How much trouble is it to get to Snelling State Park without a car? The normal entrance by car is by taking the Post Road exit off of 494 by the airport. Without a vehicle you can take the light rail to the Fort Snelling Light Rail Station then walk a ways on Minnehaha Avenue curving around to Bloomington Road until you see the underpass of the freeway. Or maybe you can just follow a river otter if you see one like we did. This little guy wasn't planning on going down the storm drain. He waited for the car to pass and then headed toward the river.
Once you find the old fort, walk back behind it and down the path to get into the state park. There are no entrance fees if you come in this way without a car.
Once you're down in the park there are any number of walks. Without a car we didn't have to think about coming back the same way we got into the park. Our plan was to head upstream back towards Minnehaha Park and get back to the light rail station that way, but I suspect that if you walked in the other direction toward the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge you would be able to walk to the Mall of America and hop on the light rail from there. http://www.fws.gov/refuge/Minnesota_Valley/about.html You could have a hike and a shopping trip all in the same day!
I think they call this point Steamboat Landing. That's the Highway 5 bridge upstream. Downstream a little further is where the Minnesota River converges with the Mississippi River.
Limestone caves along the river are so tempting to go in. I did find some plastic bags in the woods so I decided I should pick up some litter along the way. The park seemed pretty clean.....
....until I poked my head under a few footbridges. I left it all there cause I didn't want to haul it.
Under the Highway 5 bridge there is this weird pedestrian footbridge that my neighbor said she had crossed once in her youth. Looks like a bad idea. I don't think that is what it was meant for.
Some of the park has infrastructure problems.
Taking a detour to visit the Coldwater Springs area, the site of American soldier's first settlement in Minnesota. This area used to have some government buildings that were covered with graffiti inside and out before they removed them all. I don't think I ever saw that graffiti, but I think there were some tours led by park rangers before the restoration efforts began.
Still heading upstream. I don't know where Snelling State Park ends and Minnehaha Regional Park begins. I wonder what the history of this totem pole is? Tripadvisor shows a picture of it as #144 of its things to do in Minneapolis. Who knew. Keep walking. We found ourselves coming through the back entrance of a very large off leash dog park. Happy dogs everywhere. Large dogs that couldn't care less about you because they had too many other things to smell. Pure doggy heaven. Outside the doggy park park we were now in Minnehaha Park and at the top of the bluff.
Through the trees at the top of the bluff we could spot a bit of color so.....we walked back down to the where Minnehaha Creek lets out to the Mississippi River. It's a graffiti hot mess down there. So let's explore it a bit.
Interesting. Yes, I am at the place I was meant to be.
Nice work.
Climbing up some steps.
Hmm...that gate might be unlocked.
Following the creek back.
WPA job (1940), approximately 135 steps up. Beer waiting at the top. Bent Paddle Stout to be exact. I hurried up those steps. Light rail station just another 1/2 mile beyond the beer stop.
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