Today’s #covidexploring took us to an old favorite, Nerstrand Big Wood State Park. Kevin’s parents moved to Nerstrand (after many years of living in nearby Northfield) for a spell - in fact, his dad even served as mayor to the town of 279 people for several years and so we spent quite a bit of time in Nerstrand and the nearby state park on our visits to see them.
The Nerstrand Big Wood State Park is located 13 miles south of Northfield. As one of the last remaining stands of the Big Woods (think Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder), this forest has an interesting history. The area residents had sub-divided this forest area into woodlots, which were individually managed according to their own needs. In the 1930’s lumber companies had tried to purchase the land for logging but were stymied by the complications of dealing with 169 different landowners. Through a United States Forest Service acquisition and subsequent land swap, the forest became a state park in 1944.
The park is famous for its spring wildflowers, including an abundance of the dwarf trout lily, which is an endangered plant. Look for the variegated leaves and light purple bell flowers along the trail - it really is everywhere, so you don’t have to look too hard. Hepatica, bloodroot, trillium, columbines, anemone, jack-in-the-pulpit, and wild ginger also grow there. We didn’t see all of these flowers, as it’s a bit early for some. We did see bright yellow marsh marigolds along a small stream, which was lovely - but it was raining at that point and I couldn’t be bothered to stop and take a photo.
Hidden Falls is one of the must-see sights in the park. The Platteville Limestone formation is exposed at the dramatic waterfall and surrounding moss-covered area. It’s impossible for kids not to want to get up close to this waterfall and wade across the stream, even though the water was quite chilly. Kevin swam and splashed there often in the summers as a kid.
Only 1 hour south of the Twin Cities, this park should be on your radar for a spring day trip. We had checked the weather when we left and were surprised to find unexpected rain when we arrived. The parking lot was nearly full and rangers were monitoring vehicles, letting a car in when a car left. We had never seen this place so busy- but it was well-managed. There was a one-way path to Hidden Falls, which was quite busy, but once we got out on the other trails, it was peaceful and quiet. The rain probably scared some folks, but we stuck it out long enough to have a really nice window of sunny weather while we hiked.
The kids have fond memories of coming to Nerstrand Big Woods with their Grandpa Flynn when they were young. Those walks always uncovered hidden caches of chocolate gold coins and other candy hidden by “leprechauns”. The kids were delighted and amazed that Grandpa had such a knack for spotting the hidden treasures! That feat might be hard to pull off on a weekend as busy as it was today - but back then, it was a relatively unknown gem.
The trails are easy to find and follow and offer over 12 miles great hiking, trail running, and cross-country skiing trails - no mountain bikes allowed. The park is divided into two sections - the north section of the park offers more than 5 miles of trails, 39 drive-in campsites, 4 walk-in sites, and 3 group sites. The north section is pleasantly hilly. The south section (on the other side of county road 29) is relatively flat and has over 7 miles of trail - including a 1.4-mile prairie loop. Snowmobiles are allowed on a few trails in the south section.
Remember to stop by Nerstrand Meat Market after your visit to the Big Woods. This family-owned business has been operating for 130 years! They are known for their smoked meats and ring bologna. The town of Nerstrand used to celebrate Bologna Days annually with a parade, events such as a run and always finishing with a gut-busting bologna-eating contest (gut-busting for both participants and audience).
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