Minnesota is brimming with outdoor recreation opportunities, and with a few months of warm weather and sunny skies ahead, now is the time to tap into them. Here’s our guide for myriad ways to haul in a fish, hike a rugged trail, or climb the next peak, all while discovering our state’s wild, natural beauty. Get outside!
Photo by Explore Minnesota
Explore the water.
Paddle the lower St. Croix River near Taylors Falls for quiet, wildlife-filled waters flowing through a steep-sided valley with high bluffs. Make a day trip and meander 15 miles down to William O’Brien State Park. Eric’s Canoe & Kayak Rental and Taylors Falls Canoe & Kayak Rental offer boat rentals with shuttle service for day and overnight trips on the St. Croix. Prefer kayaking? Minneapolis’ Chain of Lakes has some of the best beginner-friendly kayaking in the state. Paddlers can cover five sapphire gems—Bde Maka Ska, Lake Harriet, Lake of the Isles, and Cedar and Brownie lakes. (We suggest launching on the north end of Brownie Lake.) The crystal-clear mine pit lakes of the Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area are ideal for paddleboarding. Pennington and Huntington lakes are two of the most popular, with 15 lakes in all to paddleboard in the area.
Photo by Cuyuna Lakes Chamber
More to Explore
Lighthouses dot the landscape in Duluth, Two Harbors, Silver Bay, Grand Marais, and other coastal communities on the North Shore of Lake Superior. All of these lighthouses are best seen on foot.
The elegant 125-seat Minneapolis Queen paddleboat gives people a different perspective of the city skyline—from the Mississippi River.
Photo by Lyndsey Johnson
Try something new.
Sauna is about sweat, relaxation, and the incredible smell of the forest air when you emerge. Plus, it’s a way to commune with nature on a primitive, deeper level. Try the floating sauna from Sisu + Löyly Nordic Sauna at Skyport Lodge near Grand Marais for a one-of-a-kind experience.
Photo by Sisu + Löyly Nordic Sauna
Or if you’re into exploring wilderness lakes in a stable, human-powered boat, Itasca Sports provides rental rowboats on Itasca, Mary, Elk, and Ozawindib lakes in Itasca State Park. Rowboats are $40 for full-day rentals.
Star Island is a gem in the middle of north-central Minnesota’s gin-clear Cass Lake (located 20 miles north of Walker, 16 miles east of Bemidji). The island’s most unique natural feature is Lake Windigo, the only spring-fed lake on an island in the middle of a river-fed lake in the Northern Hemisphere. All of Cass Lake is within the Chippewa National Forest, and Star Island has sand beaches, walking trails, and free camping.
Photo by Caren Smith
Here Fishy, Fishy
Steelhead trout come to Lake Superior’s North Shore tributaries to spawn in April and May and are readily catchable. Wild steelhead are protected and must be released. Hire a guide with Namebini guide service to help you catch and identify steelhead trout, with all fishing equipment provided.
Want to fly fish? The south branch of the Root River running through Forestville State Park is maintained as a wild brown trout stream. Brook trout and rainbow trout can also be caught within the park. Or try trapping rusty crayfish (an invasive species) on Tofte Lake in Ely or Pike Lake in Grand Marais. Minnesota DNR regulations allow individuals with valid angling licenses to harvest up to 25 pounds of live crayfish.
Photo by Explore Minnesota
Cast a Wider Net
Rent a houseboat from Ebel’s Voyageur Houseboats in Orr and sleep on the same boat you ply the waters with by day. Or try learning recreational sailing, though it does require a commitment to lessons. Adult and children’s beginner lessons are offered by Lake Minnetonka Sailing School in Wayzata.
Lake surfing is not for everyone, but Lake Superior can offer great waves. Head to Stoney Point near Duluth to soak in the surfer scene.
Photo by Mike Mosedale
Go biking.
The Root River State Trail is a 42-mile paved multiuse trail built on a former railroad grade in southeast Minnesota’s Driftless Region. Start in Fountain and ride parallel to the Root River, where limestone bluffs rise high above the trail. Stop in Lanesboro to experience small-town charm and gorge on ice cream. Then, ride to the trail’s end in Peterson, a town filled with Norwegian culture.
Try Redhead Mountain Bike Park in Chisholm. With a trailhead located in the back of the Minnesota Discovery Center parking lot, Redhead offers beginners and experts alike purpose-built mountain bike trails in an abandoned mine pit on the Iron Range. The iron-rich soil gives Redhead its name.
Photo by Discover the Range
Wilderness Drive in Itasca State Park is a paved, one-way street, taking riders through gigantic red and white pines in Minnesota’s most famous state park. Heading up in the fall? Try the “Headwaters 100” rides through the park on Sept. 27, with distances of 45, 75, and 100 miles.
Grab your mountain bike and head to the Britton Peak trailhead in Tofte to ride remote singletrack all the way to Lutsen. Don’t have a mountain bike? Rent from Sawtooth Outfitters in Tofte and arrange to get a shuttle home from Lutsen. Jackpot and High Climber comprise 16 miles of rugged mountain biking trail—plan on three hours
of riding one way.
Courtesy of Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
More Two-Wheeled Fun
E-biking is booming in Minnesota. If you haven’t tried it out yet, start your e-bike adventures by renting through e-Bike Duluth. Ride to Canal Park, Lincoln Park, or the newly renovated Brighton Beach.
If you enjoy biking and are willing to haul lots of gear on your bike, bikepacking is for you. Bikepacking means traveling with all your camping gear, going from campsite to campsite by bike in a self-supported way. Try it on gravel roads deep in the woods, such as those in the Superior National Forest, or on a paved trail like Mesabi Trail.
Minneapolis and St. Paul are some of the best biking cities in the United States, with over 200 miles of bike lanes and off-street bikeways and trails in each. See the Twin Cities on two wheels for a new perspective on urban living—we suggest the Midtown Greenway.
Photo by Midtown Greenway Coalition
Lace up.
Superior Hiking Trail—Minnesota’s premier hiking trail—has 300 miles of main trail and 16 miles of spur trail, stretching north from the Minnesota-Wisconsin border nearly to Canada. Day hike or backpack to see sweeping vistas of Lake Superior.
Gunflint Trail is a paved road in northeastern Minnesota that stretches 57 miles west from Grand Marais. Gunflint is dotted with Superior National Forest campgrounds and canoe-in campsites. The dark skies here are unparalleled, providing a prime opportunity to see the northern lights—especially at nearby Voyageurs National Park.
Photo by Erik Fremstad/Explore Minnesota
Stroll the boardwalk at Big Bog State Recreation Area. This scenic area along Upper Red Lake in northwest Minnesota contains a 500-square-mile peat bog—the largest in the lower 48 states. Walk along the 1-mile boardwalk through the bog itself to see orchids, carnivorous plants, and carpets of moss.
The “Lost 40” is a parcel of old-growth forest that has never been logged within the Chippewa National Forest, just west of Blackduck. Here, massive red and white pines tower over soft pine-needle beds that make up pleasant hiking trails.
Photo by Deborah Rose
Everyone knows the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) is prime for paddling, but you can hike and backpack there, too. Ideal three-day backpacking loops include the Powwow Trail, north of Isabella, or the Sioux-Hustler Trail, north of Ely. These hiking trails feel even more remote than the BWCAW’s famed waterway routes.
More Ground To Cover
Get your glide on this summer with inline skating or the four-wheel type—you choose. “Rail trails”—public paths built on former railroad tracks—abound in Minnesota. The Douglas State Trail is perfect for inline skating through rural scenery and rich agricultural land just north of Rochester.
Photo by Megan Schrooten
Robinson Park, on the banks of the Kettle River in Sandstone, offers both sport climbing (using ropes and harnesses) and bouldering (climbing without ropes and harnesses) in a former sandstone quarry. Come back again in winter for Minnesota’s most accessible ice climbing on farmed ice.
In southern Minnesota, check out the Cannon River Wilderness Area, showcasing the Big Woods ecosystem with maple-basswood forests, prairie, and river views. You’ll find 5 miles of hiking trails, four primitive campsites, and a canoe launch, plus a wood beam footbridge over the Cannon River.
Photo by National Park Service
Connect with Nature.
The Minnesota Historical Society operates the Forest History Center, tucked deep within the Northwoods just outside Grand Rapids. Visit a recreated logging camp circa 1900 and learn about the extensive process of white pine logging. See how “river pigs” (log drivers) used the Mississippi River to get huge pine logs from the north to waiting sawmills downstream.
Learn skills like sailing, fishing, and wild foraging with hands-on demonstrations and gain a new appreciation for outdoor living. The North House Folk School in Grand Marais lies on the shores of Lake Superior, and caters to all ages, interests, and skill levels.
Photo by North House Folk School
With wingspans up to 9.5 feet, pelicans are both large and graceful. During their northward migration every spring, they have a habit of resting and feeding on the St. Louis River in Duluth’s Fond du Lac neighborhood. Bring a pair of binoculars or spotting scope to view them from Chambers Grove Park.
Located in west-central Minnesota and managed by The Nature Conservancy, the 841-acre Ordway Prairie Preserve has incredible views from hilltops overlooking the partially forested landscape. There are no trails here, so be ready to walk through tall grasses and wildflowers.
The town of Lake Benton is perched on a glacially sculpted plateau 10 miles east of the South Dakota border. Head to the surrounding prairie to see over 25 species of butterflies, 200 species of wildflowers, and birds such as Wilson’s snipes and bobolinks.
Photo by Superior National Forest
Go Foraging
Virginia bluebells cover the hillsides in Carley State Park, near Winona, in early May. Also look for Dutchman’s breeches, trout lilies, and large-flowered bellwort.
You’ll have to put in the leg work, but the Superior National Forest roads can lead to some fruitful berry picking areas. Don’t be afraid to step off the beaten path to find blueberries, thimbleberries, and blackberries. (Always research thoroughly before foraging, as some plants can be toxic, and follow state park regulations on what can and cannot be harvested.)
Ricing (the traditional method of hand-harvesting wild rice) begins in late August in northern Minnesota, and the Mississippi River in Cohasset is a good starting place. Minnesota residents and nonresidents alike can harvest wild rice with a license. You’ll need a canoe, push pole, and flail to harvest the rice, then take it to a processor for finishing.
Photo by Steve Brown
Quintessential Minnesota Musts
Chase waterfalls in Tettegouche State Park.
Baptism River boasts three waterfalls within hiking distance from the visitor’s center at Tettegouche State Park, including Cascade, Two Step, and High falls—the 70-foot High Falls
Photo by Micah Kvidt
is the tallest waterfall located entirely within Minnesota.
Comb Lake Superior beaches for sea glass and agates.
The small hamlet of Knife River, located between Duluth and Two Harbors, has one of hundreds of Lake Superior beaches for rock collectors. Always respect public and state park regulations by checking rules before collecting or removing any natural items.
Fish for walleye on Lake of the Woods.
Minnesota and Canada share Lake of the Woods, commonly called the “Walleye Capital of the World” (the walleye happens to be our state fish). This 951,337-acre Northwoods lake is a walleye angler’s dream.
Walk across the Mighty Mississippi.
It’s iconic Minnesota—cross the Mississippi River at its headwaters in Itasca State Park.
