Midwest

Hiking, Lists, Midwest, Minnesota, Minnesota State Parks, New

2023 Minnesota Hiking Trails Wish List

Posted on

Do you have a hiking bucket list this year?
Let me know what trails are on your list in the comments!

Do you have a hiking bucket list?

I love having goals, and my love of goals means there’s nothing more exciting than having a themed bucket list or two (…hundred). On a quest to complete at least 10 new trails this year, I’ve compiled a small but mighty list of my bucket list hikes for Minnesota. 

Whether you’re a seasoned hiker or wanting to get into it, I recommend adding the following hikes need to your list, too! I’ll add photos of the hikes as we complete them!

Table of Contents

1. Oberg Mountain

Superior National Forest | Tofte, MN

2.3 miles | Loop Trail

Are you ready for a trail that offers both the most beautiful view of Lake Superior and one of the best fall views along the North Shore in Minnesota?  On the Oberg Mountain loop, you’ll get to experience both the astonishing views of Lake Superior and one of the most picturesque lakes in the state, Oberg Lake.  Visiting in the fall season gives you the most scenic fall color views in the Midwest.

One of the most popular trails in Minnesota, Oberg Mountain will not disappoint.  Generally considered an easy-to-moderate hike, this trail is friendly to both beginners and advanced hikers alike. 

Trailhead address: Superior Hiking Trail Oberg Mountain Loop, Tofte, MN 55615

2. Crosby Lake Inner

Crosby Farm Regional Park | St. Paul, MN

2.5 miles | Loop Trail

Would you have guessed that Minnesota has slot canyons?  No need to go all the way to Moab if you don’t want to, there’s one right over in St. Paul! 

To access the slot canyon, you’ll start at Crosby Farm Regional Park.  The 2.5 mile Crosby Lake Inner Loop trail will lead you there. Plan for an hour or so, and feel free to bring the whole family (including your leashed four-legged friends)!  Note the trail is pretty uneven and not ADA accessible.

Be sure to bring your binoculars and get ready for some awesome birding along the way. 

Trailhead address: 2595 Crosby Farm Rd, St Paul, MN 55116

3. Kadunce River Wayside Trail

Grand Marais, MN

1.1 miles | Out and Back Trail

Minnesota also has gorges!  Follow alongside (or on the riverbed in the fall when the water level is low) the Kadunce River around 1.1 miles to a stunning waterfall in northeast Minnesota.  This may be a short hike, but the views and differential experience of hiking inside a gorge is rare in Minnesota and should be taken advantage of.

Seeing the varying foliage and vantage points within this hike (as there are two options: alongside and on the riverbed) will make this hike unforgettable. 

Trailhead address: Superior Hiking Trail Kadunce Riv Spur, Grand Marais, MN 55604

4. Lost Forty

Chippewa National Forest | Wirt, MN

1.9 miles | Loop Trail

This beautiful interpretive trail will take you amongst Minnesota’s oldest trees.  The Lost Forty is one of Minnesota’s best kept secrets.  It’s a Scientific and Natural Area protected by the Minnesota DNR.  The only reason this exists is because, during the logging era, a land surveyor accidentally missed adding these 40 acres to a logging planning map.  Thus, the state’s oldest (over 240 years), biggest (115″ circumference), and tallest (120′ high) trees reside in the special area within the Chippewa National Forest.

This area is so special, I can’t wait to go back in time on this hike. 

Trailhead address: 47.766335, -94.084050

5. Carver Rapids

Ney Nature Center | Henderson, MN

4.4 miles | Loop Trail

This 4.4 mile loop is a combination of pieces of all of the trails within Ney Nature Center, located in southern Minnesota.  Here you can see historic farm grounds, forests, hills, and varying terrain, a river, and peaceful gardens. 

I’m looking forward to this trail because we love history!  It will be awesome to read all of the interpretive boards and view the historical farm buildings along the way. 

Trailhead address: 28238 Nature Center Ln, Henderson, MN 56044 

6. Sugar Loaf Bluff

Winona, MN

1.2 miles | Out and Back Trail

Located in the driftless region of southeastern Minnesota lies the town of Winona, home to towering Sugar Load Bluff.  Due to its steep hike, this trail is considered moderate difficulty.  The views from the bluff are spectacular and overlook both the city of Winona and surrounding picturesque valleys and hills. 

I’m excited about this trail because my family and I went on this for my mom’s birthday when we were kids, and it was one of my favorite memories growing up.

Trailhead address: 825 E Lake Blvd, Winona, MN 55987 

7. Silver Creek

Jay Cooke State Park | Carlton, MN

3.4 miles | Loop Trail

Jay Cooke State Park is arguably one of the most popular and beautiful state parks in the state of Minnesota.  Silver Creek is Jay Cooke State Park’s designated hiking club trail, and is certainly one of its most popular as it takes hikers over the most beautiful suspension bridge for unforgettable views of the St. Louis River. 

What draws me to this trail is its terrain diversity: from paved to over the suspension bridge, rocky near the river, and rolling hills. 

Trailhead address: 780 MN-210, Carlton, MN 55718 

8. Loon Island Trail

Lake Shetek State Park | Currie, MN

1.4 miles | Loop Trail

Lake Shetek State Park is located in southwest Minnesota.  The Loon Island Trail starts with a sand causeway and loops around an island within the state park.  This trail is considered easy due to its flat and consistent terrain. Be sure to bring swimming gear so you can hop in the beautiful lake after your hike! 

I love that this trail will take you through a diverse landscape: sandy beaches, wooded forests, and by cattailed wetlands.

Trailhead address: 44.108503, -95.697676 

9. Bass and Dry Lake Loop

Superior National Forest | Ely, MN

6.3 miles | Loop Trail

Located in the beautiful Superior National Forest in Ely, MN, is Bass Lake and Dry Lake.  This trail offers beautiful views of pristine Minnesota lakes and rocky landscapes.  This trail is considered to be moderate to strenuous, as there are many hills and rocky terrain, but note it’s worth the challenge to see the amazing views!  Along the way, you’ll run into five scenic lookouts and three opportunities for a designated restroom. 

What excites me about this trail is that you can take a dip in the water once you reach the waterfalls!  And, as someone who is just recently getting into backpacking, there are three non-reservable sites along the trail to camp at: one on Dry Lake and two on Bass Lake, all within 0.5 miles from each other. 

Trailhead address: 1548 Echo Trail, Ely, MN 55731 

10. Dakota Trails Loop

Whitewater State Park | Altura, MN

4.2 miles | Loop Trail

Whitewater State Park is located in the southeast corner of Minnesota.  Known for being a “bluffy” area of the state, hikes around here are some of the most scenic you’ll find in Minnesota.  Being in bluff country also means the trails are typically a little steeper and challenging too. 

What I’m most excited about with this trail is the diverse scenery to be experienced: overlooks, rivers, beautiful trees, limestone formations, and flora variety.

Trailhead address: 19041 MN-74, St Charles, MN 55972

2023 MN Hikes Bucket List

Download this bucket list here!

Bonus: Kawishiwi Falls

Superior National Forest | Winton, MN

1 mile | Loop Trail

Love waterfalls too?  You will LOVE the hike to Kawishiwi Falls in the Superior National Forest.  It’s a short but sweet 1 mile mellow hike to view this spectacular and massive waterfall.

Trailhead address: 444 Fernberg Rd, Ely, MN 55731

Bonus: Superior Hiking Trail Sections

Northeast Minnesota

Thru-Hiking Trail

The Superior Hiking Trail is a scenic 300+ mile trail in northern Minnesota.  Hikers have the option to complete the SHT by way of thru-hiking, section hiking, or day hiking.  Hikes range anywhere from 4.8 to 11.8 miles, giving us a wide range of options to choose from. 

The exciting part about having any section or day hike of the Superior Hiking Trail on this list is that the possibilities are endless!  Oberg Loop, mentioned above, is part of the Superior Hiking Trail as well, but I’m really excited to continue researching and add another bit of the SHT to my list this year.  

Are you doing any part of the SHT this year?  Let me know where in the comments! 

Blogmas, Midwest, Minnesota, Twin Cities

Indoor Recreation Activities for the Wintertime | Blogmas 2022

Posted on

Blogmas 2022 - Post No. 4

December 4th! Blogmas Day 4. Today’s post is about Indoor Recreation Activities for the Wintertime. Something that is definitely needed on the days the temps dip below zero, especially for us, as we get antsy and bored if we have to sit at home multiple days in a row. 

So if you get antsy like we do, here are a few indoor recreation ideas for those extra cold days. 

Indoor Recreation Activities for the Wintertime

Indoor Rock Climbing

Today, Eric and I went indoor rock climbing at the Minneapolis Vertical Endeavors. The Minneapolis location is bouldering-only, which is usually our favorite type climbing, so it felt so good to be moving like that again!

Here are some Minnesota local rock climbing gyms for you to check out: 

Curling

Curling is another amazing workout of a recreational activity that’s done indoors. A surprising workout, this activity will warm you up as soon as you get started. And there are quite a few curling centers around Minnesota: 

The best way to try curling is through a Learn to Curl class, so check your local curling center’s schedule for their open times! 

Ice Skating / Ice Hockey

Anyone else who grew up in Minnesota grow up on the ice as well? Or is that just us? And we love it. 

If you live anywhere that has consistently cold weather, you’ve likely walked or driven by an outdoor ice skating or hockey rink. Here in Minnesota, it seems like we have one on every corner, and that’s great! We are the State of Hockey, after all 🙂

But on the days where it’s way too cold to be skating outside, indoor ice skating and ice hockey rinks are prime. And if you live in the Midwest, there’s a good chance you have an indoor rink in your area too. Be sure to check out your local rink’s schedule for Open Skate times to be able to drop in and skate inside to stay warm when the weather outside is frightful.

And many more...

There are so many other recreational activities that take place indoors too, such as…

  • Bowling
  • Swimming
  • Track
  • Basketball
  • Tennis / Racquetball / Pickleball
  • Dance classes
  • Yoga

Just to name a few! Community Centers, Parks & Recreation Departments, Recreation Centers, and Fitness facilities are all great resources for indoor recreation and non-recreational activities to keep you busy throughout the winter.

Want more wintertime activities? Check out these posts:

Indoor Recreation Activities for the Wintertime vertical
Blogmas, Lists, Midwest, Minnesota, New

Our Midwest Winter Wish List​ | Blogmas 2022

Posted on

Blogmas 2022 - Post No. 3

It’s December 3rd – Day 3 of blogmas! Today I’m sharing our Midwest Winter ’22-’23 Wish List – a list of some things Eric and I would love to do this winter season! Hopefully there will be something on the list that you’d like to do too (or to try if you haven’t already). If you have a list too, I’d love to see it!

I spent a majority of the day messing with optimization again, mostly focusing on images this time. I had a realization midway through that Facebook users get different views from their links that vary based on whether a person profile or a Page profile shared the link. For example, if a person profile (such as my personal Facebook account) shares a link, then the image is shown to the left of the link preview and is vertical. And if a Page profile (such as the VolkmanAdventures Page) shares a link, then the image is shown on top of the link preview and is a completely different size (and is horizontal). Eye. Roll. In my opinion. Why can’t they just both be the same? Due to this, I made the decision to update the featured images of the last five blog posts from vertical to horizontal, so now there should be some consistency and formality regardless of whether a person or a page shares any links. Yay! 

Winter 2022-2023 Wish List

Skiing at Big Powderhorn Mountain (Michigan)

We have the Indy Pass again this winter season and wow how they have grown this year! They’ve double their resorts within the Midwest region here, giving us Minnesotans even more opportunities to explore the snowy areas around us. And top of our wish list this year is Big Powderhorn Mountain Resort in Bessemer, MI.

Big Powderhorn Mountain Resort is located in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and around a 4hr 45min drive from us here in the Twin Cities. Not too terrible of a drive as it goes through the beautiful northern part of Wisconsin, with plenty of parks and places to stop along the way. 

Eric and I have been to Big Powderhorn in the past, and it instantly had risen to the top of our “Favorite Places to Ski and Snowboard” lists. (Oh! I don’t have a post on that yet!) Therefore, we can’t wait to get back there – which will hopefully be this season. 

Check out their page, here!

*Update: Since this post went live, we now have plans to go! 🙂

Snowshoeing at Afton State Park (Minnesota)

Snowshoeing is something we haven’t done all that often as of yet, but is something we’re growing fond of! Once of the best Minnesota State Parks south of Duluth to visit in the winter season is Afton State Park in Hastings, MN.

We have been to Afton State Park once many years ago, and it was during the winter season. We didn’t have snowshoes at the time and definitely wished we did! This park offers multiple trail options, and over 10 miles of those trails can be used my snowshoers as well. Plus, you can snowshoe off trail in this park to add even more miles to your trek, which is pretty cool!

See the Willow River Cascades Frozen at Willow River State Park (Wisconsin)

Frozen waterfalls are so so SO beautiful! Eric and I stopped at a frozen waterfall last January – at Cascade River State Park in Lutsen, MN and instantly loved them. We were lucky enough to be driving in the northern Wisconsin area a few months later and was able to see another frozen waterfall again, this time at Amnicon Falls State Park in South Range, WI.

So we want to see even more! 

There’s a park just across the border in Wisconsin that has been on our bucket list for a while, and it happens to also have an amazing and large cascading waterfall. I can’t even imagine how amazing these falls are in the winter. 

The park is called Willow River State Park and it’s in Hudson, WI. Willow River SP is a popular park with miles and miles of scenic trails and a gorgeous river that carved through sandstone to create Willow River and Little Falls Lake. 

Go Skiing Somewhere We've Never Been

We LOVE skiing and snowboarding. It’s been a big part of our history since we’ve been together, and we try to get out as much as we can each season.

And though we have been to many of the slopes around us here in Minnesota, there are so many more that we can’t wait to try out! 

If you’re looking for new places to ski or snowboard this season, here are a few places in the Midwest that caught our attention: 

Snowshoe Once per Week

As mentioned earlier, we’re relatively new to snowshoeing, having only done it a handful of times over the past few years. We’ve learned that it’s a hidden gem of an activity that provides quite a workout each time.

And best of all, snowshoeing can be done anywhere! As long as you have snow, the world is your oyster. You don’t even need a designated trail. In fact, you can even help with other trails, like fat tire bike trails, by going out on the trail first to start packing the snow after a fresh snowfall.

Because it’s such a good workout and so easy to do in your own backyard (or anywhere with snow), I couldn’t not add this to my winter wish list. 

Winter Hike the Superior Hiking Trail (Minnesota)

Winter hiking is a new love of ours. We’ve found that hiking in chilly (not freezing haha) weather is much more refreshing, comfortable, and energizing than hiking on a hot summer day. So we’re thrilled that winter weather hiking season is now here! Another big goal of ours is to hike the Superior Hiking Trail, so why not do both at once? 

The Superior Hiking Trail (SHT) is an incredibly scenic route that spans 310 miles, with one end at Jay Cooke State Park in Carlton, MN, and the other end at the Canadian border where it connects with the 4,800 mile North Country Trail. 

I’d love to hike the SHT in its entirety (over time), and hiking it in the winter sounds like the best, not to mention the least buggy, time to do it. 

Our Midwest Winter Wish List