Hiking / Moving MN - where to move that will be most like moving out west (Minneapolis: appointed, fit in)

[mls]

I am relocating from Boston where I could easily go to the mountains in NH and go hiking in 2 hours on the weekend. My favorite places in the country are the southwest (hiking southern Utah is fantastic). I would move west to the mountains, but have decided to move to Minnesota (twin cities) because that is where my beautiful 2 and 3 year old niece and nephew have relocated. I am 30 and single, but not looking for a party scene. Looking to move into a peaceful neighborhood with friendly neighbors, fairly liberal, ecclectic eating and not super snotty (would be nice if it was a bit artsy - good gallery and music scene) and maybe some fresh markets. My passion is hiking - where do the outdoorsy people live in MN and where is the good hiking?

Thanks

[Cruz Azul Guy]

Northeast Minneapolis would be a good choice for all of your requirements besides the hiking. You can get to alot of good hikings locations in a matter of a few hours though, Taylor Falls comes to mind.

[kuan]

You can't have it all. The closer to the city the better the dining choices. The further out you go the better the hiking choices. However, the park systems within the metro area have fairly good trail systems where you can get away for a coupla hours and feel like you're somewhere else.

Amazon.com: Hiking Minnesota (America's Best Day Hiking Series): Mike Link, Kate Crowley: Books

[golfgal]

Try Stillwater. It has pretty much everything you want-liberal, artsy, nice neighborhoods, unique restaurants (and some chain places as well), you are right on the St. Croix for some hiking or you can go north a bit and do some longer hikes-Taylor's Falls, William O'Brien State Park and then up to the north Shore for the closest thing you will find to mountains in MN.

[Globe199]

Only problem with Stillwater is that it's far from the main employment centers.

[Haver]

If by hiking you mean backpacks and carbiners (spelling?), dried food and tent rolls, with some exceptions you're probably at least a half hour drive or so from any place in the metro. But you could easily fit in five hour walks just about anyplace. My own experience is with the Longfellow/Nokomis area in southeast Minneapolis where I have access to Lakes Nokomis & Hiawatha, Minnehaha creek and park, west river road, Fort Snelling (a former army base that's kinda interesting to poke around), etc, all within 10 minutes by car or 20 by bike/bus. There's also some areas that are much more rugged and natural along the Mississippi and Minnesota rivers within the metro area, with unpaved paths along the bluffs that are, um, "unofficial". Of those, stay away from the ones nearer to the downtown region as you might run across some homeless people in various states of emotional well-being, but further down south I've never heard of any problems. Also moir and nine mile creek parks in Bloomington have some wild areas where you can go "off path".

My neighborhood is on the older side but is starting to hit a generational changeover, and has some quaint undiscovered-by-the-masses areas.

[crazyme4878]

I have hiked in the White Mtns and in southern Utah. Unfortuantely, you are not going to find anything like that in MN. Obviously, there are no mountains or canyons, but in NH and UT, almost every hike was a "destination" hike, meaning you got somewhere special during or at the end of the hike. Hiking in the northwoods mostly means enjoying a quiet beauty. Now, don't get me wrong, I love hiking in the northwoods, I just didn't want you to be disappointed.

There are some good hiking possibilities in Duluth area, up the North Shore and around Grand Marias area. Check out the Superior Trail, which connects Grand Marias and Duluth. Also check out the Wisconsin side. There is much directly east of the Cities, but there may be some good trails a little north, south of Duluth. I have hiked a lot of the North Country Trail through the northern part of Wisconsin. Again, nothing awe-inspiring in the large sense, but a beautiful, thought-wandering trail. A little further out, there are the Porcupine Mountains in the UP of MI.

Since you are use to driving two hours to go hiking, I don't think you will have a problem finding places to at least have day hikes. For longer, backpacking trips, here are a few suggestions:

*Superior Trail
*Kekekabic Trail, Ely-Grand Marais (the trail in the past has been very difficult in the middle; they don't have the money to maintain it. Check with the Kek Group or the FS, bring good maps and a good compass)
*The North Country Trail--the Upper Pennisula of MI parts are especially remote and the part on the far west and far east are particularly beatuiful)
*The Ice Age Trail--goes through Wisconsin like a big smiley face, start by St. Croix Falls, I think. I've never hiked much of it, I don't have a great appreciation for it, but worth checking out.
*Isle Royale

The Ice Age Trail and the North Country Trail are not completely linked, so there is some road hiking in certain areas. However, the North Country seems to try to keep any road hiking limited to dirt roads.

Hope this helps!

[geekduo]

The Mississippi river valley is filled with bluffs and beautiful areas. Look into the areas south of the Twin Cities, along the MN/WI border. Red Wing and La Crosse come to mind.

[geekduo]

Originally Posted by crazyme4878

There are some good hiking possibilities in Duluth area, up the North Shore and around Grand Marias area. Check out the Superior Trail, which connects Grand Marias and Duluth. Also check out the Wisconsin side. There is much directly east of the Cities, but there may be some good trails a little north, south of Duluth. I have hiked a lot of the North Country Trail through the northern part of Wisconsin. Again, nothing awe-inspiring in the large sense, but a beautiful, thought-wandering trail. A little further out, there are the Porcupine Mountains in the UP of MI.

nothing awe-inspiring????
Try Copper Falls State Park in Wisconsin!

[mls]

Thanks for all the great trail advice. I have thought about Duluth, but seems like there are not a lot of jobs up there. Does anyone know if it is a safe city for a single woman to live?

I will be sure to check out all the trails mentioned as soon as I move up!