Father Hennepin State Park

Hiking Club Trail #18

​HIKE DETAILS
Date: April 28, 2018
Location: Isle, MN
Length: 2.0 Miles
Difficulty: Easy: Wide trails, some paved - easy to navigate
Cumulative Hiking Club Miles: 50.3 of 197

​This park earns me my 50 MILE PATCH!!! And to commemorate the occasion Penny jumped over a log and quickly dropped a beaver skull at my feet - why is it she can't just bring back antler sheds???

First thing - it is almost MAY and people were out on Mille Lacs ice fishing, some with snowmobiles... this is crazy.

This park runs along the southern shore of Lake Mille Lacs, and a good portion of the trail is paved (not my favorite when my intent is to be off the beaten path but it is nice to have firm ground during mud season). This park is on the smaller side but it is known to have albino deer which makes it unique - I did see some deer but none of the albino.

The hiking club trail makes a 2-mile loop which essentially runs you through the majority of the park - so I probably have no need to revisit but it would be a good park to camp in as it it right on the shores of Mille Lacs. 

Because this hike was a short one and because there is hardly any snow remaining on the trails we decided to head over to Mille Lacs Kathio State Park and do that Hiking Club trail too (I have hiked that trail before but my mom still needed to). Kathio was filled with wildlife Pelicans, varieties of ducks, geese, loons, deer, snakes... I love this time of year because the Parks aren't full of people yet. So far this park ranks amongst my favorites and I can't wait to get back and try other trails but the one thing I forgot was how hilly the HCT was - so that was a fun surprise.

​Overall it was a 6.6 mile day.