MicroAdventures

Lists, MicroAdventures, Minnesota

Minnesota Spring Bucket List

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Fresh air and physical movement are so incredibly important for our wellbeing. Spring is a beautiful time of year here in the midwest where the snow is melting, the birds are flying back, and flowers and trees are coming back to life. 

Spring can also be a weird time where the ground is mushy and it’s raining a lot, making it a difficult season to think of things to do! And I would love to offer some spring activities for you to try. Keep this list close if you’re still deciding how to spend your spring days – there’s a free download at the end of the post!

Hop outside with these spring activities!

  • PLANT A TREE
  • GO ON A NATURE WALK OR HIKE
  • HAVE A PICNIC
  • ATTEND AN OUTDOOR CONCERT
  • SPLASH IN THE RAIN
  • PLANT A VEGETABLE GARDEN
  • GO ON A BIKE RIDE
  • FEED THE DUCKS (PROPERLY)
  • DRAW WITH SIDEWALK CHALK
  • ATTEND A FARMERS MARKET
  • PUT UP A HUMMINGBIRD FEEDER
  • CLEAN UP A LOCAL PARK
  • GO GEOCACHING
  • GO FISHING
  • VISIT A WATERFALL
  • PLAY A YARD GAME
  • EXPLORE A NEW PARK
  • PLANT A FLOWER GARDEN
  • GO DISC GOLFING
  • FLY A KITE
  • GO TO AN ART FESTIVAL
  • VISIT A MAPLE SYRUP FARM

What are your favorite spring outdoor activities? Let me know in the comments!

Click here for free download!

MN Spring Checklist
Lists, MicroAdventures, Minnesota, Minnesota State Parks, New

These 6 Parks have the Best Winter Activities around Alexandria

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Disclosure: Though Explore Alex graciously comped our weekend, the following thoughts and opinions are our own and are not in any way influenced by these factors.

Welcome to Alexandria and Douglas County in Minnesota!

Located north east of the Twin Cities by about two hours is this beautiful micropolitan. Nestled within 300+ lakes, more than 500 miles of recreational trails, and over 25 parks (two of which are State Parks), there are endless recreational opportunities for all types of explorers!

Here are a few ways you can enjoy winter at six of their local parks:

Table of Contents

Andes Tower Hills

Andes Tower Hills started in 1980, and has been an amazing addition to the community, hosting over a million skiers over time, ever since. Their mission statement includes “To offer a family friendly relationship building environment that creates positive long-lasting memories,” and you can feel that as soon as you walk in the door. If you can, try to speak with Tom “Hollywood” Anderson for a few moments – his father and uncle started Andes Tower Hills in 1980 – he was such a joy to speak with, and taught us so much about the facility and surrounding area.

With 15 downhill runs, there are options for all abilities! There are also four chairlifts equally spread throughout the hill, so we never felt like we had to wait to go up. Our favorite runs were Big Ben, Serendipity, Hawaiian Cruise, and the Big Dipper.

Throughout the week, the facility hosts hundreds of school groups and other groups seeking to learn how to downhill ski or snowboard, too. Likewise, they receive a lot of visitors from North and South Dakota due to its central location and proximity to those states. Due to their ever-increasing popularity, the chalet has recently doubled in size, allowing for even more visitors to rent, locker, eat, shop, and warm up inside.

If you prefer something else, Andes Tower Hills also offers snow tubing (and Neon Nights Tubing), snowshoeing, and nearly 10 miles of cross-country trails!

Man & Woman at Ski Lift
Skis on Ski Lift
Eric at Top of Hill
View of Ski Runs
Rental Skis
View from the Top

Big Ole Central Park

When you come to Alexandria, you have to visit Big Ole, an iconic 28-foot tall Viking statue on the south shore of Lake Agnes. According to the plaque that stands beside him, Big Ole was originally “created to accompany the Kensington Rune Stone to the New York World’s Fair in 1965.”

Big Ole Central Park is in the heart of the city, and a beautiful place to start your visit! In the snowy months, take the opportunity to snowshoe around the park, or stop by while snowmobiling on the Central Lakes Trail which goes through the park. In the summer, visit the Alexandria Farmers Market, have a picnic with lake views, or play a game in the green space.

Winter in Alexandria
View down Central Park
Trail Map
View of Lake Agnes from Park

Glacial Lakes State Park

Though we didn’t visit Glacial Lakes State Park on this trip, we did stay here back in 2017. I wanted to ensure this park was included on the list because we would recommend it! Learn more about our previous visit here.

We enjoyed this smaller Minnesota State Park, especially for its ease of access and navigation. The trails were a great mix of level and steep, depending on which way you went (unfortunately a trail map wasn’t available at the time at the ranger station or online, so I do not know the names), and always had great views and areas to explore.

There are also signs around the park to give you its history, so our plan when we return to this park is to check out all of the glacier-formed kettle lakes and continue to learn about the history of this area.

Winter activities include hiking, cross country skiing, snowmobiling, snowshoeing, and ice fishing.

Glacial Lakes Sign
Glacial Lakes Boots On Firepit
Glacial Lakes SP Canoes
Glacial Lakes SP View From Top Of Hill
Glacial Lakes SP Mardys Trail
Glacial Lakes SP Cabin
Glacial Lakes SP Signalness Lake

Kensington Rune Stone Park

Welcome to Kensington Runestone Park, one of Minnesota’s greatest hidden gems. This 300+ acre farmland-turned-county park provides endless opportunities for recreation all year long!

Here in the snowy months, you can explore the visitor center, cross-country ski, fat tire bike, sled, and snowshoe. In the warmer months, you can explore the visitor center, bike, mountain bike, run, picnic, or play at the playground.

We spent the day fat tire biking and checking out the visitor center. Our fat tire bikes were from Jake’s Bikes, and we were lucky enough to have Jake deliver them himself. You can tell the passion for biking that Jake has, and we learned a lot about the area and the sport by speaking with him beforehand. It was our first time on a true fat fire bike trail, so we stayed on the Olaf Ohman and Bifrost trails, which are the two beginner-most fat tire/mountain biking trails in the park. What a challenging and exhilarating sport! We’re excited to try it again someday.

Not only are there ample recreation opportunities, but this park is also the site of one of Minnesota’s greatest mysteries – the Kensington Runestone, discovered in the late 1800’s. More about this can be learned within the visitor center, which is heated and open year round.

Fat tire bike in snow by lake
Fat tire bike in snow by lake
Eric & Elissa by Bike Trail Map
Inside the Rune Stone Visitor Center

Lake Carlos State Park

This State Park holds a very special place in our hearts as Eric has been camping here annually since ~2007 with his “second family,” and I started joining them whenever possible within the last 10 years too!

Lake Carlos State Park is a great nature retreat for those seeking adventure in the Great Outdoors! It is nicely secluded on the north end of Lake Carlos, and offers many outdoor activities, no matter the season.

The wintertime activities the park has to offer are snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, and snowmobiling. Snowshoeing is open to the entire 1,231 acre park. There are 6 miles of groomed ski trails, and the 9 miles of snowmobile trails that are on the park connect to Douglas County trails so you can make an entire weekend from activities solely in the park if you want!

We took advantage of the good snow conditions while we visited, and strapped on the snowshoes to see what winter sights we could catch. It turns out there was lots to see, and we just barely scratched the surface. There were also many fish houses out on the lake, not far from the park.

In the summer, the park has a swimming beach, horse trails, and lots of boat parking for your summer camping getaway!

Lake Carlos sunset on ice
Elissa snowshoeing
Restroom building

Noonan Park

When you think of winter in Minnesota, you can’t help but think about pond hockey. And what better place to play than Noonan Park! During the cold months, the pond freezes over and is home to both ice skating and ice hockey, as well as ample snowshoeing and winter hiking options. In the summer, you can experience beautiful flower gardens with a lively pond, a playground with an awesome playhouse (the “Duck Inn”), and walking trails all around.

The Douglas County Historical Society shared that Noonan Park was given to the city by Philip and Mollie Noonan (a successful local businessman) with the agreement that the space would remain a public park. The Noonans paid for the initial landscaping and took care of the park from 1937 until it was donated to the city in 1943.

Duck Inn at Noonan Park
Ice skating rink at Noonan Park

Have you been to the Alexandria or Douglas County area? What parks would you recommend visiting?

MicroAdventures, Minnesota, Minnesota State Parks, New

Mankato River Ramble – a Great MN Cycling Experience

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It finally happened! Eric and I have been wanting to participate in a MN cycling event for years! We were even signed up for two, but life happened and we weren’t able to. 

That is, until the Mankato River Ramble came along. 

What an invigorating experience!

First greeted by the energetic and motivating volunteers, I was directed toward a large event check-in tent at Land of Memories Park. After checking in, I enjoyed some refreshments, snacks, and amazing live music before hitting the trail. 

This is the first time I’ve ever done an event like this, so I was feeling a little nervous. 

Though I did the smaller of the trails, called the “Minneopa Falls Loop,” it was one of the most diversely scenic 12 mile bike rides of my life. We rode through beautiful hills, to a waterfall, to a ski hill, and around through town.

And I’d love to share my 3 favorite views and experiences with you!

Stop 1 - Minneopa State Park

Biking distance from Land of Memories Park = 3.3 miles.

This was the most difficult part of the entire ride, so lucky for me it was in the beginning. If I’m being honest, I actually almost gave up on the way here! But I’m glad I didn’t because it was an easier ride once we got to Minneopa SP.

Eric and I bike often, but never in such hilly places, so I really had to fine-tune my gear shifting abilities fast. I have an older road bike that doesn’t shift as smooth as others, but once I figured those gears out, the rest of the ride was much more pleasant. 

Minneopa State Park is one of southern Minnesota’s best kept secrets. Just 5.9 miles from downtown, be sure to have this beautiful park on your itinerary. Visit in the summer or fall to view the free-roaming bison, visit in the spring to see the stunning Minneopa Falls, and visit any time of year to experience their nearly 5 miles of hiking trails and endless snowshoeing opportunities.

Stop 2 - Mount Kato

Biking distance from Minneopa State Park = 4 miles.

The stretch between Minneopa State Park and Mount Kato were the most scenic parts of the ride. First following the South Route Trail adjacent to CR 90 (Hawthorn Rd), you will then connect with the Red Jacket Trail. Be ready and make sure your brakes are good as you head toward the end of the South Route Trail, however, because you do not want to be caught off guard by this frightening 5.1% incline. The breeze through your hair during this segment feels amazing, though!

For fans of outdoor recreation, Mankato has a great skiing, snowboarding, tubing, and biking mountain right outside the city, aptly named Mount Kato. The mountain consists of 19 trails of varying difficulty, from the bunny hill to difficult black diamonds. There are 4 terrain parks for practicing your skills, and 8 chair lifts to get you back up to your favorite runs as quick as possible. Open in both winter and summer seasons, you’ll be able to take advantage of the mountain no matter when you visit!

Stop 3 - Sibley Park

Biking distance from Mount Kato = 3.7 miles.

One of the last stops along the Mankato River Ramble route is beautiful Sibley Park. You first ride in from the northeast corner of the park, by two softball fields. You’ll notice multiple park benches along the Minnesota River to your right. Don’t forget to take a rest break and soak in those river breezes.

As you ride the trail south past the park shelter, you’ll notice an old log cabin with a sign in front of it that says “Ott” catches your eye. This quaint cabin was moved to Sibley Park in 1931, but was actually constructed in 1857 by George Ott Sr., who was one of the first settlers of the area.

Following the Minnesota River Trail through Sibley Park, you’re met with one of the most beautiful gardens in the Mankato area. One could spend hours wandering around Sibley Park and see something new around every turn. Visiting in the spring means catching the hundreds of flowers blooming. And visiting in the fall, like I did, provided equally as beautiful views as the trees change color.

Back at Land of Memories Park

Biking distance from Sibley Park = 1.7 miles.

I’m not in the greatest shape – actually, in the worst shape of my life – but it felt so invigorating and accomplishing to participate!

If you’ve never done something like this before, I would strongly encourage you to do so. Doing something that’s on your bucket list (especially if it’s been on there a long time) gives you that extra motivation to just try it out!

You’ll feel such a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction, I bet you’ll want to try it again with something else – or maybe that’s just me 😉 

How have you pushed your boundaries and tried something new recently? Let me know in the comments!

P.S. You probably noticed Eric wasn’t able to attend – this is because he broke his foot on a motorcycle trip a few weeks beforehand, but he was there in spirit and promised he’ll be ready for next year! 🙂

Lists, MicroAdventures, Minnesota

Minnesota Winter Bucket List

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The ULTIMATE winter bucket list

Who else is excited to opt outside this winter?  Fresh air and physical movement are so incredibly important to focus on, especially through wintertime when it’s dark early and hard to find motivation.  But with this Ultimate Minnesota Winter Bucket List, you won’t find yourself bored this winter!

Below are kid and adult friendly activities!  Which are you doing this winter?

What are your favorite outdoor winter activities? Let me know in the comments!

Minnesota Winter Bucket List
Click here for a free download!
Camping, Itinerary, MicroAdventures, Road trip

South Dakota’s hidden gem

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Only have 1 day in eastern south dakota?

You can’t skip visit this hidden gem, Palisades State Park. Around 20 minutes from Sioux Falls, this park is a must visit.

Note: Something about the lighting off the red quartzite made the photos all orangey-red, and nothing could help them. View at your own risk! 🙂

Check in is 4pm, and a super simple process. With the global pandemic, you roll up to the ranger station, a park ranger comes out and takes your name and site number (if you’ve booked in advance) and checks you in and provides a park map. The entire process was probably less than two minutes, and we even needed to pay for a day pass! 

Once we got into the park, we opted for setting up our site before heading out for the evening, knowing we would lose daylight if we waited to set up until we got back. Switching from full time tent campers to now glampers with our new (to us) Class C, it took us about 2/3 of the time to set up for the night as it would have if we had to set up a tent. Knowing we unfortunately only had one night at this park, we were off within 20 minutes! 

After hearing from my sister that the Sioux Falls falls were a must see, we couldn’t miss it! This was the first thing we checked out once we set up for the night. The falls are in the city of Sioux Falls, so we spent about an hour and a half (round trip) checking them out—definitely worth the time and the stop!

The falls are massive. Definitely much larger and further spread than I would have guessed. And according to Experience Sioux Falls: 

“The Falls of the Big Sioux River have been a focus of life in the region throughout history. Native American peoples were the first to visit the falls and bring stories of them to European explorers. They have been the center of recreation and industry since the founding of the city in 1856.”

After checking out the falls, we went back to Palisades State Park because we wanted to have enough daylight left to explore. 

This park is so much more beautiful than I remember! I had last visited (also my first visit) around 13 years ago now, where a group of us went rock climbing for the day—we weren’t sightseeing that trip, so everything on this trip felt like I was seeing it for the first time! 

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Fun Fact from my park brochure: “Geologists estimate the Sioux quartzite spires located in Palisades State Park are 1.2 billion years old.” Whaaaat! My brain can’t even fathom that. How awesome to be able to see and touch and sit on and climb something that old!

We started at the picnic area just past the 1908 Historic Bridge. This area overlooks the rocks and Split Rock Creek that flow through the park. It’s a wide open space to walk and climb around the beautiful rock, have a picnic, go swimming, or sit and observe wildlife. The sun was starting to set around the time we were walking around, which provided a beautiful backdrop to the park.

We spotted a trailhead not far from the picnic area that looked like it followed the creek. Sure enough, it did—an uneven/mildly scambly yet family friendly hike along the river starts at the Split Rock Creek Trail.  This is a 1.5 mile trail that hugs the edge of Split Rock Creek and offers stunning views of water and rock face. If you’re lucky, you’ll even see some rock climbers along the way. We ended this hike resting on the most perfect sitting rock. We sat here fir a while in peace. It was nice. The park was pretty quiet for the most part during our stay, so it was especially awesome to be able to watch the sunset above the water without much disruption.

Perfect for those who prefer shorter and easier hikes, Palisades State Park has four hiking trails, three of which are all under .5 miles each. Split Rock Creek Trail is their longest hike at 1.5 miles round trip. This is the perfect park to meander around without an agenda to take in some views and listen to the birds. Such a hidden gem.

Click for Full Size
Click for Full Size

After the sun went down, we went back to our campsite to relax and set the RV up and finish organizing everything for the remainder of the trip. This was technically day two of our six week road trip (we are counting our drive and overnight stay at my parent’s house as day one since it was day one of being away from our home in the Cities), but we still didn’t have everything in its place quite yet. 

We loved our quick overnight at Palisades State Park and would recommend it for anyone looking for a park with water recreation, rock climbing, short hikes, and a peaceful night’s sleep in a beautiful campground 🙂

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Itinerary, MicroAdventures, Minnesota, Minnesota State Parks

A Snowy Weekend in Crosby, Minnesota

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Earlier in January (1.17-19.2020), Eric treated me to a mystery weekend getaway. We do this from time to time, where one of us will book a mystery weekend getaway for the other–it’s so fun to see what we each come up with!

The only information given to me ahead of time was to “pack winter appropriate clothes.” Which, naturally, made me feel like we were going downhill skiing. Though he’s done a downhill skiing type of mystery weekend in the past–so what could it be instead? He wouldn’t repeat the same idea, would he? It’s fine if he does, but that would be out of character.

Eric is the type of trip planner who doesn’t like to plan. He usually has a general outline, with a flexible day to day. (I’m very opposite, but working on it.) He booked us at two different locations (I love it!) in the same area, so we could experience everything, but wouldn’t tell me what activities were planned or what type of lodging we had booked.

We heard a few days prior that the weather was about to be snow-pocolypse 2020, so we planned to leave early on Friday, around 12pmish. We are truly blessed to have full-time jobs that allow us to work from the road (or cabin, or hotel, or campsite, or wherever has WiFi). We couldn’t check-in to our first accommodation until 4pm, but we figured we would walk around the area (wherever that was) in the meantime.

Friday, January 17th, 2020

We set off and left our home in the Twin Cities around 12:30pm, and around 12:45pm it started snowing. Just ever so lightly. But as we kept driving northward, the snow got heavier and the fog and ice started making themselves known. Around 2ish hours into the drive, it was hard to see:

Lake-Covered-in-Snow

Eventually, after another hour or so of white-knuckle driving, we rolled into the cute little town of Crosby. We were greeted by this sign with a serpent, which I’m guessing was designated after their lake–Serpent Lake. Due to the weather and the requirement to drive slow (to, you know, stay alive), we arrived in Crosby at around 3:45pm, just 15 minutes before we could check-in!

Crosby-Sign

At this point, I still had no idea where we were staying. We usually stay at Minnesota State Parks, so my brain was swarming trying to figure out which park was near here. Mille Lacs? No, we passed that. Crow Wing? No, passed that too.

Then I saw the sign: Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area (with an arrow pointing in the direction to turn to go there). Then we drove past it. Whaaaat? I realized we weren’t staying at a State Park this time–so strange! So after only a few more minutes of driving, we arrived at our cabin for the night: True North Base Camp. Yay! I had read about True North Base Camp just recently, so I was excited to experience it in person! Easy access, not only easy to drive to, but easy to enter (they have keypads!). We stayed at the first cabin:

They. Are. So cool!

The cabins are heated, but not until you arrive and turn the heater on manually. With that, we turned the heaters on and opted to go back into town to grab some food. First stop: Iron Range Eatery. I had the best vegan tacos, and Eric had the “real tasty” Big Cuyuna Burger. For bevs, I went in for the beautiful and dark Third Street Sugar Shack Maple Stout, and Eric had the Big Axe Brewing Axe Kicker Double IPA. So good.

Iron-Range-Eatery

We then learned there was a brewery nearby. Knowing we would be stuck inside the rest of the night due to the snow, we headed over across the street to Cuyuna Brewing Company. To my surprise, their Flying Finn Russian Imperial Stout does not have lactose in it–win! I ordered that, and Eric ordered the Hazy Hopricot IPA. They were both delicious. Once we had our drinks, we grabbed a table and one of the many games on their game shelf! After playing an hour or so of Trivial Pursuit, we decided we were done losing at the game and wanted to head back to the cabin. Before heading out, we purchased a growler of Cuyuna Brewing’s Mosaic Blueberry Ale.

Back at the cabin, we continued to play some of our favorite two player games. We started with Welcome to Your Perfect Home, moved on to Ganz Schon Clever, and ended with Sagrada. We’ve been sort of binge-playing these games for the past few weeks. Knowing we had plans to be outside for a reservation of sort the next day, we played games until 10pm or so and went to bed.

Cabin-Game-Time

To be honest, we didn’t sleep well at all. The cabins are beautiful, but due to the heating unit (which was either ON or OFF), we woke up sweating at about 3am, but the floor was still freezing. We shut the heat off at 3am (again, because we could only use on or off), and woke up cold again around 7:30am. So we turned the heat back on. We finally warmed up a little and got out of bed at 8:30am. Due to the weird heat, and the flooring only being a concrete slab (there are two mats to stand on), unfortunately the floor had sweat due to the humidity and got everything that was on the floor wet. If we were to stay again in the winter, we would put things up off the ground at night.

True North Base Camp Cabin-Inside

Saturday, January 18th, 2020

Once we got out of bed, we had a quick breakfast, and Eric decided to bundle up and hit the cross-country ski trails. It had snowed for what seemed like two feet overnight, so there was a lot of fluffy stuff to slide around on. Knowing we wouldn’t be back before the 12pm cabin check-out, I stayed at the cabin and packed most of our belongings. The snow was a blessing and curse on this trip. Eric unfortunately wasn’t able to find the cross-country skiing trail and came back to the cabin after about 30-45 minutes. We were happy he was able to scoot around on the skis for a little bit at least though.

After he rested for a few minutes, we bundled back up, and were off! I still didn’t know what we were doing at this point. But we ended up at Cycle Path & Paddle (permanently closed as of 2021), where we rented fat tire bikes! We picked up the bikes and headed toward Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area. I had only been dreaming of trying fat tire bikes for years, and now my chance is finally here! Thanks, Eric! The best husband.

We were so excited, we threw on our helmets and hopped on the bikes to ride! We hit the trail and almost immediately quit moving. What. I thought fat tire bikes were made for the snow? Oh, the snow needs to be groomed? Oh. Well then. A couple and their beautiful large dog greeted us a little while later and politely informed us that they had also just learned you can’t go on the trails until they are groomed, which is typically 24-36 hours after snowfall. Bummer. Our bikes were due back at Cycle Path & Paddle before we would get a chance to even take them on the trail!

Eric-Trying-to-Bike-On-Trail
Elissa-Thumbs-Up-far
Elissa-Thumbs-Up-close
Sunset-on-the-Trail-1
Sunset-on-the-trail-Eric-1
Snowy-Tree

To make the most of our rental time, we decided to head back into town and bike around there. We put a total of 5ish miles on the bikes, and were totally exhausted. Those are hard to ride! We followed one road from Crosby Memorial Park until we hit a dead end, then followed another road until we somehow found our way downtown. At this point in the day we were ready for lunch, so we stopped (don’t judge us) yet again at Iron Range Eatery. I just couldn’t say no to the tacos–they were calling! Eric tried something new, the carne asada rice bowl. Of course, I ordered the vegan tacos again. Except somehow, even though I ordered the same thing just the day before, they were completely different. Much spicier. Equally as yummy. We both had their amazing bloody Mary’s (or two) before setting off to bike around town some more.

Elissa-Biking-1

We found ourselves back in the area of Crosby Memorial Park, but instead were in the park next door, Franklin Park. Franklin Park is home to this amazing and massive Sea Serpent. The snow was so deep, but Eric just had to trudge out there for a photo op!

Serpent-Eric

We had been riding around for a few hours at this point, and decided it was time for a short break. Coffee, anyone? Our next stop was the Red Raven bicycle cafe. Eric got a really good looking americano, but I like just plain coffee. This was the perfect stop after an active day of riding. We warmed up with our hot beverages, and decided we were done riding for the day. But first, it was time to check into our next accommodation: the Alley Inn AirBnB. This was a cute studio AirBnB connected to a daycare. Red Raven is directly next door to this AirBnB, so our ride would not have been too far; except, we first needed to bike back to our truck over at Crosby Memorial Park! We detoured first for a little ride onto the lake. Serpent Lake appeared to be a great place for ice fishing, as it was peppered with ice fishing houses throughout. A path was cleared for a few hundred feet, so we biked on that and back before stopping back at the truck.

Eric-Up-Close
Eric-Biking-on-Lake
Eric-Biking-on-Lake-close-up
Biking-On-the-Lake
Bike-Shadows
Eric-Frosty

The Alley Inn was cute, and I can see it being really perfect in the summer. It was quaint to have in the winter as well, but we did run into some unfortunate issues. It was cold. There isn’t a thermostat, so you aren’t able to control the heat. Unfortunately we were there a weekend where temperatures dipped well below freezing, and we were so cold. They do provide two (small) and not super powerful space heaters, which did not warm us up. We each took a hot shower to try to warm up, but once you step out of the shower, it’s very cold again. Then we turned the electric fireplace and both space heaters on, which blew a fuse, so you cannot run all three heat sources at once. Since this was our only issue, I would recommend going to this AirBnB, but would not recommend going when it’s cold.

Alley-Inn Crosby MN

One we settled in, we decided we were in for the night. It was necessary as we were so tired from biking around all day. We have been wanting to try these “just add water” camping dinners for a while, so we decided tonight was that night! We had the vegetarian chilli, which was just enough for one bowl of chilli for each of us. I’m not sure about Eric, but I was falling asleep while eating dinner at this point. Yet somehow, we decided to turn on Netflix and watch a random series until we fell asleep.

Sunday, January 19th, 2020

The next morning, Eric wanted to get up early to get one last bike ride in before we had to return them to the rental shop. We bundled up and drove back to Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area in hopes the trails were groomed so we could spend about an hour on the bikes on their intended trails before returning them. Unfortunately, the trails were not yet done being groomed. Instead of leaving, we decided to switch gears and do some hiking! This means we at least got to spend some time on the Cuyuna trails, even if it wasn’t on a fat tire bike. Hikers are allowed to hike on ungroomed/snowmobile trails during the winter. We followed the snowmobile trail up the hill to overlook Huntington Mine Lake. So pretty with the snow! If it wasn’t so cold, we could have stared out for hours. But our hand warmers were cooling off, so we had to leave. Womp womp.

Huntington-Mine-Lake-View-1

As we were needing to be back in the Twin Cities earlier in the afternoon, we started heading back home around 11am. This time, it took us longer to get home than it took us to get to Crosby (which we also thought was long)! The roads were pure ice most of the way. We made it home late in the afternoon, but safely.

This was an amazing weekend. A much needed getaway after the holidays! We love getting to explore Minnesota! Our own backyard.

What are your favorite winter activities?
Have you been to the Crosby area?
Where are your favorite winter spots in Minnesota?

Lists, MicroAdventures

Kick that Cabin Fever with these Winter Weekend Ideas

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I love winter. But about midway through, I begin to hate winter. And by “midway though,” I mean usually around the beginning of January. Assuming cabin fever is due to my lack of keeping busy with planning fun winter outings, I wanted to ensure we were prepped with some ideas for what to do on those snowy weekends where we just want to get outdoors. This post provides winter itinerary options for an activity-packed weekend in southern, central, and northern Minnesota, as well as within the Twin Cities. 

Let’s talk about these two scenarios: You just left work and are ready for the weekend to kick off… or HEY, you don’t work this weekend! What to do?! 

Though I’m writing about Minnesota specifically, a similar itinerary could be modified for anywhere with snow 🙂 Don’t hesitate to reach out if you would like help with planning a fun winter weekend in your area! 

Friday Night

What better time to stroll through some beautiful light displays than on a Friday night? We have so many great light displays in Minnesota, here are some that could be near you:

Southern Minnesota: Take a stroll through the Kiwanis Holiday Lights display in Mankato. Visit Santa & his reindeer, grab a cup of hot cocoa, and leisurely wander through the beautiful light display. If you’re not wanting to be outside and walk through the display, unique to the Kiwanis Holiday Light display is the ability to drive through it. Tune in to the designated radio station, take off your hat, and enjoy the views. 

Twin Cities: The Minnesota Landscape Arboretum is one of the most beautiful Minnesota stops in the summer. Did you know, it’s just as beautiful in the winter? Winter Lights at the Arb runs as late as the first week in January, which allows ample time to visit before or after the holidays. This light display is walk-through only, so grab some hot cocoa, pull up your snow boots, and start to wander. Unique to this display, there is a night dedicated specifically to photographers, so if you’re a photography enthusiast, grab your tripod and head over to Winter Lights at the Arb to take some of the best light display photos you’ve ever taken! 

Central Minnesota: Take a leisurely drive and Celebrate the Light of the World in Willmar. With 900,000 (that’s almost one million!) lights, you’ll definitely drive away astonished. This display’s history is special: it started out in a family’s yard and has grown to be one of the area’s best must-see winter attractions. 

Northern Minnesota: Arguably the most well-known light display in Minnesota, and the largest light display in the US, is Bentleyville USA in Duluth. On the shores of Lake Superior, this light display will leave you in awe. Kids 10 and under who visit Santa can get a free Bentleyville knit cap, warm up by one of the 15 toasty fire pits, grab a snack or some candy, or look through the gift shop. Bentleyville is extra special as it is an official drop off location for Salvation Army donations. This year, they are offering a drive-through option due to COVID. 

Want to see more holiday light display options in Minnesota? Check them out here!

Saturday

Feeling energized from viewing some AMAZING light displays last night, you are ready to get out there and rock this Saturday with more outdoor activities! 

Southern Minnesota: Take a stroll through Rochester’s SocialICE festival. Dedicated to giving you the best ice bars Minnesota has to offer, feel free to wander about and try the various tasty signature drinks while looking at the ice sculptures and listening to the featured DJ. 

Central Minnesota: Frozen lake golfing! A winter carnival with golf? Whaaat? Bundle up and head to Brainerd for the Gull Lake Frozen Fore Winter Weekend for some ice golf, the pancake feed, a scavenger hunt, food, beverages, and so much more! Join the tent party on Saturday night and dance the night away. If ice golf and a snowmobile drag race isn’t cool enough (not sure how it couldn’t be), this festival also has live music each night and lots of warming areas!

Twin Cities: Cross-country skiing at one of multiple Three Rivers Park District parks. With 70+ miles of groomed trails, there are plenty of options to keep you busy all day (or enough trail for an additional weekend, too!)! With 11 of their parks having cross-country skiing options, you’re sure to find the trail that’s right for you. What’s great about cross-country skiing through Three Rivers is that you can rent your own equipment for $12 (adult rate) if you don’t have your own! Many of these parks even having a warming facility with hot cocoa if you need a break (our favorite is French Regional Park)!

Northern Minnesota: Fat biking on the Gunflint Lake Trails! You’ve seen those fat tire bikes around, and now is your time to try one! There are multiple fat bike trails throughout the state, but northern Minnesota has the most scenic. If you don’t have your own bike, you can rent one from one of the many outfitters in the area. I was able to try fat tire biking for the first time this year at Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area! I mean, how cool will it be to ride a bike directly to a waterfall?! 

Sunday

Southern Minnesota: Snowshoeing through the woods. Albert Lea holds a special place in my heart as it’s my hometown, so I can’t write about the awesome winter activities in Minnesota and skip over the great opportunities for snowshoeing the town has. If you’re able to walk, you’re able to snowshoe. I don’t yet have my own shoes, but they are on my wish list because this recreation activity was so, so fun when Eric and I tried it last year. Through the Albert Lea Community Education Rock Gym, you can rent snowshoes for only $10 (or $5 if you get a punch pass), and there are miles of hiking spots around! Note their website doesn’t reflect snowshoeing as an option yet. 

Central Minnesota: Did you know that ice drag racing is a thing? I had no idea! Luckily Eric loves winter activities and suggested we go to one of these. The Central Minnesota Ice Racing (CMIR) group has multiple events happening throughout central Minnesota cities where you can grab a blanket and watch the races. Adding extra fun to the event, the drag races held the weekend of February 22nd, 2020 included a pajama party. How fun is that?!

Twin Cities: What better way to end a winter activity filled weekend than to cozy up for lunch in one of the Twin Cities’ dining igloos! Freehouse Minneapolis has igloo reservations available through the winter so you can dine in the negative degree temperatures and not even notice how cold it is! Please note that, due to COVID, this is not offered this year.

Northern Minnesota: Of course, you can’t spend a weekend in Minnesota without skiing or snowboarding! Where better to hit the slopes than northern Minnesota? Lutsen Mountains offers awesome runs plus a gondola ride for those who prefer not to ski or snowboard. If you want to come here the night before, Lutsen also offers great lodging with ski-in/ski-out options so you can wake up and head out right away.

Skiing

Minnesota has SO MANY wonderful winter activities to offer! Even though it’s hard for me to deal with the frigid temps and lack of sunshine, I’m vowing to opt outside this winter to kick that winter-time blues.

What do you plan to do this winter to reduce cabin fever and promote happiness? 
Let me know in the comments, I am always up for new outdoor ideas!

Camping, MicroAdventures, Minnesota, Minnesota State Parks

Banning State Park

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Banning SP Tent

Eric, Archie and I visited Banning State Park on 6/9-6/10/2017. Even though this was just one overnight stay, Banning State Park quickly became one of our favorite Minnesota State Parks and quickly made its way to our “return to” list. There are so many great things to do and see at this park, we can’t wait to go back!

Banning SP sign

Established in 1963, the Banning State Park land was originally part of the Banning Sandstone Quarry. Affected first by the Great Hinckley Fire (which also affected St. Croix State Park), followed by several other fires, the Banning Sandstone Quarry never was able to recover and make a comeback. According to the Minnesota DNR website, “all that remains of the site are weathered ruins along the Kettle River.” The website also states that “In 1995, the local community of Sandstone, the DNR and the Pollution Control Agency worked together to remove the Kettle River dam and return the river to its natural state which now showcases the Big Spring Falls and the Sandstone Rapids.”

Recreation

Banning State Park offers a wide variety of recreational activities; there’s something for everyone! Summer activities include bird watching, hiking, canoeing, kayaking, biking, rock climbing, and fishing. Included in summer activities, and so very unique within this park, are its five rapids: Blueberry Slide, Mother’s Delight, Dragon’s Tooth, Little Banning and Hell’s Gate. Winter activities include cross country skiing, snowshoeing, and snowmobiling.

Wildlife

While we were there, we only saw a raccoon and varying bird species. Even though we hardly saw any animals, the Minnesota DNR website mentions here that the most “common species include white-tailed deer, black bear, coyote, fox, raccoon, beaver, red and gray squirrels, snowshoe hare, and ruffed grouse.” Also, to beware, we went in June and there were SO incredibly many ticks that we spent most of our time brushing Archie and plucking ticks off of him, even in the middle of the night.

Banning SP Archie Pack

Itinerary

Day 1: Arriving around 3pm, we wanted to ensure we allowed ourselves plenty of time to hike to the backpacking site and start exploring. The slower hike took only about 30 minutes. The grass was relatively overgrown, taller than Archie, making the 1/4 mile hike rougher than expected. It was very buggy and there were a lot of downed branches and brush (one log to crawl over also). Once arrived, we immediately set up our two person tent and, as usual, made ourselves at home.

Our campsite doubled as a backpacking site or canoe site; which seems like it wouldn’t work, but: you can either A) park and launch your canoe/kayak from the boat launch, or B) park to the side and hike from the same boat launch area. Because our campsite was also reachable via canoe/kayak, we had a beautiful view of the Kettle River. Not only was the view awesome, but the banks of the Kettle River made it easily accessible for dipping our feet in.

Banning SP Kettle River

This campsite had so much greenery–it was so gorgeous!

Banning SP Butterfly
Ferns at Banning SP

This site even has a toilet in the woods (somewhere).

Toilet Sign in Banning SP

We spent the rest of our little-remaining daylight hours wandering around our campsite and sitting around the fire. Since we were backpacking, our food supply consisted of mostly granola bars (Nature Valley, of course), trail mixes, and freeze dried foods. Dinner included said trail mix (AlpineAire chocolate cranberry crunch) and a delicious meal of Mountain House spaghetti.

Banning SP Spaghetti Dinner

Day 2: Unfortunately due to the extremely large tick population this year, our main priority was to head out of this campsite early in the morning. Since we hiked in, we brought a freeze dried breakfast that only required water–a rather interesting bowl of Granola with Milk & Blueberries from Mountain House. Definitely worth trying but also not my favorite of the freeze dried foods.

Once we packed up and returned to the car, we made our way back to the main part of the park. From here, we parked in the eastern-most parking lot near a picnic area and Blueberry Slide Trail. This trail was so amazing; I highly recommend it. This is a great trail for those who love to hike but require lower-to-medium impact terrain.

Banning SP Blueberry Slide Trail Sign

And those views! You hike right up to various rapids; if you’re into whitewater kayaking, this is the Minnesota State Park for you. We were here in June, and saw a few whitewater kayakers heading down the Kettle River. It was neat to see they were able to ride the stretch of rapids, then easily portage their kayaks back to the starting point within a short distance.

Blueberry Slide Trail took you straight to the waterline of the Kettle River. Just past the rapids was a calm area of water. It was refreshing to play and cool off in, especially for Archie.

After playing in the water for a while, we continued to head down the Blueberry Slide trail. I’m not sure if you’ve heard of painted rocks, but it started as a “treasure hunt”-type social movement to bring joy to peoples’ lives. We were lucky enough to find a painted rock hidden within the sandstone walls.

Future Plans

Banning State Park has five canoe sites (one, which we stayed at, can be a backpacking site also). We would love to return to this park with our kayaks/canoe and actually paddle to a spot! We also ran out of time to go on most of the almost 20 miles’ worth of trails. This was due to the amount of time spent hiking the trails by the river (Blueberry Slide Trail), which had a few really neat spot with rapids. One in particular, Wolf Creek Trail, really catches my attention as the 4 mile trail leads to a hidden waterfall.

Cost Breakdown

  • Daily Park Admission: $7 per vehicle (though we purchased an annual pass for $25)
  • Canoe-In/Boat-In (also their backpacking site): (1 night): $15
  • Food: $22.50 (total)

    • Mountain House freeze dried meals: $13 total

    • AlpineAire trail mix: $6

    • Nature Valley granola bars: $3.50

  • Archie’s treats & dog food: Brought from home; bought in bulk
  • Water: FREE (we use refillable water bottles)

 

Gear Brought

Misc. Info

Year established: 1963
Distance from Minneapolis: 93.1 miles
Temperature: High  of 74* | low of 51*

Camping, MicroAdventures, Minnesota, Minnesota State Parks

Glacial Lakes State Park

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Glacial Lakes Sign

Eric and I visited Glacial Lakes State Park from 2/17-2/19/2017. This time, Elissa’s sister, Emily, tagged along for her first camping trip ever! We enjoyed this smaller Minnesota State Park, especially for its ease of access and navigation. The trails were a great mix of level and steep, depending on which way you went (unfortunately a trail map wasn’t available at the time at the ranger station or online, so I do not know the names), and always had great views and areas to explore. According to the HikingMN.com blog, “the 2,500 acre park is a series of rolling prairie hills formed thousands of years ago by receding glaciers.” There are also signs around the park to give you its history, so our plan when we return to this park is to check out all of the glacier-formed kettle lakes and continue to learn about the history of this area.

Recreation

Winter activities include hiking, cross country skiing, snowmobiling, snowshoeing, and ice fishing. As this park’s focus in its lake, summer activities include swimming, fishing, canoeing, kayaking, stand up paddleboarding, horseback riding, biking, geocaching, and hiking.

Wildlife

The Minnesota DNR website states that “many species of prairie and woodland birds make their home at Glacial Lakes…” where “squirrels, deer, beaver, wood ducks, raccoons, pileated woodpeckers and occasionally coyotes can be seen.”

Glacial Lakes SP Cabin

Itinerary

Day 1: We arrived around 6pm after about two hours of driving. We set up camp in our cozy cabin, which included two bunk beds (the lower bunks were full-size) and a table with benches for chairs. Slowly settling in, we decided to step outside to make some dinner. After firing up our old Glowmaster twin burner camping stove, our chicken noodle soup from Bear Creek was ready in less than 30 minutes (including the time it took to boil the water).

After dinner, the three of us decided to play some games in the cabin. We kicked the games off with one of our favorites, Love Letter, which is also mentioned in our Afton State Park post. In addition to being to being what seems like the worlds easiest game to tote around (it’s so small and comes in its own bag!), you can make this game as quick or as long as you’d like, making this one of our favorite games to bring on camping (or any kind of) trips! Eric absolutely loves learning new board games, so he brought with a brand new one for all of us: Grand Austria Hotel. While less than ideal for tent camping due to its large box and set up, it was great for cabin camping. Including teaching us the game, which is maybe more intermediate leveled, we spent around an hour and a half to two hours total playing it.

Glacial Lakes SP Board Game in Cabin

Day 2: Since we played games until midnight (or maybe later?), we decided to not set an alarm and start our day when we naturally woke up, which ended up being around 10am–oh, how nice it was to sleep in! Knowing lunch was in the near future, we had a light lunch, which consisted of bananas and the delicious Pillsbury Mini Blueberry Muffins; if you haven’t had these, you’re missing out. I’ve purchased a case of them on multiple occasions! Still waking up from sleeping in, Eric made coffee in his commuter java press from GSI and we decided to start a game. This time, Hanabi: a challenging co-op card game for 2-5 players where you give and take clues to each other to reach a common goal.

We went outside to start exploring around 12pm. Leaving from our cabin, we walked past the picnic areas and set foot on Mardy’s Trail. This trail took us along the lake shore, past boat launch, fishing dock, and beach. The lake was frozen over, and ice fisherman could be seen in the distance.

Glacial Lakes SP Mardys Trail
Glacial Lakes SP Canoes

Turning on my MapMyRide iPhone app, we continued on the trail and decided to make our way around the entire 56-acre Signalness Lake. With the weather unexpectedly being in the mid-50’s, the trails were a slick combination of icy and muddy the entire way around (though the warm temps were definitely welcome!). Emily is an avid geocacher, so we would veer off the trails every so often in search of a cache.

Glacial Lakes SP Signalness Lake MapMyRide

The three of us spent the entire day hiking on the trails surrounding Signalness Lake. The trail terrain varied, and even had a wooden boardwalk around one portion of it. The views were so beautiful!

We returned to the cabin once it started to get dark out (sundown began at 5:45pm). Starting the campfire right away, we made some Annie’s Bernie O’s, opened up the s’mores kit, and sat and talked for a few hours before heading to bed.

Day 3: Having a two hour drive to the Twin Cities, and a four hour drive to Emily to get back home, we woke up early knowing we would need to leave shortly thereafter. The three of us walked around the cabin and picnic area in the morning to see the views of the lake one last time. We had some leftover firewood, so we started a fire to warm up before heading out (keep in mind that you always need to put a fire out, dead out, before you walk away).

Cost Breakdown

Daily Park Admission: $5 (we have an annual pass for $25)
Cabin (1 nights w/elec): $70
Food: $19.16 (total)

  • Annie’s Bernie-O’s: $2.19
  • Bear Creek soup kit: $2.99 (x2)
  • S’mores: $6 for all items
  • Pillsbury Mini Blueberry Muffins: $4.99/case of 6
  • Water: FREE (we use refillable water bottles)

Gear Brought

  • Ohuhu double sleeping bag & pillows (used as two single sleeping bags)
  • Glowmaster Twin Burner camp stove
  • Mess kit
  • Coleman battery-operated lantern
  • Slippers
  • Base layers
  • Wool socks
  • Winter coats
  • Columbia snow pants
  • Columbia hiking boots
  • More packing tips from the MN DNR

This Park is Good for those who: 
…want to stay in a cabin
…want to walk around a lake
…want to go on a quick weekend getaway
…want to see deer
…enjoy easier hiking trails

Misc. Info 
Year Established: 1963
Distance from Minneapolis: 134 miles
Temperature: High of 55* | low of 30*

Camping, MicroAdventures, Minnesota, Minnesota State Parks

Bear Head Lake State Park

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Eric and I visited Bear Head Lake State Park from July 22-July 24, 2015. This has to be one of our favorite parks by far. The water was so beautiful, so serene. There are so many activities to do, so many things to see, that this park should be toward the top of your “Minnesota State Parks To Visit List,” as it has a little something for everyone.

This park is likely one of the most overnight visitor-friendly parks we have ever stayed at. It has ample camping options, from the traditional drive-in and electric sites, to RV sites, to group camps, to backpack and canoe sites. Also friendly for those who don’t camp in tents or have a camper or RV are the Camper Cabin (houses 5-6 people) and the Guesthouse (houses 10 people) options.

Bear Head Lake SP Campsite

Being a part of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area within the Superior National Forest, there are endless opportunities for recreational experiences.

Bear Head Lake SP Kayaking

Recreation

With 23 miles of lake shore, Bear Head Lake State Park offers lots of water recreational opportunities especially, including fishing, swimming, boating (max 10 mph), canoeing, and kayaking. On land, this park offers 15 miles of hiking trails, wildlife watching, camping, birding, snowmobiling (1 mile spur connects with the Taconite State Trail), cross country skiing, snowshoeing, and geocaching.

Wildlife

This park is so rich in wildlife you can’t help but sit back and listen to the songs of nature. Great for bird watching, you can find bald eagles, boreal chickadees, pine grosbeaks, red crossbills, and my personal favorite: the loon. Be sure to keep your eyes peeled for other woodland creatures large and small, including squirrels, chipmunks, snowshoe hares, white-tailed deer, black bear, moose, and wolves.

Itinerary

Day 1: After checking in to site #73, we set up camp and went on a short hike along the Beach trail. Beach trail is approximately one half mile long (down and back), and is an easy and beautiful trail following the lakeshore. This was a great short walking introduction to the park on our first day here.

After our hike, we went in to check out the town of Ely and have dinner. Growing up, we’ve always heard about “Ely” when people traveled “up north.” Ely (pronounced eelee) is a bustling little outdoor adventure town with quaint shops and restaurants. A town within the Boundary Waters, there are many outfitters and places to rent equipment in the area as well. If you’re considering a visit, be sure to check out the Ten Reasons to Visit Ely, Minnesota.

Bear Head Lake SP SMore

Day 2: Water day! I feel like we spent all day on or in the water on day 2. The weather was around 81*, making the water the perfect place to be. We set out mid-morning, after breakfast, around 9:00am to set off to paddle the beautiful clear waters of Bear Head Lake.

Bear Head Lake SP Eric & I Kayaking
Bear Head Lake SP Eric & I Kayaking

In total, we maybe only kayaked around three or four miles, but we moseyed around the lake taking in all of the amazing views and unbelievable sounds. THE VIEWS here are just STUNNING. Minnesota may not have mountains or tropical beaches, but these beautiful, layered pine trees along the shore line and in the distance brought out the same excitement and calming affect as mountains or a tropical beach. I could have spent forever floating in my kayak staring at the trees, shoreline, and listening to the loons. Have I ever mentioned how loons are my favorite bird? Their calls are music to my ears.

The water temperature felt so nice that we decided to head back in and go swimming before taking the kayaks back out of the water. I’m not one to spend a lot of time in the water, but this was just what I needed after a hot few hours of kayaking. Bear Head Lake State Park has a nice beach area for folks to go swimming.

Day 3: Day three was spent with the bears! After our morning breakfast bars, we took our usual morning walk around the campground. We planned to leave a little earlier on the last day so we could visit the North American Bear Center, where a friend of Elissa’s was interning for the summer.

According to their website, the North American Bear Center is “dedicated to replacing old myths with facts, people learn from the bears themselves about bear behavior, ecology, and their relations with humans.” I learned so much about bears in the two hours we were there than I have in my entire life. There were even resident bears who were to live at the North American Bear Center due to being unable to survive back in the wild on their own. I would highly recommend visiting here if you’re in the area in the summer!

Ely MN North American Bear Center

Cost Breakdown

Daily Park Admission: Free as we have a Minnesota State Parks annual pass
Tent site: $23/night
Bear Center visit: $13 per adult
Gas: $50 round trip
Food: $40.50 (approximate total)

  • Hot Dogs + buns: $5
  • Nature Valley breakfast bars: $3
  • Spaghetti-O’s: $1.50
  • S’mores! $6 for all ingredients
  • Water: FREE (we use refillable water bottles)
  • Meal at restaurant: $25

Gear Brought

  • 2 Necky brand 17′ kayaks
  • Suisse Sport Wyoming Tent
  • Glowmaster Twin Burner camp stove
  • Mess kit
  • Coleman battery-operated lantern
  • Sleeping bags & pillows
  • 2 changes of clothes each, including swim suit
  • Bug spray
  • Sun block
  • Tennis shoes & water shoes
  • More packing tips from the MN DNR

This Park is Good for those who: 
…want to hike by a lake
…want to go on a quick weekend getaway
…want to listen to nature
…want to partake in multiple water activities
…want a lot of variety in one park

Misc. Info
Year Established: 1961
Distance from Minneapolis: 244 miles
Temperature: High of 84* | Low of 57*