Minnesota Hiking Club #25 - Camden State Park

 

Minnesota Hiking Club

#25 - Camden State Park

Date Hiked: February 9th, 2025

Other Hikes That Day: Lake Shetek State Park

Wanderloon Ranking System Score: 3.42

Being from the east coast, "state park" is not the first thing that comes to mind when I hear the name "Camden." Take that any way you want, but outside of the name, the two have nothing in common whatsoever. 

I went to university in Philadelphia, so my familiarity with the former is more than an internet meme. I'm not throwing shade either, but even without casting any judgment, a "walk through the snow in the woods" and "Urban Delaware Valley Metropolitan Area" are two very different experiences. 

I started this hike twice, because I initially left the parking lot without my ice spikes, but upon seeing the first descent, I quickly rectified that poor decision. Given how narrow and steep it got in a short amount of time, I'm very glad I did that, because in addition to the terrain, it was next to an open-flowing water source. Do the math with factoring in winter in Minnesota, and regardless of the weather on this particular day, scenes from the third act of Titanic come to mind. Spikes made a considerable difference in preventing me from growing icicles on my nose or throwing a diamond underwater instead of giving it to someone who could use it, so that's a plus. 

Camden is technically a ghost town, though one wouldn't likely find any evidence of such by visiting this park. Many spectres do haunt the deep immersion into the woods, and not just the actions of humanity's past. As the website lists, "buffalo, elk, prairie chickens, and golden eagles were an integral part of life here. They are gone now." It's hard to make this gorgeous hike without thinking of that, especially when one must walk right next to the edge of farmland on the Hiking Club trail. It's reminiscent of just how close protected land has to be carved out in order to not be completely overrun. 

Initially, I thought I might be headed to Split Rock Creek after this one, but considering the weather and snow factor, I opted for Lake Shetek and saved the southwest corner for another day, and you know how that went by now if you've read this far. The loop is shaped like an anteater sprinting toward the finish line at Canterbury, and at points it gets a bit confusing with several close trail junctions. The distance is on the shorter end, being just a bit over two miles, but the elevation gain is a factor, both in steepness and difficulty. Take your time on the aforementioned narrow rock descents, even if you're not dealing with ice; I don't imagine that fall would be pleasant in any weather. 

The latter portion of the trail edges private property and feels more like a prairie walk, so one gets to experience distinct landscapes in a short amount of time. With freshly fallen snow and the solitude these winter excursions brought about, the woods portion felt magical and ethereal, which likely led to my very favorable rating.