Minnesota Hiking Club #38 - Forestville/Mystery Cave State Park

Minnesota Hiking Club

#38 - Forestville/Mystery Cave State Park

Date Hiked: February 7th, 2025

Other Hikes That Day: Beaver Creek Valley State Park

Wanderloon Ranking System Score: 2.92

I again don't know whose decision it was to have Hiking Club trails also be accessible to those riding horses, but I promise, I have questions and I just wanna talk. 

Okay, so maybe I was a bit worn out and slightly more ornery than usual at having to dodge horseshit with my boots and poles, but seriously, who thought that was a good idea? At this point, I wasn't worn out from traveling and bingeing the Hiking Club trails yet, but I did the Beaver Creek Valley Hiking Club trail before this one, and I don't particularly recommend doing another trail after the steep climbs of that one at any time of year, let alone winter. 

Forestville/Mystery Cave State Park lured me in with the promises of... well, caves of course, but also with cool old buildings, which hit multiple potential special interest engagements. This trail does not take you through, or even near, either of those things, but even the Hiking Club brochure recommends taking the tours after the hike. That's likely much easier to do if you're not traversing this trail in early February. 

Finding a good spot to start this trail is also somewhat difficult, as it's not clear where the trailhead is. But since it is a loop, if you can find a space to park that's along the trail somewhere, it shouldn't be too difficult from there, especially if you didn't hike Beaver Creek Valley's Hiking Club trail first. I can't emphasize enough how that one should probably be done on its own. I made it through most of this trail just fine, save for dodging the scatological landmines, but as all the elevation gain on this trail was toward the end, or the end based on where I parked and which direction I went, I was regretting multiple decisions on that ascent. The rise itself isn't difficult, but my calves were screaming at me because of the day's aforementioned hike, so take that into consideration when choosing your proximity-based multiple hike days. 

The ridge itself upon which you ascend is gorgeous, and easily the most beautiful part of the two mile loop that resembles a rad mushroom or a particularly dull axe. The trail takes one along the river, but also through camping grounds, which fortunately was not a detraction for me because of the time of year, but if someone might be doing this for the solitude and peace with nature like I was, it's good to know. It's not quite a suburban neighborhood's potential for loud noises and crowded activity, but it's worth knowing to set expectations for all the same. 

While I do feel like I gave this park a generous grade because of its other features, it's still a lovely hike through the woods and ridges. Outside of the W-coded Great River Bluffs, it was closing out of the southeast region for me, and I enjoyed that section of the state a lot more than I initially thought.