.
I find something so magical about hiking in the dark. Tonight the clouds made the sky seem might brighter than on a typical evening.
Several park volunteers were keeping a roaring bonfire going in the middle of the woods.
After warming up a bit we continued on our adventure.
We made our way back to the visit center to take in all the lights.
This evening’s hiking adventure was 1.7 miles.
Today’s hiking adventure was at Silverwood Park.
Our adventure began near the Visitor Center. Different varieties of sculptures were placed around the trail.
This was my favorite sculpture. The morning sun made the sculpture appear to glow.
As we rounded the corner, a tiny dog appeared out of the corner of my eye. As I was getting ready to run towards it, I thought for sure it was frozen solid. Thankfully, it was a metal dog. Jokes, people got jokes!
Now, once again, I see something out of the corner of my eye laying down in the snow. It must be another sculpture, right? Nope! There were at least 6 deer laying down in the snow. My photos of the deer are not the best, however, it was a cool experience to see them.
The next sculpture was kept company by a happy snowman.
The cold wind whipped across Silver Lake.
A large wooden bridge allowed us to cross Silver Lake to the nearby island. We looped around the island.
We found another fun sculpture as we made our way back to the Visitor Center.
Today’s hiking adventure was 2 miles.
Today’s hiking adventure was at Blackhawk Park.
The sun was shining brightly above as we began our hike in -4 degree temperatures. My weather app said the “feels like” temp was -20. Yup! I agree, it is cold but dang, it is beautiful out.
We followed the trail from the parking lot towards Blackhawk Lake.
Lots of small animal footprints decorated the snow atop Blackhawk Lake.
We crossed over the bridge quickly due to the wind.
My cousin and I had the park to ourselves. Our boots crunching on the snow made for a loud hike. We scared all the squirrels and birds away, lol.
Morning sunrise
After looping around the lake we decided it was best to stop for the day. Our eyelashes were coated with frost.
Today’s hiking adventure was 1.6 miles.
Today’s hiking adventure began at the Minnehaha Falls.
Old man winter has arrived! A beautiful dusting of snow covered a more sinister layer of ice on the trail.
Not too many people were out this morning.
The old stone incinerator
The Ford Bridge and Lock and Dam No. 1 on the Mississippi River.
We continued along the trail towards Mni Owe Sni/Coldwater Spring.
Plants slightly bowed under the weight of the snow.
Mni Owe Sni/Coldwater Spring
We looped back towards our starting point.
The Ford Bridge and Mississippi River flowing below.
Last stop…Minnehaha Falls.
Even the wild turkeys were enjoying the falls!
Today’s hiking adventure was 3.9 miles.
We hiked Kawishiwi Falls for the first time on October 19th, 2024.
The trail was full of fallen leaves.
Kawishiwi Falls
We hiked up towards the power plant. The lake was so calm.
We followed the trail away from the falls. There were a few signs with bullet holes through them.
There were quite a few trees where the roots wrapped around boulders.
This was my favorite picture. I have never seen a pine or conifer cone growing from the ground.
Our fall hike was 1.8 miles.
On January 31st, 2025, we returned to Kawishiwi Falls for a winter hike.
It was a beautiful sunny day.
Kawishiwi Falls was covered in snow.
We completed the loop and made our way back to our starting point.
Our winter hike was .84 miles.
We hiked the Bass Lake Hiking Trail on January 31st, 2025.
We were a bit hesitant to begin our hike as we saw the trail was shared by snowmobilers. Thankfully, the share trail was rather short, and we were able to veer off quickly.
The day was absolutely beautiful!
The snow coated the ground like a warm blanket.
Up, Up, Up the cliffs we went. The views were breathtaking.
We could hear Dry Falls trickling down through the rocks under the snow. Only a bit of unfrozen water at the base of the falls.
Snowmobile trails could be seen across Bass Lake.
Dry Lake Trail became a bit tough to hike as it appeared less used. We decided to hike across Dry Lake to see if we could catch the trail on the other side. The view did not disappoint!
We made our way across Dry Lake to Little Dry Lake. From there, we reconnected with the trail. Up the cliff, down the cliff and back to our starting point.
Our hiking adventure was 3.7 miles.
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.
The Historic Lighthouse
Our hiking adventure was .27 miles.
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.
Our hiking adventure was .52 miles.
We hiked Kingsbury Creek Trail on January 30th, 2025.
The trail started right near the Duluth Zoo. We made our way around the outside of the zoo’s fence before veering off onto the main trail. Unfortunately, we didn’t see any animals.
It was a beautiful winter day to hike. The sun was shining brightly, and the temperature was a bit above freezing. It felt like a mini heat wave as we made our way along the trail.
The trail led us towards Spirit Mountain. Several people skiing were taking advantage of the gorgeous day as well.
We looped back towards our starting point.
We passed a sign in someone’s yard that made us laugh.
Today’s hiking adventure was 2.8 miles.
Today’s hiking adventure was at Lebanon Hills Regional Park.
Our hike was a bit warmer this week, but not by much. The sun kept trying to make itself known through the clouds.
We hiked along the Voyageur Trail.
The park was busy with hikers, people ice fishing, and ice skating. The great part about Lebanon Hills is there are so many different trails that people fade into the distance as quickly as you see them.
Today’s hiking adventure was 5 miles.
Today’s hiking adventure was at Veteran’s Park.
The temperature was a bit chilly today, -4 F with the air feeling like -12 F. With the sun shining, we set off on a short but beautiful winter hike.
The moon was still high in the sky as we hiked around Legion Lake.
After hiking around the lake, we decided to hike on the frozen lake.
Our hike ended at the Veterans Memorial.
Today’s hiking adventure was 2.9 miles.
Today’s hiking adventure was at Minnehaha Falls Park.
Minnesota received a wonderful blanket of fluffy snow this week. The temperature has been staying pretty cold, too. With that said, I knew Minnehaha Falls would look amazing and it did!
We hiked across Highland Bridge taking in the view of the Mississippi River below.
Getting to the trails along the river is a bit tricky in the winter. The park closes off the staircases leading down to the trails. We jumped over their “suggested closure” and carried on with our hike.
Minnehaha Creek
The trail led us back to the Minnehaha Falls.
Today’s hiking adventure was 2.3 miles.
Today’s hiking adventure was at Bassett Creek Park.
Minnesota was hit with a snow storm earlier this week. Today might be our last hike with snow coverage before it melts for the season.
We hiked along the nicely paved trails crossing over Bassett Creek.
The trail looped around Bassett Creek Pond.
Once on the east side of the pond, we left the park to cross over Highway 100.
Briarwood Nature Area, in the city of Golden Valley, greeted us on the other side of the highway.
We looped around Briarwood Nature Area, crossing over Bassett Creek again.
The clouds dissipated as we made our way back to Bassett Creek Park. We hiked up the snow covered hill on the west side of the park. At the top of the hill, the tall buildings in Downtown Minneapolis could be seen in the distance.
Two snowmen waved us on as we passed by.
As we made our way back to our starting point, we hiked a very muddy trail alongside Bassett Creek.
Today’s hiking adventure was 4.5 miles.
Today’s hiking adventure was at Murphy-Hanrehan Park Reserve.
Minnesota received a nice coating of snow this week. Thankfully, we were able to enjoy a hike before all the snow melted.
Frost formed on downed sticks and leaves. Nature never seems to stop amazing me.
The park was rather quiet today. We didn’t see any wildlife however, we could hear a nearby woodpecker and we saw lots of footprints that were left in the snow.
If you are looking for a park with lots of hills, this is your park! I also like all the small lakes they have close to the trails too.
We closed out the loop and made our way back to our starting point.
Today’s hiking adventure was 4.3 miles.
Today’s hiking adventure was at Battle Creek Regional Park.
Snow. Snow. SNOW! Minnesota has gotten so much snow this winter. We shall rename our state Minnesnowta. Snow fell throughout our entire hike. It sure was beautiful though.
We started our hike through part of the dog park. Ski trails win during the winter months at most parks. Sometimes finding the winter hiking trails takes a bit of map reading, exploring unusual areas, and hoping for the best. Once on the other side of the dog park, we hiked for a bit on the paved trail.
The ice on the trail was definitely covered by the fresh snow. I fell once, then my cousin and I both fell at the same time. We had a good laugh and then put on our Yaktrax. The next photo cracks me up. This is my proof of my tumble.
The paved trail ended and we were then hiking on the side of the road. The park was on our right and we could see there was an unpaved trail up on the hill, but how do we get there? Well, we made our own trail. Up the hill we hiked, and we were not disappointed.
The unpaved trail looped us up and down the hills and through the forest. We jumped back on the paved trail once we reached Battle Creek. The fresh snow, the flowing creek, and the sandstone bluffs created a beautiful winter wonderland.
With the creek flowing next to us, we continued our adventure on the paved trail.
A bright red Cardinal graced our presence.
We continued on the paved trail until we reached our starting point.
Today’s hiking adventure was 6.4 miles.
Today’s hiking adventure began at Purgatory Creek Park.
We hiked Purgatory Creek Park this past summer and loved it! So of course, we had to see how everything looked covered in snow. Wow! We were not disappointed. A happy face greeted us as soon as we hit the trail.
The paved trail was covered in ice. Thankfully, we had our Yaktrax in our bags so we slipped them on. It was our first time wearing our Yaktrax and we could not believe how amazingly they worked.
We veered off the main trail towards a narrow bridge which crossed over part of the lake. Most of the lake was frozen except near the bridge.
Back on the paved trail, it was interesting to see leaves still on the trees.
We took another detour off the main path. There was a narrow walkway that led to an overlook of the wildlife area.
We continued our hike towards Staring Lake.
We hiked on the frozen Staring Lake.
The trees looked so beautiful covered in snow. At times, a gentle breeze would blow the snow off the trees which would catch the sunlight creating a glittery winter wonderland all around us.
We hiked back to our starting point crossing over the partially frozen creek.
Today’s hiking adventure was 7.4 miles.
This past year, my cousin and I hiked 36 Minnesota State Parks and 30 different Parks and Trails. Whether it was raining, snowing, or the sun was shining…we hiked. Our hiking adventures accumulated to a total of 348 miles in 2022!
Minnehaha Falls-Minneapolis
Crow-Hassan Park Reserve-Rogers
Cottage Grove Ravine Regional Park-Cottage Grove
St. Croix State Park-Hinckley
Elba Fire Tower-Elba
Great River Bluffs State Park-Winona
Forestville/Mystery Cave State Park-Preston
Myre-Big Island State Park-Albert Lea
Blue Mounds State Park-Luverne
Broken Down Dam Park-Fergus Falls
Lake Shetek State Park-Currie
Upper Sioux Agency State Park-Granite Falls
Big Stone Lake State Park-Ortonville
Glacial Lakes State Park-Starbuck
Sibley State Park-New London
Flandrau State Park-New Ulm
Charles A. Lindbergh State Park-Little Falls
Crow Wing State Park-Brainerd
Quarry Park and Nature Preserve-Waite Park
Banning State Park-Sandstone
Salem Hills Park-Inver Grove Heights
Theodore Wirth Regional Park-Golden Valley
Louisville Swamp-Shakopee
Happy New Year! Cheers to more adventures in 2023!
Minnesota had its first rainstorm of the year yesterday. During the overnight hours the rain turned to snow. I woke up to a magical winter wonderland of snow covered ice. Due to the icy roads, I decided to stay close to home. Richfield Lake is a small lake with a paved path surrounding it.
With a variety of trees and plant life covered in a fresh thick layer of snow, a winter paradise was created.
Raindrops froze in place overnight.
Several crossing bridges around the lake allow access to the surrounding neighborhoods.
There are plenty of places to rest and enjoy the view.
Many different species of birds and small wildlife call Richfield Lake home throughout the year. Today I was able to capture rabbit tracks in the snow.
Today’s winter wonderland hiking adventure was 3 miles.
Even though the temperature was 10 degrees, the wind chill took it to a -12 this morning. Gray clouds covered the sky as we started our hiking adventure this morning at Reservoir Woods. Without any maps posted of the Reservoir Woods Trail we quickly found ourselves hiking off the paved trail and into the woods.
The snow covered trail allowed us to walk under the mighty pine trees. We even found a holiday decorated tree. Once through the pine tree grove we began hiking again on the paved Reservoir Woods Trail until we reached Lake McCarrons.
We continued our hike across the frozen lake. A beautiful fox jetted out and ran past us until it reached the middle of the lake. The fox watched us as we continued our hike to the other side of the lake.
The Trout Brook Regional Trail began once we reached the other side of the lake. The Trout Brook Creek was only partially frozen allowing ducks to gather by the dozens.
With our cheeks feeling like a thousand bee stings, we ended our hiking adventure at 5.9 miles.
Today’s hiking adventure was at one of my favorite parks, Lebanon Hills. The trails wind around many different lakes and ponds allowing for diverse landscapes. With the sun shining on us as we hiked, it felt much warmer than 14 degrees.
The best part of hiking in the morning is catching the sun rise up through the trees.
There is something almost magical about hiking across frozen lakes. Being able to stop in the middle of the lake offers such a different perspective. Today we were able to explore a small island on one of the lakes we visited.
We ended our adventure after hiking 5.5 miles. Pausing for a moment, we watched several swans swim around a small section of water on Lake Holland that wasn’t frozen due to the water being aerated.
Neaton Adventures 