Hiking in Minnesota

Minnesota is better known for canoeing than hiking in the Boundary Waters Canoe Wilderness Area and surrounding parks and forests of the northeastern Arrowhead region, but the hiking is definitely not to be missed! The Superior National Forest alone boasts of over 400 miles of hiking trails. Just be sure to bring good waterproof boots, because many of the trails are swampy even during the best of times. To the east, the Lake Superior shoreline offers a number of challenging hiking opportunities hiking up the hills and bluffs overlooking the lake.

As you head south and west across the state, you transition from northern forests to prairies and farmlands. Parks get smaller and hiking trails shorter, unless you decide to hit one of many rails-to-trails paths that are shared with bicyclists.

The Minneapolis and St. Paul areas have an extensive trail and greenway system. Some trails, such as those in the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge can feel remarkably remote despite their location within a major metropolitan region – as long as you ignore the planes taking off and landing at MSP International Airport. To the east and south of the Twin Cities, the St. Croix and Mississippi Rivers form the border with Wisconsin, along which you’ll find many parks that highlight the most scenic territory in the area.