Minnesota State Park

This park is located out just outside of New London Minnesota. It’s not a highly trafficked park. We hiked on a Wednesday and were at the park for about 2 hours before seeing anyone else on the trail. A great place to hike if you are gearing up/training for a longer more rigorous hike, which is exactly what I’m doing with my 9 year old daughter. I highly recommend the Mount Tom Trail, it has a lot more than I expected from this trail.

Quick Review: 7/10 Great scenery and overlooks, trails are maintained fairly well, one larger closure on the main trail, detour was not very scenic. The Mount Tom Trail is considered moderate and for good reason.

Mount Tom Trail

We took the Mount Tom Trail. Our trek started at the trail center(which was closed for construction). This trail is about 4 miles of hills, overlooks, grasslands, and a lakeview. With the exception of the very beginning, the trails are well marked. We took the wrong path for about half a mile, that didn’t take long to sort out. There are maps posted in several places, we used the Alltrails app and recorded our hike. It took us 3 hours and 11 minutes total, 2 hours and 25 minutes of actual moving time. With the little ones along we took a few breaks and had a picnic at Mount Tom.

Hills

Holy hills Batman! I’ll be honest with you… I was expecting grasslands. You know, prairie. This was western Minnesota, it’s farms and grasslands out there. We actually happened upon a map that shows the different regions in Minnesota. It was interesting to see that this park is still in the deciduous forest region. This was the most hilly hike that I had done in a while. The grade was quite steep in a few areas. There are logs and rocks going across the trail to prevent erosion and acted as stairs. I do not recommend bringing a stroller on this trail. I did bring one, we had an extra munchkin along for this hike. Sandy, my 9 year old daughter, and I completed this hike along with a one and half year old and a 3 year old. I had my child carrier on my back and pushed the stroller. I felt like super mom on this hill riddled moderate hike.

Overlooks

Yes, the hills are wonderfully exhausting. But you can celebrate your triumph with an amazing view from the top. Even before you reach Mt. Tom, you can see over the treetops. We pulled out the binoculars to have a good look around, it was quite cool.

Mount Tom

You have a couple of options for viewing the Mount Tom Monument. We did the Mount Tom Trial, which brought us to a small parking lot with a restroom(yay!). So obviously, you can drive right to the head of the short trail to the Mount Tom Monument. It is paved and wheelchair/stroller accessible. If you’re not up for a hike in the woods, you can still enjoy a nice view. There is a set of stairs to climb to the top of the monument to truly gain the best vantage point. You can see all the way to Wilmar from the top. It has a sturdy railing, with small space in between the slats. I was confident in it enough that I let Killian climb up on his own, he was quite proud of himself.

Lake Andrew

We continued the Mount Tom Trail to Little Mount Tom, it had a cute little view. The climb up to it was really neat though. At this turning point there are signs to follow for Lake Andrew. We only got a quick glimpse of the lake. This was very disappointing for Sandy, she loves the water and any chance to be near it.

Trail Closures

This was quite a bummer. The trail is disrupted by a closure. At first glance it didn’t look like to much of it was closed. But when we aske a park ranger where we can get back on the trail, they informed us that the rest of the trail to the trail center was closed. This was such a let down. We completed the trail as much as was possible at the time. Hopefully it doesn’t stay closed for too long.

Other Park Activities

The hiking was great at this park, it’s absolutely beautiful! But the hiking isn’t the only activity available at this park and I look forward to taking advantage of what this park has to offer during different seasons.

Summer:

Camping (year-round)
Hiking (18 miles)
Fishing
Horseback Riding (7 miles)
Paved Bike Trail (2 miles)

Winter:

Cross Country Skiing (8 miles)
Skate Skiing (2.5 miles)
Snowshoeing
Snowmobiling (6 miles)
Ice Fishing on Lake Andrew (Crappies)

Whatever your favorite outdoor activity is, you’ll find something to enjoy at this park. Have you been to Sibley State Park? What was your favorite thing about it?

Well…. Not every trip can go according to plan.

The Original Boundary Waters Trip Plan

So here is what was supposed to happen:

Pack the Rogue while Scott finishes some last minute work
Leave midmorning and arrive at BWCA Entry point Larch Creek by 3pm
Set up camp and have s’mores as a treat for a hard day’s travel
Relax in camping bliss until noon on Sunday.

Easy day, simple trip. Right?

WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED

Friday Morning

Scott leaves to take care of some last minute work for a customer. Sandy and I get to work packing up the Rogue and loading the canoe. We ladies have everything ready to roll when Scott returns. All according to plan.

We hit the road feeling great about our exciting weekend ahead. As we drive along, I notice that the vehicle is giving a jerk every now and then when accelerating. We noticed this in Mora, Minnesota. We brush it off, knowing that the vehicle has been driven pretty hard and might just be showing her wear and tear. **Note- We should have stopped here.

Tobies!! This is one of our northern trip traditions. We always plan a stop at Tobies in Hinckley for an amazingly gooey caramel roll. Hinckley is a good spot for a potty break and to stretch your legs, too.

We fill up the tank and soldier on. Duluth at last! As we approach the giant hill that brings you up over Duluth, the car starts to struggle more. Huh… That’s not good. Scott is looking more concerned at this point, the decent into Duluth is smoother. And the Rogue hasn’t died on us yet. We start discussing what could be wrong and end up pulling off to the side of the road just north of Duluth. We smell something goofy, and aren’t entirely sure what it could be. We are no longer making good time and we have to keep moving if we are going to make it to our entry point on time. **Note- We should have stopped here.

Onward… I guess. Once we reach Two Harbors we are in rough shape. I am trying to keep the vehicle moving, we are getting so close to our destination. All I have in my mind is just to get there. I am longing so badly to be back in those serene woods and hear the rhythmic splash of my paddle against the water. **Note- We should have stopped here.

We make a stop to get something to eat in Two Harbors. Culvers was the most convenient and quick meal as we hurry along. As we load back into the Rogue we spot something that really grinds our gears. A little, rusted out, beaten down, ancient white car loaded up with a canoe and an obscene amount of gear has just been filled up at the gas pump and is headed off down the road with no problem at all. WHAT?! How is that thing even running without the gear? And our sporty SUV is struggling to make it along. Ridiculous.

Anyhow, we carry on. But just barely. Silver Bay is where we finally accept defeat. It seems that our circumstances are just to great to overcome. The Rogue is not going to make it there. We are not going to see those pristine waters. This is not the trip we were hoping for… **Note- We stopped here. Ugh. 3.75 hours from home.

Hurray for technology!! I hop on my phone call the Tofte Ranger Station to inform them that we will not be making it and cancel our reservation. Next, I search on that nifty Google machine for the nearest camping options. BAM! Tettegouche it is, I give them a call. They have just one campsite left, we’ll take it!… If I can get the rogue started again. Thankfully we do, but we can no longer get the Rogue to go past 40mph. Other drivers are obviously getting upset. We creep into Tettegouche State Park, it is a battle to get up the hills and finally into a parking space at our makeshift campsite.

Scott searches for an auto body shop and makes arrangements for the Rogue to be towed away. Meanwhile, I break the news to Sandy that we will not be making it to the BWCA this time. But we look on the bright side, at least we get to camp at a new place and see something different. We get to work on setting up camp with lifted spirits. That’s my girl!

Scott managed to find us a place to have the vehicle towed to. They even let us use a car to get back to our campsite. But first, dinner.

Another Boundary Waters Trip tradition that cannot be ignored. On our BWCA trips we usually stop at Northwoods Family Grille, formerly known as the Northwood’s Café. My family has been stopping at this same restaurant for breakfast before BWCA entry since I was a kid. Great food and a welcoming atmosphere. Though Sandy enjoyed the S’mores French Toast it was a little too sweet for me, but my mom loves their biscuits and gravy.

After dinner we took the little borrowed car back to camp. The three of us made the best of it, our goal was to bring Sandy on a camping trip. And that we did. We played cards in our tent until we were playing by lantern light and could barely hold our heads up.

In the morning, we made ourselves some oatmeal and hot chocolate with our new camping gear that we were supposed to tryout that weekend. It worked great! Sandy was very excited to hear that Grandma and Grandpa were coming to spend the day with us. Surprise!

Scott and I had made a couple of calls to family. My parents picked up a trailer from Scott’s dad and made the drive up to rescue us. As it turns out, the transmission in the Rogue burned out. I was unaware that I was driving with the vehicle in overdrive THE WHOLE WAY UP. Did you know there is a button for that? I must have bumped it at some point. Honestly, I still don’t know where that button is. That was a $3000 mistake. Whoops. Don’t do that.

We are very thankful to have the kind of family that will drop their Saturday plans to make a 6 hour drive to rescue their kid and her family. Again, we made the best of the situation and it turned into a neat visit at Tettegouche State Park.

While we waited for our heroes to arrive, we packed up our gear and hit the trails. We got a map at the visitors center and decided to go exploring some falls. Sandy was very proud to lead the way. The trails are well maintained and some would really be acceptable for a stroller. We did happen upon a set of stairs that was rather long and steep, but it lead to an area of the Baptism River that we were able to jump on rocks in.

Once my folks had arrived, we explored in a different direction. Not too far from the visitors center is a trail that leads down to Lake Superior. This was where the Baptism River enters Lake Superior. It was a perfect place to skip rocks and hunt for crayfish. We had a blast in this spot.

The coolest thing about Tettegouche, in my opinion, were the trees. The root systems were so unique. Watch your step! It made for some great photo opportunities too.

This is one of our most interesting and memorable trips. Not because we were going somewhere grand or because it was the most perfect trip. It was the most memorable because it wasn’t the perfect trip and we learned the most from it. Sure, at the time we were very frustrated and scrambled to figure out what to do. But we know now that we can handle that kind of situation when our plans go awry.

Lessons Learned

Take the most capable vehicle you own & make sure it can handle the trip
Don’t put it in overdrive if it isn’t necessary; $3000 people, yikes
Be thankful for your rescuers
Even when things turn sour, you can still salvage a trip
Some of the best memories come from mistakes made
Even on an accidental trip, you can still give your kids a great weekend full of adventure

Share your trip mishap and the lessons learned, I’d love to hear it!

Tag: Minnesota State Park

Sibley State Park: More than Expected