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| Black ash leaves in autumn. |
The roughly 1.25-mile Black Ash Trail (the trail actually is unnamed but is called that here for convenience sake) cuts through and circles a black ash forest at the park. Along the way, you’ll also cross an oak savanna and head alongside a red pine stand, making for a great autumn hike.
To reach the trailhead, from Little Falls take County Road 76/Haven Road north. Turn left/east onto County Park Road and enter Belle Prairie. At the first road junction, park off the side of the main road. Walk the paved road that splits to the right/west. A jeep trail appears on the right/north; that’s the trailhead.
The trail curves through an oak savanna, though the tree cover is thicker here than in what typically is thought of as a grassy plain. That’s because the savanna is evolving toward a forest.
In about a quarter mile, a side trail branches to the right/north. Continue left-straight/west.
Black ash forest
At the next junction, go right/north then left/west. You’ll enter the black ash forest, which circles a lowland that experiences seasonal flooding.
Black ash’s oblong leaves grow in sets of up to 11 on a long stem. During autumn, the leaves turn a yellow-green with patches of dark red to brown hues.
The tree itself grows between 35 to 75 feet high with trunk diameters of 12 to 24 inches. Thick, cork-like gray bark covers the trunk.
Black ash prefers swampy areas in cold climates. Its range stretches from western Newfoundland to southeastern Manitoba, and south across the Midwest from Illinois to northern Virginia. Historically common in its range, more than a billion black ash trees grow just in Minnesota.
Its days may be numbered, though. The emerald ash borer reached Minnesota in the mid 2010s after ravaging the tree’s cousins – green ash and white ash – across much of the northeastern United States.
The exotic metallic green beetle’s larvae feeds on the tree’s inner bark, disrupting the plant’s ability to transport water and nutrients, resulting in its death. The beetle likely arrived in North America via solid wood packing material imported from Asia. It was found near Detroit in 2002.
Virgin pine
At 0.38 miles, the trail junctions a loop heading through a red pine stand. You can skirt the stand and the black ash grove by going left/southwest.
No other large, native trees fill the same role as black ash in its range. If it disappears, large swaths of Minnesota forests could become brushlands of tag alder and invasive buckthorn. That in turn could affect the water table in those lowlands, as a black ash forest pulls out far more moisture from the ground than scrubby brush does.
Views of the Mississippi River appear following the next trail junction at about 0.54 miles. Its fairly narrow here compared to what you’ll find downstream just south of the Twin Cities.
At the next three trail junctions, veer left/east. This takes you along the south side of the black ash forest. To the south, you’re certain to see tall white pines rising from the woods; the pines there are nearly 200 years old.
Upon reaching the next trail junction, you’re at the east end of the loop around the black ash forest. Go right-straight/northeast at the next two trail intersections. You’ll then arrive at the single-lane road you walked in on.
The trail through the black ash forest often is muddy, so always wear hiking books and try to hike no sooner than a couple of days after a rainfall. You’ll always want to carry insect repellent, though in fall the chance of bugs bothering you is low.
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| Black Ash Trail map. Click for larger version. |
