# Nature-y places in Minnesota **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 9, 2016, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nature-y-places-in-minnesota/759455 "2016-07-09T04:27:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2016, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nature-y-places-in-minnesota/759455/1 "2016-07-09T04:27:11Z")
My wife and I will be at a family reunion in north central Minnesota (Breezy Point) in August. We’d like to do a few days of travelling afterwards, focusing primarily on places to see birds and mammals. Rivers are great. We are not at all hard core outdoorsmen, but we can certainly do hikes up to 5 or 6 miles if the payoff is there. We went to Isle Royale in Lake Superior two years ago, and we loved it, but that biases us away from other places that would be similar to it. Any suggestions? thanks! ---
**Author:** ![fisha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@fisha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fisha)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2016, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nature-y-places-in-minnesota/759455/2 "2016-07-09T13:03:26Z")
Minnesota state parks are fantastic, I’ve been to almost every one. Interstate along the St Croix is interesting, but can get busy on weekends. Here is a link for the state parks, you can ask me specific questions about one that looks interesting, and I’ll try to help. > **[Minnesota State Parks and Recreation Areas](https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/index.html)** > > Find fun and adventure for everyone in Minnesota’s 75 state parks and recreations areas! Things to do, places to go, maps, camping, fees, reservations, and more. We could always have a dopefest… ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2016, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nature-y-places-in-minnesota/759455/3 "2016-07-09T15:05:44Z")
Rivers are great, you say? You will be less than 100 miles from Lake Itasca and the headwaters of the Mississippi. You can (or years ago you used to be able to) walk across the rocks spanning the headwaters. I was a child when we did that on a family vacation and I still remember it - memorable! If you go and do that, please share. It’s on my list to possibly visit, on some future trip with my wife. ---
**Author:** ![BlackKnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eb8c5e/32.png) [@BlackKnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlackKnight)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2016, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nature-y-places-in-minnesota/759455/4 "2016-07-09T16:03:30Z")
You can still cross the rocks at Itasca. I was just there last weekend visiting family. There’s also an old 100ft fire tower at Itasca that you can climb. It gives an amazing view. ---
**Author:** ![araminty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b5e925/32.png) [@araminty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/araminty)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2016, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nature-y-places-in-minnesota/759455/5 "2016-07-17T20:25:15Z")
Well, this is about as close to trip-planning as we get, but here’s a [Google map](https://www.google.com/maps/dir/St+Paul,+MN/Darwin,+MN/Breezy+Point+Resort,+Breezy+Point+Drive,+Pequot+Lakes,+MN/Itasca+State+Park,+Main+Park+Drive,+Park+Rapids,+MN/Agassiz+National+Wildlife+Refuge,+Middle+River,+MN+56737/Voyageurs+National+Park,+Orr,+MN/Sax+Zim+Bog,+Forbes,+MN/St.+Croix+State+Park,+Saint+Croix+Park+Road,+Hinckley,+MN/St+Paul,+MN/@47.2343148,-94.2502391,7.61z/data=!4m56!4m55!1m5!1m1!1s0x52b2d4cee4e9379f:0xc87291d23fda2e29!2m2!1d-93.0899578!2d44.9537029!1m5!1m1!1s0x52b4d85de510560f:0x3b1c5cec022cbcd8!2m2!1d-94.4102778!2d45.0986111!1m5!1m1!1s0x52b6c4b4423b826f:0xef45d88f1e08967!2m2!1d-94.2090046!2d46.5897931!1m5!1m1!1s0x52b7f291d483e5c5:0x2101de8ea8ad9e9a!2m2!1d-95.196699!2d47.1649665!1m5!1m1!1s0x52c744f5fd369bd3:0x29cc440542d106fe!2m2!1d-95.9824699!2d48.299759!1m5!1m1!1s0x52bb4becb0e72fe5:0xcf1e492616009dec!2m2!1d-92.8465541!2d48.4268554!1m5!1m1!1s0x52b01d1e106ee9f9:0x34cde58c0d89554e!2m2!1d-92.7044959!2d47.2214715!1m5!1m1!1s0x52b20c19296c0889:0xbafab3f15aaa5e37!2m2!1d-92.6060318!2d45.9462852!1m5!1m1!1s0x52b2d4cee4e9379f:0xc87291d23fda2e29!2m2!1d-93.0899578!2d44.9537029!3e0)of our proposed itinerary loop. Stops include Darwin MN (for unspecified **MaxTheVool** reasons), Breezy Point (for the reunion), Itasca SP, Agassiz NWR, Voyageurs NP, Sax Zim Bog and St Croix SP. Thoughts? Suggestions? Restaurant/hotel recs? ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2016, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nature-y-places-in-minnesota/759455/6 "2016-07-17T21:20:08Z")
The thing you are missing is waterfalls along the North Shore - it might be a little too like Isle Royale - although I don’t think that has the waterfalls. The Temperance River and Devil’s Kettle Falls on the Brule are my favorites. ---
**Author:** ![araminty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b5e925/32.png) [@araminty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/araminty)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2016, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nature-y-places-in-minnesota/759455/7 "2016-07-18T21:04:19Z")
> [@](#): > > The thing you are missing is waterfalls along the North Shore - it might be a little too like Isle Royale - although I don’t think that has the waterfalls. The Temperance River and Devil’s Kettle Falls on the Brule are my favorites. Ah, thanks, but we did hit the North Shore (at least a bit of it) last summer. ---
**Author:** ![Chisquirrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6bbea6/32.png) [@Chisquirrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chisquirrel)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2016, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nature-y-places-in-minnesota/759455/8 "2016-07-18T21:19:53Z")
> [@Dangerosa](#): > > The thing you are missing is waterfalls along the North Shore - it might be a little too like Isle Royale - although I don’t think that has the waterfalls. The Temperance River and Devil’s Kettle Falls on the Brule are my favorites. I second this one. Temperance is my second favorite place in Minnesota, and only because I’m suicidal enough to love Lutsen during the winter. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2016, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nature-y-places-in-minnesota/759455/9 "2016-07-18T22:58:51Z")
> [@araminty](#): > > Ah, thanks, but we did hit the North Shore (at least a bit of it) last summer. I thought perhaps you had as part of the Isle Royale trip. - But you can get there from the other direction so I wasn’t sure. ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2016, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nature-y-places-in-minnesota/759455/10 "2016-07-18T23:05:35Z")
See this threads: [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=794587](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=794587) Brian