Before Word Gets Out, Hike A Portion Of Minnesota's Newest Future Hiking Trail
By Trent Jonas|Published August 16, 2023
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Trent Jonas
Author
Trent Jonas came to Minnesota to attend college - and never left. He's a Twin Cities-based writer with a BA in English and a MFA in creative writing, a Minnesota Master Naturalist, and the proud father of two adult children. With more than a decade of freelance writing experience under his belt, Trent is often out exploring his favorite topics: Minnesota's woods, lakes, and trails. Rhubarb pie is his weakness, so discovering new diners is also a passion.
A local grassroots group is working to establish a new hiking trail in Minnesota. The Minnesota Driftless Hiking Trail is a long trail that will connect existing public lands as it traverses Minnesota’s Driftless Area.
As currently routed, the trail will connect a variety of existing public lands, including state parks, wildlife management areas, and scientific and natural areas that lie within the broader Richard J. Dorer Memorial Hardwood State Forest.
The trail organization is working with landowners to establish trail easements across private property between the numerous existing public lands in the corridor.
The amazing Bluff Country landscape is defined largely by its karst geology, which results in dramatic limestone bluffs and outcroppings, like the Cabbage Rocks.
The view from the top of one of these so-called Cabbage Rocks in Minnesota's Driftless Area showcases just how beautiful the Bluff Country is. Check it out in this short YouTube video from Spirographic:
Although the trail isn't complete, you can still hike some of the existing routes it seeks to connect.
For example, the Lost Creek Hiking Trail, near Chatfield, would represent the western terminus of the Minnesota Driftless Hiking Trail. You can download interactive offline trail maps from AllTrails+.
This trail traces the valley of the eponymous creek through the area's hardwood forests.
For another taste of what the Minnesota Driftless Hiking Trail will offer, head over to Eagle Bluff Environmental Learning Center near Lanesboro, another site that will be connected to the longer trail.
Its public trails offer bluff top views of the Root River as it winds its way through the Bluff Country - just as the Minnesota Driftless Hiking Trail will do.
Eagle Bluff Environmental Learning Center, Goodview Drive, Lanesboro, MN, USA
Once complete, the trail will wind 100 miles from the small town of Chatfield to the Mississippi River. Visit the Minnesota Driftless Hiking Trail’s website for more information on its progress or to find out how to help get the trail completed. The trail’s Facebook page offers updates and some awesome images of Minnesota’s Bluff Country – be sure to check it out!
Are you excited to hike the Minnesota Driftless Hiking Trail when it’s complete? What are some other long trails in Minnesota that you enjoy? Let us know in the comments!
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