The Best Hiking Trails in St Paul

This beautiful space is great for hiking and biking (although when walking onto Pike Island it's walk only. We missed the sign because there was a group picture and ran into the worst human being to frequent a park who laid into us!). There is plenty of space to picnic. We were just at a group event at a shelter with an indoor wood fireplace, which was fabulous, thanks to the rainy cold spring we have. The place is totally worth the $5 pass, but just go for the year long state pass and you can come back again and again!

The other evening we decided we could walk on the HUMAN side of the park as our 8 year old beast needed a night of rest after his last frolic to the off-leash dog part of the park. It was an absolutely gorgeous evening in Minnesota. The trail we went on was almost two miles round trip. It was a nice paved trail along tree lined hills and a stream. You will see and hear various birds and trickling water. There are also numerous benches if you want to just sit and relax. When you get to the end of the trail or if you decide to climb the hills you can take in an amazing view of the city.

Stumbled across this treasure this weekend with the family. What a beautiful park. If you like the woods and the river, you'll like Crosby. Named after a historical farm that once sat on the location, this park has picnic tables beneath a shelter, decent bathrooms, and a large fire pit. In addition, you can walk the paved trails (or dirt trails along the Mississippi River). There's also biking trails (Mississippi River Trail system). We sat along the river's sandy edge and watched worms (Army worms, perhaps) drop down on strands into the river and be gobbled up by fish. It was amusing. We met a fellow hiker and her dog and had some nice conversation with her.