Minnesota State Parks Revisited/Hike With Me - Beaver Creek Valley State Park

 

Beaver Creek Valley State Park

Caledonia, Minnesota

Trail Hiked: Beaver Creek Valley, Hole-in-Rock, West Rim, Short Loop, Campground

Distance Hiked: 7.09 miles

Elevation Gain: 814 ft.

Duration: 2h 45m

Beaver Creek Valley State Park (no matter how many times I accidentally write Beaver Valley Creek State Park)  is one of those places I've been intending to revisit so long that it was among the first I intended to write about when I started the Revisited series over a year ago. Somehow I always ended up going to Whitewater or Frontenac instead. 

I cannot emphasize how far out of the way this park is, especially coming from the metro. But whereas a place like Whitewater feels remote despite being 8 miles from St. Charles (not exactly a thriving metropolis but not desolate either), Beaver Creek Valley is so remote that signal disappears entirely before even entering the place. What's the nearest town of note? Houston? It's a three hour sojourn to the middle of the middle of nowhere, and I'd always lose my resolve before I made it. It's not like the North Shore where I've intended to continue on the SHT but end up revisiting sites closer to Duluth instead. Beaver Creek Valley is much more all or nothing, and despite how highly I ranked it, it took nearly two years before I finally did it again. 

Hey, this time the bridge is open so I didn't have to go down and back up! And I'm pretty sure the Hiking Club password wasn't in that spot the first time (maybe I missed it, or maybe it was in the closed section? I don't know, it was cold that day.) But holy hell, what a contrasting experience between the Hiking Club speedrun January traverse and this one in late summer.

The wildflowers are unbelievably plentiful in thr flat half of the trail, to the point that I wonder if they're more prevalent there than almost any orher park I've revisited in the months where people can breathe outdoors. But, so are the bugs. Goodness gracious, the bugs. It was only the third time since obtaining a head net that they bullied me into wearing one. The rainy, overcast conditions probably didn't help. Much like the winter hike though, I barely saw anyone there (those with camping spots notwithstanding) so that remained consistent,

The bluff portion of the hike was not nearly the difficult trek it was the first time, as I've hiked a lot more steep and challenging inclines since then. The lush greens made the views less vast and scenic, but were beautiful still in their own right. And that last little portion still felt like the Bridge of Khazad-Dum, but this time I remembered to download it in advance, because as ere stated, the signal at this park is mostly non-existent.

I don't think this park has much replay value for me, given the distance to get there, but also, there isn't much to hike beyond the Hiking Club trail, and if I'm going to do something I've already done, I'll stick to closer trails of comparable difficulty. But it is absolutely worth the trip at least once.

Hike With Me - Superior Hiking Trail (Brewer Park)

 

Superior Hiking Trail

Duluth, Minnesota

Trail Hiked: Brewer Park Loop, Superior Hiking Trail and Stovetop Upper Burner Loop

Distance Hiked: 5.85 miles

Elevation Gain: 738 ft.

Duration: 2h 30m

I've spent a lot of energy on the Superior Hiking Trail this year without technically making much progress on the undone portions. A snow hike from the Rose Garden to Hartley most notably, and as I got stuck on Hundred Percenting shorter long distance trails this winter, the distance and remoteness needed to get the unfinished sections didn't feel worth it. Then, during the summer, wildfire smoke, an encounter with a family of bears (Isanti), and three-plus weeks on the Great Wander all contributed to my lack of progress. The one new section I did (Split Rock to Beaver Bay) was so overgrown and thick with bugs and ticks made me put it off even longer until fall. The terrifying encounter with an entire family of bears admittedly had me leery of going anywhere too remote, as with the common thread of consolation always being "they're not a problem unless the cubs are around" had me even more paranoid than usual.

All that to say, when I got to Duluth with my new camera and mission for the first time, I opted for the shorter Drive and picking up a verified complete badge from section 1 that I hadn't gotten along the way on 2025's completion.

Having traversed the side closest to the lake previously, once I went under the tunnel, I turned right to explore the side I hadn't seen before the loop met the junction at the familiar trek. 

The word "park" in the title has certain implications, even in Duluth. Even aside from the state parks, much of section 1 goes through considerably developed park areas, like Enger most notably. Brewer Park is pretty much indistinguishable from other remote sections of the SHT. The views on the main were still lovely, of course, and they looked different than in the early spring, which was to be expected. It's fine, it isn't a complaint at all, it just didn't seem like what I was expecting for a park specifically, given the complete lack of anything I saw other than the trail. It feels weird to say it, but alas. Maybe I've watched too many Dustin Poynter videos and I feel like I'm saying "am I the red flag for thinking that a park was more than a trail in the wilderness?" Which is a very odd thing to ask, but feels like it would be better than some of the other "absolutely not totally staged" skits online people do, or "am I the asshole for lighting my ex's house on fire and singing the Star Spangled Banner at the top of my lungs while she attempted to put out the fire on the irreplaceable photos of her great-grandparents who were the last two residents of the Isle of Fuchsia?" 

I shouldn't write on my lunch walk at work.

I feel like I'm getting better at the camera thing. I'm hoping to have it down a little more before hitting some mountains in Washington. Really wanna get those views.

Hike With Me - Interstate State Park

Interstate State Park

Taylor's Falls, Minnesota/St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin

Trail Hiked: Interstate State Park Loop, Walter F. Mondale River Trail and Railroad Trail Loop, Lake of the Dalles Trail, Silverbrook Trail, Eagle Peak Trail

Distance Hiked: 9.94 miles

Elevation Gain: 906 ft. 

Duration: 3h 30m

Minnesota State Parks now have these tank-like chairs that allow folx with disabilities to traverse the often-rough terrain of their trails. I was fortunate to be joined by a very dear friend of mine for this exact purpose, and the delight it brought me to be able to hike with them is beyond description. Though the kindly gentleman up front seemed rather confused by the request, it ended up being a success. 

I'm not going to stop writing about hikes, goodness where would I be without that motivation to compose 500 words about each step of a wander? But, as hiking YouTube veers away from what I liked about it (like so many things I've enjoyed over the years), I'm taking the advice a creator once gave me about an entirely different media: "Find whatever it is you wish you were seeing and aren't, then make that." 

Now, does that mean channels doing what I am don't exist? Of course not, I'm not that naive. However, channels I used to binge, ones that talked about hikers, hiking culture, and adventures, or even hiking-related mysteries, they seem to have become over-produced, clickbaity, edited in a way that annoys me (and possibly only me, I'm willing to accept that), or they're entirely focused on gear. The latter of which, I'm not even saying is invalid or not necessary, I just can't find the energy to give even half of a shit to listen to someone talking about how cutting a toothbrush in half saves contributing weight. 

And, perhaps most importantly, I refuse to pretend I don't notice the voice inflection changing right before they start trying to sell me whichever possibly relevant product they're hawking this week. For the record, I do not begrudge the creators for doing this. I respect the game, but it sure does break my immersion into the story, location, or adventure. 

I'm new to a GoPro, figuring it out as I use it. The editing is minimalist, not because I can't edit video, but because I don't want it to be flashy or fancy or (again, may only be me that's annoyed by it) over-produced, speeding up with royalty-free music and missing the experience itself. 

That's what I'm going for. I want to share my experience as it happened, as much as time, space, and battery power allow. My unfamiliarity with GoPro was prevalent in this particular hike, as I'd unscrewed the camera from the frame to retrieve the SD card the previous evening, but when I put it back in the frame, I forgot to re-fasten it appropriately. I also had no idea the battery would drain so fast, so on my first attempt filming, it crapped out about halfway through a relatively short excursion. I'm quite proud of how this came out, especially with my camera only staying on my shoulder strap by sheer balance of will and hope. 

And, hey! A new excuse to return to places I've already hiked without getting bored! Bonus! 

The Great Wander of 2026 - Stats and Rankings

 Miles - 154.9

Elevation Gain - 11350

States - 17

Mountains - 7

Miles hiked in each state

PA - 30.2

ME - 19.4

WI - 17.9

VT - 16.6

MD - 15.8

MN - 13.8

RI - 5.8

NY - 5.6

CT - 5.3

OH - 4.8

VA - 4.8

MA - 4.4

NH - 3.0

IN - 2.2

IA - 1.8

MI - 1.8

WV - 1.7

Elevation gain per state

VT - 3763

PA - 1616

WI - 1559

MD - 1214

ME - 890

MN - 522

NH - 407

IA - 348

NY - 277

RI - 236

VA - 233

OH - 72

WV - 69

CT - 62

IN - 59

MA - 49

MI - 43

Verified completed trails

Annapolis Rock via Appalachian Trail - MD

Appalachian Trail: Boiling Springs to White Rocks - PA

Bicentennial, Hickory, and Birch Loop - WI

Big Rivers Regional Trail - MN

Burlington Bike Path - VT

Burnt Mountain via Westline Trail - NH

Burrows Trail - VT

Camel’s Hump via Forest City, Long, and Burrows Trails - VT

Confederate Flank Trail - VA

Cornfield Trail - MD

Crown Point Trail - NY

Fish Farm Mounds State Preserve - IA

Forest City Trail - VT

Fort Adams Bay Walk - RI

Fort Preble and Spring Point - ME

Fort Williams Park Loop - ME

Green Point via Quoddy Head Light - ME

Inland Trail - ME

Kent’s Ledge Trail - VT

Loon Lake Nature Preserve Trail - IN

Marshall Point Lighthouse Nature Trail - ME

Methuen Rail Trail from Hampshire Road - MA

Middlesex Township Park Trail - PA

Oak Trail to Hickory Trail to Bicentennial Trail Loop - WI

Owls Head Lighthouse - ME

Plym Park to Riverfront Park via River Valley Trail - MI

Quoddy Coast Guard Trail - ME

Snavely Ford Antietam National Battlefield Trail - MD

Stone Bridges Trail - CT

Third Winchester Battlefield Park - Red Bud Run Trail - VA

Two Lights State Park Loop - ME

Wainwright Recreation and Greenbelt Walkway - ME

West Quoddy Head Lighthouse Trail - ME

States ranked

#1 - Vermont

#2 - Maine

#3 - Pennsylvania

#4 - Maryland

#5 - Minnesota

#6 - Wisconsin

#7 - New York

#8 - Virginia

#9 - New Hampshire

#10 - Rhode Island

#11 - Connecticut

#12 - Massachusetts

#13 - Ohio

#14 - Indiana

#15 - Michigan

#16 - West Virginia

#17 - Iowa

Mountains/Bluffs

Camel’s Hump - 2536 ft. elev. gain - VT

Hixon Woods Bluff - 1152 ft. elev. gain - WI

Kent’s Ledge - 1040 ft. elev. gain - VT

Annapolis Rock - 837 ft. elev. gain - MD

Center Point Knob - 771 ft. elev. gain - PA

Burnt Mountain - 356 ft. elev. gain - NH

Fish Farm Mounds State Preserve - 348 ft. elev. gain - IA

The Great Wander of 2026 - Day 22

 

The Great Wander of 2026

Day 22: June 16th, 2026

States Hiked: Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota (17 total)

Trails Hiked: Riverside Park, Jim Asfoor Trail: Copeland Section, Fish Farm Mounds State Preserve, Neighborhood Loop

Distance Hiked: 2.5 miles, 1.8 miles, 2.2 miles

Elevation Gain: 43 ft., 348 ft., 23 ft.

Final Wander Total: 155.4 miles

Duration: 54m, 42m, 47m

Day 21

Day 20

Day 19

Day 18

Day 17

Day 16

Day 15

Day 14

Day 13

Day 12

Day 11

Day 10

Day 9

Day 8

Day 7

Day 6, Part 2

Day 6, Part 1

Day 5

Day 4

Day 3

Day 2

Day 1

I've been to Riverside Park more times than I could count, and it's usually a good place to go for an easy walk along the river (so it's not just a clever name) with a lovely bridge and a generally relaxing atmosphere (and at Christmas you can visit with reindeer, so that's fun). On this walk I wasn't alone, do with that information what you will. It was the last day of the wander, I was less than three hours from home, but that nagging "you set out to hike in 17 states/provinces but you didn't bother with the provinces part (again), you're one state away from meeting your goal, and you're within close proximity of a border to pop over, get that arbitrary, self-imposed goal, and go home without an unnecessary feeling of failure despite that being demonstrably untrue" thing. You know how it is. 

Upon parting Riverside Park, I had that choice: go home, or visit Iowa on purpose, and never in a million years did I think the latter would be the tempting option. But, since I noped in Illinois twice rather than, I don't know, visiting Kankakee River State Park and walking with a pair of Clown Shoes (again, that old cliche), I couldn't help myself. I just had to go to Iowa (gods that feels strange to say even after I explained it.) 

Right over the border into eastern Iowa, there was a trail that looked like one of the bluff gains from the previous day's log, but the AllTrails review number was incredibly low. Now, I'm not saying those ratings always mean the trail is dogshit, so it's important to read said reviews to figure out why. Sometimes the reasons are legit, like "the trail is overgrown and poorly maintained." But other times, it's like "it's March in Minnesota and there was mud, no stars" or "it was really windy and obviously that's the trail's fault" or "I've never been hiking before and I tried the hardest trail in the park and I couldn't do that immediately with no preparation, how dare you be hard, trail?" so it's important to gauge why the numbers are low, is what I'm saying. 

"Overgrown, barely a trail, poorly marked," were the reviews, so I opted for the next one, which was Fish Farm Mounds State Preserve. It had a higher rating than the one just north of it, listed as a short out-and-back with solid elevation gains, and fewer complaints of poor conditions. 

You fuckers lied to me.

I can't be too mad, because after all, it is Iowa and I did that to myself. But also, if you're going to have a trail, maybe have a trail and not a vague path through a tick garden buffet and then completely stop bothering before the short trek is done and it's time to turn back? Totally weird concept, I know. 

Then I walked around my neighborhood because my wander wasn't going out like that. 

Thanks, Iowa. 

The Great Wander of 2026 - Day 21

The Great Wander of 2026

Day 21: June 15th, 2026

States Hiked: Wisconsin (16 total so far)

Trails Hiked: Oak Trail to Hickory Trail to Bicentennial Loop, Bicentennial, Hickory, and Birch Loop, Ice Cream Midnight

Distance Hiked: 8.4 miles, .5 miles

Elevation Gain: 1,152 ft., 10 ft.

Cumulative Wander: 148.9 miles

Duration: 2h 

Day 20

Day 19

Day 18

Day 17

Day 16

Day 15

Day 14

Day 13

Day 12

Day 11

Day 10

Day 9

Day 8

Day 7

Day 6, Part 2

Day 6, Part 1

Day 5

Day 4

Day 3

Day 2

Day 1

This hike wasn't deliberately about being Petty Mayonnaise toward someone who had recently walked with me in this same park, but it didn't hurt the matter either. Not what this blog is about though, otherwise many more veiled references (because it's 'shade' you see) would be made. 

I finally felt like I was doing a real hike again, which is an absurd thing to say when 16 states and several mountains have been on this journey, but also, being under two miles and doing rest stops just to get steps on the ground is not my style. Days 19 and 20 were particularly underwhelming for me, and with the trip almost over, I wanted to push myself hard at least one more time. 

Funnily enough, even the return trip hike in Wisconsin was both on the border with Minnesota and somewhere very familiar to me, so I guess once I got this close to home, it was inevitable. A trip to Devil's Lake would've been more fitting for the theme of this wander, but the only time I went there was with a hiking buddy in February, not to mention someone who had the state parks pass for the appropriate state. And after paying 20 dollars to flirt with heatstroke in Antietam (and without the wool uniforms in the summer to boot), I wasn't eager to give more money for the privilege of walking somewhere. 

When anyone asks me where the best places are in Minnesota to hike, the easy answer is "along the eastern crescent." Northern Minnesota on the Iron Range and along Superior, Southern Minnesota along the river bluffs, which of course extends to the other side in Wisconsin because that's how glacial valleys with bluffs work I guess. I'm not a geologist but it made sense in my head for someone who took the geology credit senior year, second semester "rocks for Jocks" and netted the only C on the transcript (working harder for that C than any other grade, for the record, I do not science). What was I talking about? Oh right, bluffs and hiking. Hey, it was three weeks in, don't judge me. 

Hixon Forest was lovely when starting from the top at the aforementioned Petty Mayonnaise junction, but hitting up the trailhead on Bliss Road before the climb was even better. Having a hiking companion is lovely, but even after three weeks of pushing myself on various levels, getting that elevation gain and working for that Verified Complete badge when the miles and elevation are higher and harder? Always gonna be the way I do it; it's one of the few cases where "they have to learn everything the hard way" is actually a compliment rather than an annoyance muttered by someone frustrated with my need to trek the more difficult path, literally or metaphorically. 

Decent gains, actual views at the top, and increasing the miles, all good things. But after the top of Camel's Hump, it couldn't help but be comparatively underwhelming.