Minnesota Camping
Our Minnesota camping trip included two state parks, Interstate Park, which is near Minneapolis, and Mystery Cave State Park in southern Minnesota.
Interstate Park
We had three nights at Interstate Park, which is just across the Minnesota border. There is also a park on the Wisconsin side. We had a nice shaded electric only site.
Interstate Park is a great campground if you enjoy canoeing or kayaking. They have a large number of each for rent. Also, you can take long trips down the St. Croix River. Because the trips last several hours, they will bring you back to your starting location. Lastly, there is a large paddle boat that provides rides on the river.
We planned to do a little time in a canoe on the river because it looked like so much fun. However, the more I thought about it, I feared it would make my bad shoulder worse. So, we reluctantly abandoned that plan. I really wish we had begun this traveling when we were younger!
We planned to ride the paddle boat trip on our last full day at the campground and also drive into Minneapolis, but it rained all day. So, we stayed inside and binged Netflix, except for a trip to nearby St Croix to do laundry.
Interstate Park Hiking Trails
Interstate offers some amazing hiking trails, including a rather short one that features over 400 ancient glacial potholes.
Below is a photo of the deepest known pothole, which is sixty feet deep.
We also did a large portion of the River Trail. The day was relatively cool and most of the path was shady. It was a pleasant afternoon.
Hanging in the Campground
We spent several hours at our campsite and some little red squirrels entertained us. That is, until we discovered after some time away that they had eaten a hole in our rug. My husband thinks they were attracted to something below it.
We enjoyed our Leinenkugel’s beer, purchased in Wisconsin. I liked the Grapefruit Shandy the best.
Meals in Minnesota
Our only meals at restaurants on this trip were takeout or at places where they offered outdoor seating.
While at Interstate, we had takeout at Juneberry Cafe and an outdoor meal at the Drive In Restaurant. Both of these Taylors’s Falls restaurants were good, but we really appreciated the outdoor seating at the Drive in. The seats were in the shade and the food was very good. I had very crispy sweet potato fries with a marshmallow dip. Decadent!
Lanesboro
I wanted to stop in Lanesboro because it looked like an interesting place to visit. So, we took a little detour before going to our next campground. It is a pretty 19th century town known for the Root River Bike Trail which runs through it. They have an extensive number of bikes for rent. People come from all over to visit and participate in the trail. Much of the town’s shops, art galleries, and restaurants were closed because of Covid-19.
We had an outdoor lunch at Pedal Pushers Cafe and ice cream at another shop. It was a pleasant stop.
Mystery Cave State Park
Our last Minnesota Camping was one night at Mystery Cave State Park. The campground was very nice with a better than average bathhouse for a State Park. It was a peaceful and relaxing break in our trip.
Forestwood Pioneer Village
Neither the Mystery Cave nor the Pioneer Village was open while we were there. We checked out the Village, but you could not get close because of construction. However, we met a nice lady from Oregon at the village and had a nice discussion.
The Minnesota Countryside
We saw lots of the Minnesota countryside. It entailed cornfields and lots of barns like the one below. It was quite picturesque.
Conclusion
We loved our time in Minnesota. The State Parks were great and the countryside was beautiful. We experienced several small towns, but sadly no larger ones. Considering the pandemic, our Minnesota camping was a good experience.
If you would like to see posts from other states we have visited, check out States Visited, a Campsite Resource.
Happy Camping and stay safe out there!
