Traveler - Urban Adventures

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Traveler

A monthly e-newsletter to encourage “I Can!” program participants and other families to continue learning about the outdoors.

September 2018

Trail Highlight: Gateway State Trail

We often think of nature being distant from us; found in places we must travel at length to experience. But nature is right outside our front door and can be found even in the most urban settings. Consider the Gateway State Trail that begins in the city of St. Paul and travels northeast to Pine Point Regional Park, just four miles northwest of the city of Stillwater. Located on a converted rail-trail, the Gateway State Trail offers 18 miles of paved trail for non-motorized use including hiking, bicycling and horse riding in some sections. The trail provides access to downtown St. Paul and the State Capitol Complex, yet also takes you past parks, lakes, wetlands, and fields.

Find maps, directions and other park information about the Gateway State Trail.
See highlights of the trail with this virtual tour.

The List: Urban Getaways

There are many nature gems located in or near urban hubs throughout Minnesota.

For example:

For those who reside in the Rochester area, check out the 12.5-mile Douglas State Trail; a multi-use trail that crosses outstanding rural scenery, traversing some of the richest agricultural land in Minnesota.
Mankato residents are blessed with breathtaking scenery at Minneopa State Park where visitors can see grazing bison, bubbling waterfalls and a historic gristmill.
Jay Cooke State Park is only a few minutes from downtown Duluth and offers visitors glorious views of the St. Louis River Valley.

Find more urban getaways with the new Minnesota Great Outdoors tool.

Game Time: Outdoors in Every Language

Encourage your family to love the outdoors by exploring a variety of activities and finding ones that you enjoy together!

Below is an outdoor action word to share with young children and non-native English speakers to build new literacy skills and to experience the joy of connecting with nature.

This month's outdoor action word is crawl! Visit a nearby park to look for four-leaf clovers. Four-leaf clovers are less common than three-leaf clovers and are believed by some to bring good luck to those who find them. Encourage your child to crawl in the grass while looking closely for these small clover plants.

An excerpt from “Let’s Play Outside! 50 Ways to Connect Kids with Nature,” a project of the 2014 Collaborative Leadership Fellows Program, Rochester, MN.

Traveler Tip: REI Adventure Station

Wondering where to break in those new hiking boots? Looking for tips on where to pitch that new tent? Stop by the new Adventure Station at REI’s flagship store in Bloomington for some advice from the pros.

Staff from REI and Minnesota state parks and trails have teamed up to help customers select a destination, purchase a Minnesota state parks vehicle permit and more. The custom-built Adventure Station, near the check-out area, is equipped with iPads, a video monitor, maps and seasonal brochures to help with trip-planning.

Learn more about the REI Adventure Station.

Discover: Fall Colors Coming Soon!

Fall is right around the corner and that means goodbye mosquitoes and hello fall colors!

The fall color season in Minnesota can be a hectic whirlwind of shorter days, colder nights and quickly changing colors that are sometimes gone in the blink of an eye with a sudden wind storm.

To keep up on fall color changes around the state, you can check the Fall Color Finder; an online tool that is updated weekly by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. You can also sign up to receive email and text alerts regarding fall color peaks around the state.

Check out the Fall Color Finder map and other tools.

Meet the Field Staff

Get to know the staff behind the scenes at Minnesota state parks and trails. These friendly faces are here to help you and to ensure that you have a great experience and make memories to last a life time!

Kelli Bruns has been working at Fort Snelling State Park as a Park Manager since 2017. Previously, Kelli spent nearly 20 years in Wisconsin as a park manger and in law enforcement. Kelli enjoys introducing new users to the significant natural and cultural history of Fort Snelling State Park. For her, the most rewarding aspect of her job is the abundant diverse communities that recreate and learn at the park and their appreciation of the resource!

Kelli enjoys the park location near the Mississippi and Minnesota Rivers. She loves hiking and feels it is a great way to find time to reconnect and keep an eye on the finer things in life while moving and staying active.

Kelli has always been very interested in whales as they are amazing mammals and have inspired her appreciation of the natural world.

Kelli is a member of the MN State Parks Passport Club and she is excited to make her way to all 75 state parks to experience each of these unique and special public lands.