GREAT OUTDOORS CAMPING & HIKING ALONG THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER By Sheila Regan Great River Bluffs State Park, in the Bluff Country of Southeastern Minnesota, has dramatic shifts in elevation and steep bluffs hovering over the lush Mississippi River Valley. Part prairie, part hardwood forest, the landscape transforms as you move through it. baguette. I also enjoyed a can of Lift Bridge beer I’d managed to keep cold in a cooler while listening to the burning wood as it crackled in tune with the sound of the wind blowing in the trees. It was achingly quiet. Camping by yourself feels a bit lonely, but that’s the point. It forces you to be present with your thoughts. I felt the warmth on my face from the fire, then, as if on cue, the moon appeared to keep me company. PART PRAIRIE, PART HARDWOOD FOREST, THE LANDSCAPE For a solo camping trip on Labor Day TRANSFORMS weekend, I was happy to have driven AS YOU MOVE down the scenic That night, the wind route along the river. THROUGH IT. blew off my tarp, and The bluffs popped in I had to get out of and out of view, all the tent to stake it down again. In the morning, green and brown, with hints a soft pinkish light greeted me. I made another of orange and yellow. fire and roasted a marshmallow for a When I arrived at the park, I ventured s’mores breakfast. out for a hike along King’s Bluff Nature On the second day, I made my way toward the Trail , which started out in an oak-hickory Valley View vista. I found it very peaceful to forest. Acorns lined the trail and crunched hike alone through the tall trees, surrounded beneath my shoes as the forest shifted by an abundant undergrowth of white into a spectacular bluff prairie, lined with wildflowers and mushrooms. At the end of blooming flowers. the trail, enveloped by red velvety flowers and The vista at the end of King’s Bluff is gob grasses, I sat down and drank in the view of smacking. The glimmering water of the bluffs cascading down into the prairie below. Mississippi River, surrounded by vegetation After a rest, I pushed on to visit the other and framed by the rolling bluffs, trails. The East Overlook offered a tremendous made me gasp. view of where the Mississippi intersects with That evening, I pitched a tent, made a the Black River Delta, and the South fire and ate Spanish ham and brie on a Overlook was equally vast and rich. Photo by Roy Son 32 | EXPLORE MINNESOTA .COM
Explore Minnesota Travel Guide 2021 Explore Minnesota Travel Guide: Page 32
