Anyone know of a quiet country park? (Minneapolis, Bloomington: camping, to live)

[skylarkmn]

This might be an odd post, but I am from the country and I live in the midst of the concrete jungle of Minneapolis. I desperately need to find a beautiful, safe (I would like to go alone and not fear for my life), and quiet park/lakeshore in the country to run away to every so often. I figure you all have helped me out so much that you'd probably do well with this one too?

Know of any good ones? I'm willing to go up to 30 miles if necessary...really, I don't mind. What are your opinions of Big Island Regional Park off of Lake Minnetonka?

Please let me know. Thank you so much!

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by skylarkmn

This might be an odd post, but I am from the country and I live in the midst of the concrete jungle of Minneapolis. I desperately need to find a beautiful, safe (I would like to go alone and not fear for my life), and quiet park/lakeshore in the country to run away to every so often. I figure you all have helped me out so much that you'd probably do well with this one too?

Check out the wilderness areas in the Minnesota River Valley. I used to live right at the corner of Old Shakopee Road and Old Cedar Ave in eastern Bloomington, and there was a parking lot at the bottom of the hill that had various hiking trails and such leading away from it.

It was like getting away from the city for a while.

Much nicer when the old bridge was open to motor, bike, and foot traffic. I don't know its status right now... There also used to be a bike/foot bridge on the underside of the Hwy 77 bridge that crosses the river. I suspect that's still there, but last time I was tehre you couldn't get to it, at least from the north (Bloomington) side.

Long Meadow Bridge, Eagan, MN

Ecobirder: My World: Old Cedar Ave Bridge

Midest Region Refuge System (http://www.fws.gov/Midwest/MinnesotaValley/long_meadow.html - broken link)

[moving123456]

Originally Posted by skylarkmn

What are your opinions of Big Island Regional Park off of Lake Minnetonka?

Please let me know. Thank you so much!

Do you have a boat to get to Big Island? Many people tie up boats and party just off the shore of Big Island on most summer weekends.

Carver Park Reserve might have some of what you are looking to find.

Three Rivers Park District

[Ben Around]

Afton State Park is close by. It is beautiful, on the St. Croix River. It is very quiet once you get away from the picnic area. I like William O'Brien even better, but it is farther away. It's also on the St Croix and is even quieter.

[golfgal]

A little further out but not well known or overly used is the Big Woods State Park in Nerstrand (between Northfield and Faribault).

Lebanon Hills in Eagan is nice as well. There are several areas and entrances to the park each offering a different view and things to do.

[MnMomma]

I know you asked about country parks, but there are many good places for quick retreats within the city that help you reconnect with nature and are easily/quickly accessible. Maybe we can start a list of those?

-the Japanese garden and bird sanctuary on the north tip of Lake Harriet
-Eloise Butler garden at Theodore Wirth
-Minnehaha Creek walking/biking paths from 35W to Humboldt Ave
-Minnehaha Creek between Upton and Logan
-Woodlake Nature Center in Richfield (just off 66th and Lyndale)
-Hyland Park Reserve in Bloomington

A few water-based retreats I really enjoy:
-canoe from Calhoun up through Lake of the Isles, over to Cedar Lake and then north to the tiny lake (Brownie?)
-kayak/canoe/float on Minnehaha Creek

[DaPerpKazoo]

I have to echo the post above me- both Wirth and the bird sanctuary near Harriet are large enough (and usually empty enough) that you really feel like you're in a state park or the like. Try hiking down into the quaking bog area in Wirth, south of Glenwood and west of the parkway. Wirth in general is massive and empty.

[Clifford63]

Katherine Abbott Park in Mahtomedi is about 76 acres and has some walking trails with benches and a picnic area. It is a mix of rolling hills, woods, small lakes, and meadow. I walk through there often and there is always solitude to be found somewhere. There is a lot of wildlife and birds too. It is not uncommon to see wild turkey, bald eagles, and deer. Smaller than wirth park, which I also think is a good spot.

Another suggestion is Lake Elmo Park Preserve which is over 2000 acres and has two lakes, camping, trails etc. Have not spent much time there but it is much closer than some of the other suggestions.

[Haver]

One good thing about the Twin Cities is there are so many parks, that few of them get overused. I can only speak for Woodlake, Hyland, and the river bottoms - all three can have a very isolated "You are all alone here" feel to them (might be more the case for Woodlake's outer loops and prairie trail). They haven't been overdone with the blacktop, picnic shelters, bike lanes, signage and all the other trappings of a modern park; and are close enough that you can get in a daily run without having to drop everything or block out several hours for a weekend journey. There's also a little-known canoe launch on Minnehaha along 46th street, a bit east of Xerxes (a 2 car parking spot at the side of the road).

[nick is rulz]

Theo Wirth is nice, and its very easy to forget you are anywhere near the city when hanging out there. I also enjoy Nine Mile in Bloomington.