Minnesota Camping Archives | Volkman Adventures

Camping, MicroAdventures, Minnesota, Minnesota State Parks

Banning State Park

Posted on July 16, 2017

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!

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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

2 person backpacking tent from Alps Mountaineering
JetBoil camp stove with mess kit
Ohuhu two-person sleeping bag
Parachute sheet for sitting/eating on the ground
1 change of clothes each
Bug spray
Sun block
Hiking boots & water shoes
More packing tips from the MN DNR

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

Posted on March 18, 2017

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.”

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.

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.

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.

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

Posted on November 14, 2016

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.

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

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.

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.

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!

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*

Camping, MicroAdventures, Minnesota, Minnesota State Parks

Afton State Park

Posted on February 11, 2015

Eric and I visited Afton State Park January 16-17, 2015. Established in 1969 and surrounding the Afton Alps Golf & Ski Resort, this state park is about 45 minutes southeast from the Twin Cities area, near the Minnesota/Wisconsin border.

This was my and Eric’s first “winter camping” experience. We rented one of the beautiful cabins, named White Pine, sitting just off of the St. Croix River in the South Camp area. I would highly recommend giving a cabin a try at least once, even if you prefer the traditional tent camping method of visiting our parks. They are beautiful. And CLEAN! The first Minnesota State Park to offer this, another non-tent option for camping at Afton State Park, added just at the beginning of this year, includes the rental of a Yurt. This park also has 1 canoe site and a whopping 28 backpacking sites! Perfect for anyone who wants to experience a “woodsy” park near a big city.

Recreation

Afton State Park offers some of the best opportunities around the Twin Cities area for the outdoor adventurers all-year long, including geocaching, hiking (also has a 1.5 mile plowed walking trail in winter), biking, snowshoeing, horseback riding, cross country skiing, fishing, backpacking, camping, swimming, and sledding.

Wildlife

Typical wildlife include birds (hawks, waterfowl, bluebirds, and meadowlark, to name a few), deer, fox, squirrels, badgers, and turkeys.

Itinerary

Day 1: We arrived not long after our check-in time of 4pm. Parking, potable water, and a vault toilet were no more than 500 feet from the cabin. We also had electricity, which was helpful at night, but also a distraction when the neighbors had their lights on.

After setting up our cabin and making ourselves at home, we immediately put on our winter gear (snow pants included) and headed outside to a nearby winter hiking trail. We hiked about 2 miles, and decided to head back to the cabin since it was getting dark. We had a “typical” camping meal, including hot dogs and baked beans over the fire and s’mores for dessert.

After dinner, we warmed up for a few minutes inside and played a couple board games. We played two of our favorite two-player games: The Rivals for Catan and Love Letter. When we warmed up, we went back outside and started a fire. The stars were beautiful. Eric downloaded an app on his iPhone called NightCap Pro, which allowed us to take fun night-time shots of the sky and our surroundings.

Day 2: As this was our last day here, we had a quick meal of cereal for breakfast, and wanted to head outside again. Being only a one-night stay, we spent most of day two playing in the snow and on part of the 6 miles of winter hiking trails. The main trail we stayed on was Deer Valley Loop, which totals 3.5 miles for hiking and snowshoeing.

Future Plans

Even though Eric and I only spent one night at Afton State Park, we fell in love with its landscape and beauty. One night was not enough, especially in the winter. Next time we visit this park in the winter, we will definitely be bringing snowshoes for the trails, and downhill skis to visit Afton Alps.

We are excited to visit Afton State Park again, and can’t wait to see its beauty in the summer months. Our plan is to visit again with hiking shoes on to get lost in the park’s 20+ miles of trails. Rather than stay in a cabin the second-time around, our plan is to stay in one of their many backpacking sites next time we’re here.

Until next time…

Cost Breakdown
Daily Park Admission: $5 (we have an annual pass for $25)
Cabin (1 night): $70
Food: $15.50 (total)

Hot dogs (Oscar Meyer): $3
Baked beans (Bush’s): $3
S’Mores: $6 for all items
Cereal: $2
Milk: $1.50
Water: FREE (we use refillable water bottles)

Gear Brought

2 burner camping stove
Mess kit
Hot dog and marshmallow roasting sticks
Sleeping bags & pillows
Snow pants
Snow boots
Winter coat
Base layers
Sweatshirt
More packing tips from the MN DNR

Misc. Info
Year Established: 1969
Distance from Minneapolis: 31.3 miles
Nearest Large Airport: Minneapolis-St. Paul International, 25.2 miles
Nearest Grocery Store: Less than 10 miles
Avg. Temperature During Visit: High of 33* | low of 15*
Permits: Required both to enter park (with a vehicle) and stay overnight
GPS Address: 6959 Peller Ave S – Hastings, MN 55033
Fun Fact: This park currently doesn’t offer any drive-in or camper camping–only cabins, a yurt, group sites, canoe, and backpack sites! A great opportunity to experience a camping method you’ve never tried before! Okay, there are two fun facts: Afton State Park has so much to offer that they even have a newsletter!

Camping, MicroAdventures, Minnesota, Minnesota State Parks

St. Croix State Park

Posted on July 14, 2013

Eric and I camped in St. Croix State Park the weekend of June 28th, 2013. Located in Hinckley, MN, this park is only about 15 minutes off of I-35 in northern Minnesota.

Home of one of the biggest fires in Minnesota history, a tall fire tower is a great highlight of this park–of which is accessible for guests to climb. Located on the St. Croix River (which is a National Scenic Riverway) and within boundaries of the Kettle River, this state park offers endless possibilities of trails, both in the summer and winter months. We hiked many of their trails, and enjoyed kayaking down the river.

Recreational Opportunities
Kayaking, canoeing, hiking, biking, mountain biking, horseback riding, swimming, wildlife observing, cross country skiing, and snowshoeing.

Wildlife
This park offers a wide range of wildlife, including deer, fox, raccoons, beavers, black bears, coyotes, and (though uncommon to see) eastern timber wolves. Birds are also abundant in the parks, including owls, eagles, osprey, flycatchers and warblers.

Itinerary

Day 1: Prior to our arrival at the Park, we stopped at the Hinckley Fire Museum, and learned about the town and Park’s extraordinary history. It’s so amazing how this thriving logging town bounced back after flames over four miles high leveled nearly a quarter million acres in just four hours in 1894.

After we checked in around 4:00pm, we set up our tent in the Old Logging Trail Campground, set out our chairs, and got comfy. Our camping trips usually tend to have a laid-back first day, especially if our arrival time is in the afternoon. We had Spaghetti-O’s for dinner, with s’mores for dessert.

Day 2: Breakfast consisted of eggs and toast. Our only full-day in St. Croix State Park, we took advantage of the opportunity to visit the Park’s fire tower, an experience not all Minnesota State Parks offer.

After climbing to the top of the fire tower, we decided to go hiking along the St. Croix River. We switched between the River’s Edge Trail and River Bluff Trail. Both trails are among the 127 miles of hiking trails within the Park. With amazing views along the way, both trails are great for beginner hikers looking for beautiful scenery.

We had deli turkey and cheese for lunch. Dinner comprised of our beloved foil packet dinners, first introduced by family friends at Lake Carlos State Park years back. Being delicious and easy to make, we have variations of these hobo meals almost every time we go camping.

Day 3: We had delicious eggs and bananas for breakfast. After breakfast, we took a long walk on the paved trails before heading home for the weekend. There are 5.5 miles of paved trails, which are located in the middle of the park, and can be used by either hikers or bikers.

FUTURE PLANS

There are just so many miles of trails, we definitely want to explore more! I feel like we saw a lot in the hours we were hiking, yet barely made a dent. We also would love to take a bike ride from the campground to the beach, following the park’s 5.5 mile paved bike trail.

Eric is hoping we can make it to St. Croix State Park in the winter so he can bring his snowmobile out, since there are trails which connect to Chengwatana and St. Croix State Forests. St. Croix State Park also offers some great snowshoeing through the woods, and we’re new at cross-country skiing so, with 11 miles of groomed trails, this park offers the perfect trail system for us to perfect those skills.

Cost Breakdown
Park Entrance Fee: $5 (though we purchased an annual pass for $25)
Tent Camping: $23/night
Food: $26 (total)

Spaghetti-Os: $1
S’Mores: $6 for all items
Eggs: $2/carton
Toast: $2/loaf of bread
Deli turkey: $3
Cheese: $2
Foil packet meal: $9 for all items
Bananas: $1 for two
Water: FREE (we use refillable water bottles)

Gear Brought

4 person tent
Sleeping bags & pillows
2 burner camping stove & fuel
Mess kit
Hot dog and marshmallow roasting sticks
Hiking boots & flip flops (for around the site)
Base layer to wear as pajamas
Lightweight capri pants
Lightweight/breathable tops
More packing tips from the MN DNR

Misc. Info
Year Established: 1943
Distance from Minneapolis: 101 miles
Temperature: High of 73* | Low of 59*