We live so close to Fort Snelling State Park that we can walk there and we do. Our typical route is over the Ford Parkway Bridge, through Minnehaha Regional Park, past Mni Owe Sni (Coldwater Spring), up the super steep hill to the fort, cross the Highway 5 bridge, and then back home through Hidden Falls Park on the east side of the Mississippi River. The 6+ mile walk is one of our standard Saturday or Sunday walks---but these days we’re avoiding the area along the east side of the river where our dog was attacked by a mother coyote, who was likely being protective of the den. Yes, we had him on a short leash and he was right behind us and we were on a city walking path, but we do have this amazing feature called the Mississippi River gorge that provides plenty of nature for coyotes, foxes, turkeys, deers and other wildlife to flourish. We like to think we can all live peacefully together, which right now, means avoiding Mama coyote's current home.
It’s also a quick drive to get to Fort Snelling (but much longer to get home now with Highway 5 northbound closed). When driving, there are two separate entrances—one for the historic fort and the other for the state park. The historic fort is usually open only in the summer and features historic reenactments. The Minnesota Historical Society operates the fort and has been striving to tell the multiple stories of the fort and not just the military story. They have been seeking public input regarding a name change to “Historic Fort Snelling at Bdote”, which reflects the fact that this is a sacred Dakota site where the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers converge. Bdote means “where two waters come together”.
The military fort is a National Historic Landmark and the site known as Bdote has a disturbing past that includes internment of Native Americans, enslaved African Americans (such as Dred Scott), and the “treaty” that took the land from the Dakota in the first place. Lieutenant Zebulon Pike (yes, the Pike’s Peak Pike) acquired 100,000 acres from the Mdewakanton Dakota in 1805. The fort structure was completed in 1825. During the Civil War, the site was used for the induction of recruits, and in 1862, during the Dakota War, the site was used as an internment camp for hundreds of Dakota Native Americans. This is the dark part of Minnesota history that some white folk have tried hard to cover up.
The historic fort is up on the river bluff, while the state park sits below along the rivers.
Fort Snelling State Park is the second most-visited state park in Minnesota with almost 560,000 visitors per year. (Gooseberry is #1 with 756K visitors). There is no camping in this state park (except through Wilderness Inquiry), just hiking, biking, picnicking, and fishing. Did you know you can fish in any Minnesota state park without a license? We just found that out!
Pike Island (named after you-know-who) is the main place to hike. Park near the visitor center, under the Highway 62/ Mendota Bridge and cross the walking bridge to Pike Island. This area is an example of the resiliency of nature after flooding. If you cross the bridge and take the first right (circling the island counter clockwise), check out the flood marker (about 400m down the path) imagine how much of the island would be flooded. The park is often closed in the spring when the water is high.
When we visited last weekend, the rivers were quite low, exposing a large sandy beach at Bdote, where the Mississippi and Minnesota Rivers converge.
We like to snowshoe in the park in the winter. Look for herds of deer near the middle of Pike Island. Kevin and the kids got an up-close-and-person view of a large herd of deer once that weren’t scared of them and walked up to them. We’ve also seen several coyotes circling a herd of deer.
The 4-mile trek around Pike Island is heavily traveled. There are also paths that cut through the island if you want to veer off the outer ring loop. Skip some rocks along the Mississippi River side beaches. Marvel at the trees that still have leaves even with the roots all exposed by erosion. Enjoy the wildflowers along the paths. Breathe in the fresh air and forget that you are right in the middle of the cities. Then, pause and consider how this is a sacred site to the Dakota, and how the land was stripped from them, and later the land was used to imprison them. I hope that one day the indigenous names for these sacred places will be returned and all the stories will be told.
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