Minneapolis: Minnehaha Falls to the Mississippi River
You can take a two-mile walk from Minnehaha Falls to the Mississippi River and hardly know you’re in a city.
Hiking
Short Hike to the Falls, Cascade River State Park
The waterfall of the Cascade River State Park is a short hike from the North Shore’s Highway 61. A beautiful contrast to the black basalt stone of the gorge.
Walking the Carleton College Arboretum
The Carleton College Arboretum provides miles of great hiking, as well as a chance to explore typical Minnesota woods and prairie ecosystems.
The Oberg Mountain Trail: Fall Colors on the North Shore
A walk around the Oberg Mountain Trail near Tofte will give you great views of the North Shore fall colors below.
Temperance River State Park
The deep gorge of the Temperance River, carved over millennia in the hard basalt, is a dramatic backdrop for several waterfalls, and a great hike.
Gooseberry Falls State Park
One of the most popular stopping spots as you make your way up the North Shore of Lake Superior, Gooseberry Falls makes for an easy walk and a rewarding view.
The Devil’s Kettle, Judge C.R. Magney State Park
It’s a bit of a hike, and a lot of steps, to see one of the real geological oddities of Minnesota, the Devil’s Kettle at Magney State Park.
The Waterfalls at Tettegouche State Park
If you want a view of the highest waterfall in Minnesota at Tettegouche State Park, be prepared for an uphill hike of 1.5 miles, one way. If you want to see the park’s other falls, that will make the hike about five miles.
Hiking Lake Shetek State Park
Lake Shetek is the largest lake in southwestern Minnesota and the Lake Shetek State Park that borders its east side makes for ample recreation opportunities. I showed up in late … Read more
A Walk in Blue Mounds State Park
The Blue Mounds State Park in the far southwest corner of the state can be at once one of the less difficult yet most rewarding of the Minnesota State Parks trails.
Blue Mounds and Minneopa State Park, near Mankato, are the two parks where bison have been reintroduced, so there’s an obvious added attraction–if you’re lucky enough to get close enough to get a good look.