Memories in the Miles MN

I'm a huge sucker for waterfalls. There are so many unique falls along the North Shore of Lake Superior, some right off the road and some requiring further hikes. I'm honestly surprised that Caribou Falls isn't more well-known, considering it's size and proximity to Highway 61. My guess is that it's less traveled due to not being part of a state park. After stopping here, I consider it one of the must-sees along the North Shore. Caribou Falls State Wayside was a quick add-on to our North Shore weekend last fall (read more and see our full agenda here ). Minnesota has 9 state waysides, which are too small to be considered a full state park, but containing important cultural or natural resources and beautiful views. Most have minimal to no facilities. This wayside does have a vault toilet in the parking lot. The trail is not maintained in the winter. Navigate to Caribou Falls State Wayside , which is just past mile 70.5 on Highway 61. When the water level is low, you ...

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference. -"The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost Have you heard of George Crosby Manitou State Park? This park is one of the least-visited state parks, despite it's location on the North Shore of Lake Superior. Is it "less traveled" due to quality? Absolutely not! There are two main reasons why this park isn't spoken of: location and trail difficulty.  It's off the main roads, so the park is a 20-minute drive from Highway 61. The trails themselves are tough - full of rocks and roots, narrow, and not always well-marked. This is by design - the park is intentionally under-developed to create more of a wilderness experience. This is precisely the reason I chose George Crosby Manitou as one of the stops on our North Shore weekend last fall (read about our full weekend and find our agenda here ). Huge bonus - it has a cascade waterfall! To get to the park, navigat...

Nerstrand Big Woods State Park (one of my favorites so far) is named because it contains some of the last remaining portions of Minnesota's Big Woods. A huge highlight of the park is its waterfall. In addition, the park contains a unique nature playground that is the perfect ending to a family hike. We stopped at Nerstrand Big Woods on the way home from our visit to Lewiston  as part of our quest to visit all of the Minnesota State Parks and complete the Hiking Club and Passport Club. This was our fourth state park in three days, and my 7-, 5-, and 3-year-old were a bit tired, but these trails were interesting enough to capture and keep their attention. The park has full bathrooms with running water, so after a bathroom break and snack, we set off on the 2.2 mile Hiking Club loop, listed on AllTrails as the Nerstrand Beaver Loop . The whole trail is wide, well-maintained, and shady. It has a few ups and downs, but they weren't very steep and it was overall easy. The falls come...

Our family loves nature and loves free, so nature centers are a favorite for us. When planning a play date for my daughter and her friends at Westwood Hills Nature Center in St. Louis Park, we got the added bonus of checking out the Trail of Small Wonders. This year's event ends on July 29, so hurry over to check it out! Westwood Hills Nature Center is fun in itself. We first discovered it two summers ago, when we explored some of the 160 acres of trails, and saw a deer, turtles, and beekeepers working in the apiary. The nature center building is home to a few raptors outside and other small animals inside by the exhibits. The outdoor play area was being built at the time, so we were excited to return and see the final result. There is a small playground, a flowing water activity, and a nature play area where the kids built a fort with large branches. Now for the highlight of the day - The Trail of Small Wonders! The St. Louis Park Friends of the Arts offered a workshop on buildin...