Vadnais-Snail Lake Regional Park
Vadnais Heights, Minnesota
Trail Hiked: Vadnais Lake Trail, Sucker Lake Loop
Distance Hiked: 10.15 miles
Elevation Gain: 282 ft.
Duration: 3h 26m
This hike is not remarkable from a statistical or difficulty standpoint. That’s not why I’ve hiked in this park more times than any other, by a considerable margin. But it seemed appropriate for a birthday hike this year, and I won’t say what number birthday it was, but I’m writing this in blog form and I’m not on social media, so… I was born in a year with a 1 in front, that’s all you need to know.
The best part of this park is the narrow causeway between the lakes, and it’s not even close. I’ve been on that strip for sunrises and sunsets, spring and fall migration, standing on leaves and ice, smiling brightly and shedding tears. I’ve been there alone and with a partner, on a first date and a last, reconciliation and devastation. I’ve left enough emotional ink on this trail to compose my own symphony.
It was much better to have a happy memory there than avoid it for remembering a bad breakup or when some family I didn’t even know decided on my worth as a person because I had the nerve to be birdwatching instead of yakking at top volume with strangers
During the summer, one can park in the middle of the lake, and loon spottings are as common as the gavia immer itself. The winter still provides access between Vadnais and Sucker Lakes respectively.
The other side of Vadnais is… fine. Mostly wooded, fewer scenic views, doesn’t loop back around, so that makes it an odd 3/4 out-and-back.
Sucker Lake is… fine. After crossing the county road and railroad tracks, it’s at least a loop, but there isn’t much to see. There is a little strip north of the lake where swans are regular denizens, so unless you’re Jess Mariano, that’s a nice feature.
I hit all those spots for the camera, plus getting some extra miles in to compensate for not traveling far and doing an easy trail. Even picking this trail despite it being a gorgeous weather Saturday was a big deal for me, given that summer weekends mean I’m either getting out early or avoiding anywhere popular as much as possible. This day worked exactly how I needed it to, and was a comforting contrast to the unfortunate events of a Discord phone call a year prior.
This is a place I go back to when I want to catch the best of spring migration. Before the leaves are back on the trees, after the yellow-rumped warblers are the only new ones for a while, hanging out by the small section where the causeway banks left is a fantastic spot, especially just as the sun is coming up and people haven't ruined it with their bluetooth speakers or obnoxiously loud conversations yet. The sunrises over this lake are phenomenal.
This is a great place to get Northwoods vibes without a three-hour drive, as despite its proximity to the 694, the noise pollution doesn't infect the atmosphere much.
