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Parks in Minneapolis Minnesota

Parks in Minneapolis Minnesota

One of the best things about living in Minnesota is all the parks in our hometown Minneapolis. In fact, did you know that Minneapolis features 180 park properties?!

This sunrise skyline view is from Bde Maka Ska park. The lake is the largest in the chain of lakes and has three beaches. The park is 518 acres with a 3.1 mile loop for pedestrians. We love walking and running around this lake in every season. It’s the perfect distance with nature views, neighborhood views, and the skyline. If you want to add distance, you can keep going around the chain.

The full chain of lakes covers 1555 acres with a total of 14.81 miles of pedestrian trails along with 15.27 of biking trails.

The lakes include Cedar Lake, Lake of the Isles, Bde Maka Ska, Lake Harriet and Brownie Lake.

There are endless activities: Concerts, Boating, Fishing, Volleyball, Archery, Tennis, Grilling, Ice-Skating, Cross-Country Skiing, Playgrounds, and more. You can see all the amenities by clicking HERE.

This area is definitely one of the highlights of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Make sure to visit and take it all in!

Read more about another one of our favorite parks in Minnesota – Bryant Lake Regional Park.

©What Stirs Your Soul Media

January 5, 2021
Bryant Lake Regional Park – Minnesota

Bryant Lake Regional Park is part of the Three Rivers Park District and is located in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. 170 beautiful acres including a fenced 9-acre off-leash dog park. As you hike, you’re surrounded by rolling hills, woodlands, and the lovely Bryant Lake.

There are a lot of activities to enjoy at the park; Dog Trails, Biking, Hiking, Boating, Fishing, Disc Golf, Geocaching, Paddling, Swimming, Play Areas, and Picnicking. Can you guess Allen’s favorite activity?

We enjoyed the quiet while walking the trails, the wonderful wildflowers, and the songbirds. All the trails are very well-kept. There is a nice combination of paved trails (specifically for the dogs) and unpaved trails. You can find pdf maps HERE.

Lots of acorns right now. Watch your step. 🙂

The stairs in the picture below are awesome for an extra workout. 👌

They are doing a great job with reminding people to respect each other’s space during the pandemic. ❤️

Late summer and fall is the best time of the year in Minnesota. Enjoy!

©What Stirs Your Soul Media

August 30, 2020
Sedona, Arizona – Hiking – Broken Arrow Trail

Broken Arrow is a new trail for us this year. We were hesitant to hike here because the trail runs parallel to the jeep path and we thought it would be disruptive. The jeeps didn’t bother us at all and it was fun to watch them cruising over the red rocks.

The hiking distance for Broken Arrow Trail is approximately 3 miles out and back. There are 12 parking spaces at the trailhead. The road to the parking lot is dirt for a short distance and very bumpy. There’s only room for one vehicle at a time on the dirt road to and from the lot so prepare to back up if another vehicle is coming. The trail is worth the little scramble of parking. This hike takes about 2 hours.

The 360° views are beautiful of the canyons and red rock spires.

Not far into the hike (at about 1/2 mile) you will come to Devil’s Dining Room. Devil’s Dining Room is a 50-foot wide and 90-foot deep sinkhole! The area is fenced off so you don’t miss it or accidentally fall in. 🙂 There are informative signs as you walk up explaining how the sinkhole was created and more about the bat colony that lives here.

Hello down there!

As you work your way up and you will see more signs for Chicken Point which is the top or you can take a side trail to Submarine Rock. Submarine Rock is a nice flat area to enjoy a picnic and the views. If you continue up to Chicken Point, you will also be connected to Little Horse trail to make this a longer hike.

When you see these views you will understand why so many old westerns were filmed in this area. You couldn’t create a better backdrop. I love the way the rock formations look in the shadow of the sun.

Almost all the trails in Sedona are pet-friendly as long as your dog is on a leash. Our little guy is having a blast hiking these red rock trails.

We always meet the nicest people hiking the trails. We met a professional photographer who offered to take our picture. So great to have a photo of the three of us on the trail.

Enjoy and keep on exploring!

#WhatStirsYourSoul #RoadTrippinTheUS

©Tracy Blowers

January 27, 2020
Fort Snelling State Park – Twin Cities – Minnesota

There are so many beautiful winter trails in the heart of the Twin Cities!

We visited Fort Snelling State Park the day after Thanksgiving (we needed the exercise after eating so much food). 🙂 Minnesota state parks waive the entrance fees on Black Friday to encourage people to get outside and explore.

Fort Snelling State Park is where the Mississippi and Minnesota rivers meet. You can hike to Pike Island where they converge and enjoy 3 miles of packed walking trails. You can also leave the park and hike to the historic Fort Snelling.

The rivers offer amazing scenery and views as you hike the trails. We loved all the reflections of the snowy trees in the water. There are 12 miles of cross-country ski trails and snowshoeing anywhere but on the groomed trails.

Fort Snelling State Park also links to an extensive regional trail system.

Our favorite thing is that the park is pet-friendly! The dogs loved getting out on the trails and meeting new friends.

There is a visitor center with gift shop, exhibits, and flush toilets that is open year-round. We got another sticker for the Thule!

It’s hard to believe this park is in the middle of the cities and right next to the airport.

Make sure to get out and explore the Minnesota State Parks and Trails this winter!

©Tracy Blowers

December 1, 2019

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