Whitewater State Park
Date Hiked: September 20th, 2025
Trail Hiked: Coyote Point via Dakota Trail, Carley State Park Hiking Club Loop
Distance Hiked: 3.8 miles, 1.9 miles
Elevation Gain: 784 ft., 112 ft.
Duration: 1h 57m, 37m
These two are so close together that even without the Hiking Club motivation, still figured that I might as well pay a visit to both. After all, the last time I visited Carley, I couldn't even drive up to the trailhead, so that made for a briefly different experience, even if the hike itself was pretty much the same. Without any bluebells, it's a simple walk in the woods with a tremendous adventure nearby blowing it out of the water, and doing Whitewater first can only lead to being underwhelmed. But, a few extra miles to pad the yearly count? Eh, why not?
I thought tremendously well of the Whitewater Hiking Club trail, and with it being on the more difficult side of the spectrum for that particular measurement, I continued my self-imposed quest to seek the longest trail in every Minnesota State Park. AllTrails did me no favors with this one though.
Starting on the Dakota Trail... well, it was better than having to end on it, I guess? With my white blaze Appalachian Trail shirt though, I did notice a level of deference from other hikers that admittedly gave me a small ego boost. The initial incline reminded me of the non-flat section of nearby Beaver Valley Creek with its steep ascent along a woodsy bluff, but once the trail crosses the road, it became unbearable in a sensory manner. Spiderwebs everywhere, mud from the extreme shade of the canopy, overgrown thorns, and the slippery sense of doom from the possibility of sliding down the bluff like Gollum making the world's worst sneak attack all contributed to a less pleasant middle of this hike. The loop around a scenic view was half pleasant, half grass taller than I am, making one's skin believe it had ticks crawling all over regardless of the accuracy of that paranoia.
After having an eye-level conversation with some cattails and dodging a few trail tourists, the quality of the trail increases immensely as it weaves through the Hiking Club sections, a nostalgic throwback to the Nerstrand-Big Woods adventure of this variety. With the temperature being considerably higher than my Hiking Club speedrun, it wasn't surprising to find quite a few more people along the way, and reversing the course of the aforementioned Hiking Club jaunt led to a different experience of crossing the river on stones, thankfully with no ice to fear.
Traversing down the bluffs brings one to a new ascent on the other side of the visitor's center with some equally delightful rock climbs, granting one great views of the hills and bluffs most recently completed. With this being the day after Frontenac though, the steep elevation gains of the bluffs two days in a row were making my knees rebel against my pursuit. While the trail I was taking was supposed to be an out-and-back, the call of Gatorade from the store was stronger than my will to gain another verified complete badge.
Still, unquestionably, a top tier state park.
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