Minnesota Hiking Club #45 - Split Rock Creek State Park

 

Minnesota Hiking Club

#45 - Split Rock Creek State Park

Date Hiked: February 11th, 2025

Other Hikes That Day: Blue Mound State Park

Wanderloon Ranking System Score: 2.67

This certainly didn't go as planned. 

It would be impossible to tell the story of this hike without giving it the proper context, and that's beyond just the logistics. My plan for the day was to finish out the southwest corner of the state, starting with Split Rock Creek, going through Blue Mound, and concluding with Kilen Woods on the way back. Despite the temperature that day being a balmy -17, I got an early start and knocked off a few Adventure Labs on the way.

Then, approaching the small town of Tyler, I felt a bump. Shortly thereafter, the tire pressure light came on. I pulled off around the corner in Tyler, and saw that my front driver's side tire was flat. I'm no automotive expert, but I do know how to change a tire. Or, at least I do when I can get the wrench to move anything even slightly.

As I'm nearly jumping on the wrench trying to get it to budge, I see a pair of Uggs next to my door. When I look up, there is this delightful blonde woman holding a cup of coffee who offers me help. She was the pastor at the Danebod church, in front of which I'd stopped. While we couldn't get the wrench to work, she walked me over to the local car shop and introduced me. They didn't have a tire that fit, but they did drive over with a power tool to help me get the flat off and the spare on. Not being from Minnesota, I haven't experienced as much of that genuine Minnesota Nice as many have, and even being a non-religious person, I made a donation to the Danebod church because of the kindness I was shown. 

That said, the limitations of running on a spare gave me two options: Try to make the 15-minute drive to the first park, and at least finish Blue Mound before a slow drive home, or turn back to Marshall, get a new tire, and try this 3-plus hour drive again another day. 

I opted for the former. Perhaps it wasn't the smartest decision, but it was a decision. Plus, I had a trusted car person near home who would take care of it for me the following day. 

Split Rock Creek was frozen, windy, and cold, if the aforementioned temperature didn't tip you off. Its unfortunate similar name will always have it as the little brother trying to keep up with the big brother's lighthouse and scenic North Shore hiking trails. With a lot of snow on the ground, AllTrails was a huge help to follow the path, as the signs didn't make it totally clear where the oddly-shaped loop trail would turn. 

I didn't make it to Kilen Woods that day, and driving home from Luverne doing 50 on a spare was abjectly terrifying, but I couldn't have done it without the kindness I experienced in nearby Tyler, where a total stranger went above and beyond. 

Minnesota Hiking Club #46 - Mille Lacs-Kathio State Park

 

(Picture is from Father Hennepin State Park, but I didn't want to leave it blank again)

Minnesota Hiking Club

#46 - Mille Lacs-Kathio State Park

Date Hiked: March 11th, 2025

Other Hikes That Day: Savanna Portage State Park, Father Hennepin State Park

Wanderloon Ranking System Score: 2.67

Much like Franz Jevne or Carley in previous ranking posts, the access gate to get toward this trail was closed. Unlike Father Hennepin, done a mere few minutes before this park, the actual Hiking Club trail was nowhere near the gate.

Father Hennepin’s Hiking Club trail, which since I haven’t written about it yet obviously indicates I enjoyed that one more, takes one right next to Lake Mille Lacs, whereas the one with that body of water in its name does offer more elevated views from more of a distance. Neither of those are bad, but after having to hike to get to the hike again, I admittedly was deeply enveloped in being Over It ™.

The Passport club stamp also left me slightly miffed, although truthfully that’s more for personal reasons, in the sense that using the actual stamp gives me a happiness boost for reasons I can’t explain. However, instead of getting that little serotonin boost, they left sticker strips, whereas the stamp itself was inside the office. And, in a circumstance I will share quite often on this countdown, the office was closed when I got there, so with my Ennui ironically running wild, I placed it in the appropriate spot and moved on with it.

This Hiking Club trail falls on the more difficult side comparatively, but adding considerable distance on a day with a solid seven miles banked already, it felt more arduous than it may have, had this been the first hike of the day. At least it wasn’t five hours away like the aforementioned Franz Jevne, so I could’ve come back. I just didn’t want to.

Lake Mille Lacs was a common waypoint for me during this speedrun, usually an indicator that I was getting close to home after a long day. This day in particular had me reflecting on the first time I saw it, heading north as a passenger for the trip that taught me what kayaking was, among other things. In the winter though, it’s not just the Hiking Club trails that are desolate and depressing. The whole area feels lost in time, and while I’m sure it’s not that way in the summer, it is still rather notable.

Granted, there is historical and societal context for that, upon which is not my place to elucidate. I nonetheless think of it in contrast to other places I visited along this journey, like the North Shore and the Ely area, and can’t help but remark on the notable visible contrast. For which, again, the reasons are numerous.

Mille Lacs-Kathio is a beautiful state park with a woodsy, rustic vibe despite how close it is to a major travel route. I have zero doubt that without a seasonal hiking tax of extra distance, and perhaps being at the tail end of this speedrun, this hike may have been much later in this series. This day, I just wanted to get it over with, and even that required more time and effort than I’d initially planned

Minnesota Hiking Club #47 - Lake Maria State Park

 

Minnesota Hiking Club

#47 - Lake Maria State Park

Date Hiked: March 13th, 2025

Other Hikes That Day: Lake Carlos State Park

Wanderloon Ranking System Score: 2.67

“It’s almost over.”

As I entered the gates for one of the State Parks closest to the metro area, that was the prevailing thought in my mind. A W-coded park whose brown highway sign on the 94 I’d passed a dozen times on the way to others, left me with only two parks and one more day of this self-imposed one-season challenge deadline to go. 

It’s safe to say I wasn’t fully invested in the park itself at this point.

While that had very little to do with the awkward fellow hiker encounters I had during this quick loop, it also reminded me why fitting in the Midwest is difficult as an autistic person. Where I went to university, you never made eye contact with someone walking by. Years of living here taught me that people will verbally greet you whether you look or not, and that’s where the social anxiety of autism meets the pressures of the social contract and putting on the mask of politeness. But, in an odd contradiction of neurotypical expectations, when I forced myself to acknowledge the presence of a passing hiker, each one of them stared through me like I’d flipped them off with the One Ring on my finger. Dammit, if they’re going to insist I play Midwest Hello Verbal Tango Tag, at least don’t make me feel like Queer Isildur when I do! 

This is also among the trails that Minnesotans hiking in March downrate because of the mud, as if several layers of tundra hadn’t just occupied the lands for a considerable amount of time. Granted, yes, Lake Maria State Park’s Hiking Club trail was the muddiest I’d found in my speedrun to that point (it would be quickly usurped on the next day finale), but Reviewer Culture would give a hike one star because they got mosquito bites in a state that literally calls itself the Land of 10,000 Lakes… Oh wait, they do that too. What are you expecting? Mud pontoon bridges and Biodome but with mosquito nets instead of glass? Maybe I’m just not online enough to get it, and I’m fine with that, but don’t expect to find an AllTrails review from my account in the desert complaining about heat and sunburn being the trail’s fault.

Just kidding, I’m never going hiking in the desert.

Lake Maria State Park is less than 100 miles away from home, which is why I saved it for a time when I knew I’d be utterly exhausted, and therefore wouldn’t have much farther to go after the trail’s completion. The trail itself, while obscenely muddy at this time, was a mere two miles to quickly knock out. While it doesn’t loop around the namesake lake, the back end breaks through the dense woods for a lovely view. At the trailhead, it looks like they’ve invested a lot in the visitor center and education therein, which helped this hike not feel like an odyssey through a time portal to a frozen dimension.

Minnesota Hiking Club #48 - Lake Bronson State Park

 

Minnesota Hiking Club

#48 - Lake Bronson State Park

Date Hiked: March 10th, 2025

Other Hikes That Day: Red River State Recreation Area, Old Mill State Park, Hayes Lake State Park

Wanderloon Ranking System Score: 2.58

Of the four Northwest Corner parks I did on March 10th, this one ranks the highest, and we're not even halfway through the list. So, it's safe to say that this was, indeed, not my favorite portion of what the state has to offer. But, I imagine for those who live up this way, this has to be the preferred destination of the bunch, because even with its extinct planet vibes, the potential is obvious. 

Hell, I'll bet that when things are green, this even looks like a lake and not what an intergalactic explorer finds upon landing in order to conclude the universe is no longer populated. 

Reaching this far-north remote park on the day of wind gusts that would've either aided or inhibited Phileas Fogg depending on the direction, Waze took me toward a bridge that was out. That, of course, was not marked on Waze, because who the hell else was traveling this way in early March? Unfortunately, that meant a 15-mile diversion on mostly dirt roads before finally snaking my way in. 

Along the way though, a deer challenged me to a race. Several of a considerably-sized herd were running in my direction, but one of them banked about twenty feet away, sprinting alongside my car. Though I was on a dirt road and thus not pushing the speed, the fact that the aggressive deer running full tilt kept up for a solid five or six seconds was really impressive. That was the closest thing I had to something that could be considered an interaction on this day's journey.

The Hiking Club trail itself starts near an area with buildings that are likely overflowing with people when the temperature isn't the dark side of Saturn. The shape of the trail is technically a loop, but more accurately resembles a second grader drawing Lakes Huron and Michigan with one line. While the beginning/end, or the Lake Michigan side if you will, is mostly an uneventful walk over ice through the woods, the Huron half takes you down by the lake and then loops around to savanna, so the land diversity within the park itself is rather impressive. 

I honestly spent more time debating with myself whether or not I should even bother hiking this trail, due to how hard the wind was blowing the trees that would soon be above me, than I spent actually hiking the trail. As I'm sure you've gathered from my previous posts, having only a hoodie to block out the now-below 20 degree weather didn't do much for my motivation or enjoyment, but that's once again only on me.

The trail is unique in its shape and diversity of landforms within its mid-range distance. In the winter, it's indeed the epitome of solitude, and that's entirely understandable, given its geographic location and proximity to... anything. If deer who want to race you wouldn't be a highlight of any day's travels, I don't know what would be. NASCAR Bambi don't mess around.

Minnesota Hiking Club #49 - St. Croix State Park

Minnesota Hiking Club

#49 - St. Croix State Park

Date Hiked: March 8th, 2025

Other Hikes That Day: Jay Cooke State Park, George C. Manitou State Park

Wanderloon Ranking System Score: 2.58

Fellow AllTrails users, come here. Come on, come over here, I need to tell you a secret. I'm gonna whisper, come right next to me now, that's it...

Minnesota is muddy in March.

Okay, take a second, I'll let that permeate in the thought meats for a little while. We good? You understand? You're not gonna go... Yep, you already downrated yet another trail because it was really muddy, of course you did. Let me guess, you also gave out two-star ratings in January because it was icy? Naturally. When it's July, do you give bad ratings because there are mosquitos? Thank you, you've been so helpful toward understanding what's a good trail versus the facts of existing in Minnesota somehow being the trail's fault, carry on. 

The hike at St. Croix State Park wasn't that muddy, though I only say that in comparison to a few that would come at the end of this Hiking Club speedrun. That said, a significant portion of this trail did feel like wading through an inland pond at times. 

I was really impressed how far I had to drive to get from the sign to the actual park entrance. Though I was heading down from the two North Shore-ish parks listed above that day, I can't imagine I'm alone in the experience of turning to enter the park, and then being surprised that it's another 5 or 6 miles before the office. 

This was the day, toward the end of my speedrun, that I started seeing other cars in the parking lot more often. This isn't a complaint, just an observation, but the changing seasons were quite apparent. It should be noted though, March of 2025 was having fun with its temperature variance, often jumping around 40-plus degree differentials by the day, so what can one do other than embrace the chaos and plan accordingly? 

Two of the three hikes on this day were W-coded, with the third (Manitou) being more just "well, if you really want to, I guess" in terms of winter hikability. Though tempted to also knock off Wild River State Park, the length of this one after the other two were not exactly Lake Louise in terms of length and elevation, I opted for this to close out Slushfest '25, being close to five miles and all. 

It's an interesting combination of trail types, I must say. It's technically a loop, but it's more similar to a section of Banning State Park where the proximity of the out-and-back is within sight. But because it is a loop, technically, it doesn't matter which way you go first. That is to say, one side is a paved bike trail and the other is a very narrow riverside excursion, so plan accordingly. 

It isn't my favorite of the long line of state parks dotting the St. Croix, but that just speaks to the quality of that grouping. None have been listed yet, so being the first of the many says a lot.

Minnesota Hiking Club #50 - Lac Qui Parle State Park

 

Minnesota Hiking Club

#50 - Lac Qui Parle State Park

Date Hiked: January 26th, 2025

Other Hikes That Day: Big Stone Lake State Park

Wanderloon Ranking System Score: 2.58

I hiked this trail on the way back from Big Stone Lake, as its proximity was convenient and mostly along the way home. This one's "easy to find" rating suffered from having to turn around two different times while attempting to find the Hiking Club trail, as areas were closed off and otherwise inaccessible. Ended up joining the trail somewhere along the middle, which worked thankfully since it was a loop trail, but alas, the perils of attempting these things in the winter. 

It is not uncommon to find deer along many of these Hiking Club trails, though their attitudes vary quite a bit. Sometimes you're within a few feet and they couldn't care less, other times they want to challenge you to a drag race. At least on this day at Lac Qui Parle, they were so skittish and jumpy that getting within 100 yards made them panic and take off like I was one of the state's denizens with arms and an orange coat. 

I spent a not-insignificant portion of this hike wondering, "it's less than 150 miles from home, how is it still nearly three hours away?" 

I've said it in many and I'll say it again here: I bet this place is absolutely lovely in green weather, though I'm pretty sure that's among the first times I wrote it in my Passport journal. That booklet didn't start out as my place for jotting down snark that would eventually end up in here, but by this point, it was full-fledged Golden Girls-level shade, when appropriate and necessary.

Snow drifts were a big factor along this relatively short loop, which is to be expected in January on the prairie. The park's reputation for being a primary bird migration stop made me yearn for the days where having my camera with me could result in capturing images of birds outside the standard 20 that stay in Minnesota throughout the year. In November, seeing a cardinal, blue jay, white-breasted nuthatch, mallard, Canada goose, or black-capped chickadee may be fun, but in January, I'm dying for the red-winged blackbirds to let me know that variance is on the way. 

Much like the parks in the far north, the two Hiking Club trails on this day felt isolated and desolate, and that's not a complaint on my part. I imagine that most of the places have an entirely different vibe with green leaves and mosquitos, and this park is no exception. 

The infrastructure for campgrounds and picnic shelters is readily apparent, but spotting such things in temporary states of abandonment and disuse can be eerie at times. It reminds me that these are destination spots, not population centers. If I could tolerate crowded spaces for much longer than I'm actually able, I'd be interested in comparative analysis on that front. But if the 28 mosquito bites I get before my car door closes wouldn't scare me off, the screech of screaming children or annoyance of bluetooth speakers with no headphones inevitably would. 

Minnesota Hiking Club #51 - McCarthy Beach State Park

 

Minnesota Hiking Club

#51 - McCarthy Beach State Park

Date Hiked: March 9th, 2025

Other Hikes That Day: Bear Head Lake State Park

Wanderloon Ranking System Score: 2.58

Even the Hiking Club booklet mentions loons in the description, so you know I'm gonna get excited about it, even when I'm well aware I'm not gonna hear any tremolos or yodels on March 9th. 

It's one of the harder trails to find, even as the park itself is not. The presence of a private residence makes you feel like you'd better turn around rather than continue on. As the W codes were being lifted due to a Minnesota late winter heatwave, which for most other states would still be too cold to be outside, I was knocking them off the list while traveling past ones I'd visited in much colder times. Bear Head Lake would've been an easy pairing with Lake Vermilion-Soudan Underground Mine State Park, but when I hiked there, the snow was several feet high, so I wasn't breaking the code, convenient as it would've been. The state of McCarthy Beach's Hiking Club trail, though, made me yearn for the Soudan trail's compacted snow on top of which I could walk.

While skiing may no longer have been practical for this trail, at least for a day or two at that point, the trail was a fine mix of thick ice and enough slush for an establishing shot in Fargo. The attention to which watersports is paid in the descriptions of this park tell me that hiking may not be the most conducive way to experience this place, even when one isn't cursing whichever trickster god they prefer on whom to blame for the existence of slush as it permeates the legs of their pants and insides of their socks. 

Though I have fallen backwards into the outdoorsy cultures of hiking and kayaking on my own, I'm not Minnesotan enough to have added fishing, hunting, and/or camping to that list. I love being outside all day, but when it's time to sleep, it's the last place I want to be, tent or not. I love being at lakes, but I have no desire to get inside a boat with a hook-based springy stick to take food away from herons and eagles. Nor do I have any desire to leave my hook-based springy stick leftovers stuck in the trees, or the beer cans I've emptied in the process. I've heard many discuss the peace of being on the lake and immersing themselves in nature through fishing, and I'm always like "you know you can do that without the pole, right?" And hunting? No. That is all. 

I only say that because even the state park's website calls the watersports/beach "famous" while referring to the trails as "hidden gems." And that's fine, because the diversity of these parks in Minnesota's vast array of landscapes allow for the foci to vary based on what fits them. This one just makes me painfully aware that I'm a transplant, even after eight years of being here, and that's perfectly okay, but I still don't want to partake in them either.