Lake Maria State Park

Hiking Club Trail #7

​HIKE DETAILS
Date: October 11, 2017
Location: Monticello, MN
Length: 2 Miles (Hiking Club Trail), +4 miles on various trails out to Lake Maria and back
Difficulty: Easy: (HCT) Mostly flat with packed dirt, some of the other trails had some hills and the trails the horses can go on are rougher. 
Cumulative Hiking Club Miles: 18 of 197

​At this point I can't seem to get enough of fall and I am out hiking just about every other day. My job search is in its 5th month I am stressed - the hiking helps!

​The HCT starts at the Trail Center and loops through the woods - I remember this trail wasn't marked the best and I lost the trail at least once but found my way back to it pretty easily. 

Right away we find some wildlife... well more like former wildlife. Penny started going crazy and I realized why when I saw the dead raccoon on the side of the trail - thank God she is not a roller!

My mom also decided to come along on this hike, but I this point I still can't convince her to join the Hiking Club... The mostly wide paths at this park plus the fact that we were almost the only ones there made it easier on her.

This park is pretty. There are a couple of lakes you can hike to a few ponds a long the way - nothing super spectacular but overall it was nice and serene.

The HCT takes you past Bjorkland Lake (where we came across another snake - I have seen more snakes this fall than I have in my entire life, I think) and back into the woods. After completing the HCT we were still feeling good and decided to hike a few more trails (there are 14 miles of trails in this Park). The trails that horses have access to are a bit more beat up and we found trails that were a lot more hilly  than the HCT.

​All in all it was a good fall day! What is your favorite season to be outside? Mine is definitely fall!