Favorite Places in the Great Outdoors

I recently received an email newsletter from the Conservation Corps. One of the articles in it talked about the favorite places of some of their crew. It shouldn’t have been a surprise to find the BWCA among their favorites but it’s still wonderful to see. They also mentioned a number of my favorite places on the North Shore including Split Rock River Trail, Bean Lake on the Superior Hiking Trail, Eagle Mountain, Palisade Head and Cascade River State Park. One place mentioned I haven’t visited is the Butterwort Cliffs Scenic and Natural Area. I’ve passed by it many times now I just need to take the time to stop and check it out.

Jerry Buker: BWCA – Peace and quiet, and great scenery and fishing.

Andrew Dale: Superior Hiking Trail! Challenging, rewarding, rugged and mostly remote, yet not too far from creature comforts (great restaurants and breweries) in Grand Marais, Two Harbors and Duluth. I spend every spare weekend that I can up there. In the photo my dog Sam and I are overlooking Bean Lake, a couple trail miles into Tettegouche State Park. 

Brian Hubbard: Minnesota has world class parks and trails! My favorite place to hike with Monty and Vahti is Split Rock River Trail, Two Harbors, Minn. We love the trail, access to the river and awesome views! 

Bailey Erickson: I love going to the North Shore! My favorite thing is hiking up creeks and rivers to find waterfalls. Being by the water makes me feel more content, creative, relaxed and happy. I also love picking wild blueberries on Palisade Head, having bonfires on the beach and kayaking on Lake Superior.

Nicole Zyvoloski: One of my favorite outdoor places is Eagle Mountain, near Grand Marais. It’s the highest point in Minnesota, and I love the view! Another spot near and dear to my heart is Cascade River State Park – the river, Lookout Mountain, and Lake Superior all in one 🙂

Megan Zeiher: Butterwort Cliffs Scientific and Natural Area: During my service term with the SNA Program of the MN DNR I got to visit several SNAs across the state and see so many of Minnesota’s most wild places, but this was the most enchanting of them all. The crayon box of colors certainly added to its charm, but the peaceful crashing of waves and solitude of the space is what makes it one of my favorite places to get outside.