Hardwood forests, sweeping prairies and dramatic bluffs dominate the landscape of southeastern Minnesota. Our family climbed the steep terrain of those bluffs, meandered through its canopied forests and listened to the tall grass of the prairie to experience all the offerings of ten state parks in southeastern Minnesota. We accomplished all of this in four days.
Day 1: John A. Latsch, Carley and Whitewater State Park
The journey began with steps; about 300 of them. Our first hike was a steep uphill trek on the Riverview Trail to Mount Charity in John A. Latsch State Park. This is a day-use only park with one trail and it’s ALL stairs. Sweaty and a bit winded from marching up those steps, the gorgeous views of the Mississippi River Valley were worth the effort.
From top to bottom, Latsch State Park took about 1 hour to check off our list and it left us hungry. After a stop for lunch in nearby Winona, we left bluff country for Carley State Park. Carley is known for birdwatching and spring wildflowers. We were a bit late in the year for the wildflowers, but did enjoy the abundance of wild parsnips (just look, don’t touch) and a stroll along the north branch of the Whitewater River.
Wildflower Trail at Carley State Park
Two parks down and eight to go, our next stop was Whitewater State Park. Whitewater is a popular park. One of the reasons for its popularity may be the lack of mosquitoes. This was certainly a factor in our decision to end our day here and camp at Minneiska campground.
After setting up camp, we drove to the north picnic area for a steep, but short hike to Chimney Rock. I was a bit nervous watching the boys crawl through a rock as it dangled at the bluffs’ edge. Despite my anxiousness, Chimney Rock was an exciting hike and a great way to end our day.
Chimney Rock at Whitewater State Park
Level of kid whining: 2/10 Our youngest was not willing to do another hike when we got to Whitewater. We sorta lied and told him we weren’t hiking just going to walk down to the beach and river. While at the river, we spotted a rare timber rattlesnake. The snake spotting scared the bejesus out of my husband and distracted the seven-year-old as we climbed steps to Chimney Rock. Before he had time to really complain, he was crawling through the formation and had forgotten about the hike.
Day 2: Whitewater, Great Bluffs, Beaver Creek Valley, Forestville and Lake Louise State Park
To start the second day of our four-day adventure, we marched up even more stairs for another hike at Whitewater State Park. This time we drove to the south picnic area to catch the Trout Run Creek Trail and then climb to Inspiration Point.
Trout Run Creek Trail and Inspiration Point at Whitewater State Park
The interpretative markers (grab a map at the trailhead) along the Trout Creek Run Trail told the story of the river and its wildlife. The cool, shady, dirt-packed trail soon ended and we were faced with more steps. We trudged upward and were rewarded with endless looks at the treetops from Inspiration Point.
The morning dew had barely dried and we were off to the next park; Great Bluffs. With several parks still on the itinerary for the day, we opted to do the short 0.4 mile round trip hike to East Overlook. I would imagine in the fall, this overlook would be even more breath-taking. We ate a picnic lunch in the park before heading to our next stop, Beaver Creek Valley State Park.
East Overlook at Great Bluffs State Park
Beaver Creek Valley State Park was a departure from steep inclines and Mississippi River Valley views. We hiked the Big Spring Trail along the Beaver Creek, stopping at several points along the way to wade into the water. Being that the creek is spring-fed, the water is always icy cold, rarely getting warmer than 10F degrees.
Big Spring Trail at Beaver Creek Valley State Park
With numb toes, we made our way to the fourth park of the day, Forestville State Park. The original plan was to tour Mystery Cave at Forestville. However, cave tours were not available due to COVID-19. Instead, we opted to explore a newly acquired section of the park to walk the Palisade Trail. This loop trail is just under 1 mile and follows the banks of the Root River.
Palisade Trail at Forestville State Park
Our final park of day two was Lake Louise State Park and also the place we set up camp for the night. Lake Louise is a great base camp for bikers as it sits right on the Shooting Star State Trail. Though we weren’t biking, the small, quiet campground was a nice respite from our busy day.
Lake Louise and Lake Louise Dam
Level of kid whining: 8/10 Our youngest was done at park number three of the day. The hike at Forestville offered little shade and was hot and bugs swarmed our heads. Aside from a few glimpses of limestone bluffs, overall it was not that interesting. He walked down the trail screaming and whining about how he hates rivers and hates hiking. When we told him that not all hikes can be his favorite and that this experience was building character, he declared “I don’t need to build character!” My husband ended up giving him a piggyback ride for the last half of the trek.
Day 3: Myre-Big Island State Park
With just one park on our itinerary today, we took the opportunity to enjoy a slow morning with coffee and a campfire. We needed the extra rest as we would be headed to Myre-Big Island State Park for a night of backcountry backpacking. We’d been backpacking just one other time and the boys really enjoyed it.
Before hitting the trail, we ate lunch and then hoisted our packs onto our backs for the roughly 1.5 mile hike to our remote campsite.
Pelican Trail to Remote Campsites at Myre-Big Island State Park
Before we had kids, my husband and I did a bit of backpacking in the Boundary Waters and the Superior Hiking Trail. Now that our boys are a bit older, we are slowly acquiring the proper kid’s hiking gear. Our seven-year-old does not have a pack, but instead carries his school backpack with his clothes and sleeping bag. Next trip, we’ll need to get him a pack of his own.
Backpacking Site 2 at Myre-Big Island State Park
Coffee tastes better in the woods.
Level of kid whining: 0/10 The boys love backpacking! They enjoy trying freeze-dried meals and watching daddy boil water they scooped from the lake on the camp stove. They like swinging in the hammock and begging for us to push them. As an added bonus; I’ve yet to hear them complain about the vault toilets.
Day 4: Rice Lake and Nerstrand Big Woods State Park
Our final day included just two state parks. After packing up our remote campsite we made our way to Rice Lake State Park. Here we walked the dock and the 1 mile double loop West Trails.
West Trails at Rice Lake State Park
Our last park of the trip was Nerstrand Big Woods State Park. Nerstrand’s best feature is Hidden Falls, where the Prairie Creek abruptly drops off a limestone ledge. The 20 foot Hidden Falls is easily accessed and fun to run your fingers through.
Hidden Falls at Nerstrand Big Woods State Park
If you enjoyed reading about our adventures in these southeastern Minnesota State Parks, you can read even more of our tails from the trails at Jay Cooke, Frontenac, Manitou, Interstate as well as Gooseberry Fall and Split Rock Lighthouse State Parks.
Happy Hiking, Rochelle
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