Fall color hikes abound in Stillwater MN area

Brown's Creek State Trail

There’s no better way to experience autumn colors in the Stillwater area

than a hike.

The brilliant yellows, oranges and red

of maples to the scarlet and russets of oaks...the crisp, fresh autumn air and

the last warm rays of sunlight before winter arrives...the crunch of fallen leaves and acorns beneath your boots...stopping to enjoy a warm mug

of apple cider or a caramel apple pulled from your backpack – it all calls for an afternoon on the trail.

Fortunately, there are plenty of great autumn trails around Stillwater to hike. Some are right out your back door,

while some are a day trip that you can do in an afternoon.

Brown’s Creek State Trail (Stillwater)
Hikers can enjoy fall colors alongside a river and creek on Brown’s Creek State Trail. The 5.9-mile (one-way) trail connects Stillwater and the Gateway State Trail in Grant. A mile of the trail parallels the St. Croix River while another two miles sticks to its namesake creek. Leaves usually peak late September to mid October. From downtown Stillwater, take Minn. Hwy. 95 north. Park in either lot on the road’s right/east before or after Laurel Street. The trailhead runs north from Laurel Street east of the lots.

Lake Elmo Park Reserve (Lake Elmo)
A variety of autumn colors can be enjoyed in the maple-oak forests at Lake Elmo Park Reserve. The 3.8-mile Eagle Point Trail loops around the wooded lake for which the route is named. Paper birch, ash, cottonwood, as well as several types of evergreens, dot the landscape. From Minn. Hwy. 36 in Lake Elmo, take County Road 17/Lake Elmo Road south. Turn right/west onto County Road 14/Stillwater Boulevard then left/south onto Keats Avenue and enter the reserve. After passing the Nordic Center, go right/west into a parking lot. The trail is on the lot’s west side.

William O’Brien State Park (Marine on St. Croix)
Day hikers can learn about the power of floods on the St. Croix River via the Riverside Trail at William O’Brien State Park. The 1.5-mile trail loops through a floodplain and typically is open during summer and autumn when water levels have gone down. The fresh scent of pine needles upon the trail and the gentle rush of water along the river’s rock walls instantly lulls you into a feeling of serenity. Roughly half of the trail follows the river, mainly through a good mix of hardwoods common to a floodplain forest in this region. During autumn, their leaves turn gold, red, orange and brown. Across the water is Wisconsin, and with the two undeveloped shorelines, tranquility reigns. From Marine on St. Croix, take Minn. Hwy. 95 north into the park. Turn right/east onto O’Brien Trail North/County Road 33. The road curves south, dead ending in a parking area alongside Lake Alice. The trail begins at the picnic grounds immediately east of the parking lot.

Battle Creek Regional Park (Maplewood)
Tan-colored oak and yellow-leaved birch await hikers at Battle Creek Regional Park in Maplewood. The 1.5-mile Battle Creek Loop passes tree-lined ponds and crosses ridgelines overlooking oak-filled gullies. From Interstate 94 east of St. Paul, exit right/south onto White Bear Avenue then turn left/east onto Upper Afton Road. Go right/south onto Winthrop Street then right/west into the park’s lot.

Big Marine Park Reserve (Forest Lake)
Hikers can enjoy a walk through a woodlands and on long pier at Big Marine Park Reserve. The unnamed trail in the Washington County park runs 0.75 miles round-trip. The turf trail leaves from the park’s western side, entering a deciduous forest, which makes for a colorful walk among yellow, orange, red, russet and olive leaves in autumn. From Forest Lake, take Minn. Hwy. 97 east. Turn left/south onto County Road 15/Morning Trail North. The park entry road (aka Lomond Trail North) is on the left/east. When the entry road splits, go straight/west, following it to the last/northernmost parking lot (the road loops back onto itself at the lot).

Osceola Bedrock Glades State Natural Area (Osceola, Wis.)
Fantastic river views beneath a colorful forest canopy await hikers on the this pair of trails near Osceola. Not to be confused with Ridgeview Trail at the adjacent Osceola Bedrock Glades State Natural Area, this pair of trails actually are two loops that only locals really know about. They run through the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway and the Osceola State Fish Hatchery on a bluff overlooking a St. Croix River back channel. The oranges and reds of maples dominate here with the occasional pine grove.

Variety of trails run through Lake Elmo park

Lake Elmo. Photo courtesy of Washington County Parks.

Trails around scenic ponds, through rolling meadows, and past pretty lakes await day hikers at the Lake Elmo Park Preserve in eastern Minnesota.

To reach the park, from Interstate 94 in Woodbury, take Keats Avenue north. At 10th Street, continue straight/north into the park. Parking lot No. 1 is the first and southern lot; No. 2 is the second and northern lot.

While several trails crisscross the reserve, six trails in particular stand out for day hikers:
• Red (Eagle Point) Trail – Among the more park's popular trails, the 3.7-mile loop circles Eagle Point Lake through woods and rolling prairie. Use parking lot No. 1 and head south, going clockwise about the lake.
• Blue (Big Bluestem) Trail – The only park trail dedicated solely to hiking/snowshoeing, the 2.5-mile lollipop trail circles two ponds in a meadow. Use parking lot No. 2 and head north at Trail Junction 32.
• Orange (Bur Oak) Trail – At 2.1 miles, the looping trail heads past two ponds and a small portion of southeast Lake Elmo. Use parking lot No. 1 and begin the route at Trail Junction 3.
• Yellow (Northern Lights) Trail – The 1.2 -miles round trip trail covers the southern portion of the Orange Trail with an additional segment alongside a pond. Park in the same lot and use the same trailhead as for the Orange Trail.
• Green (Lake Elmo) Trail – The scenic 2.3-mile loop passes Margaret Lake, Brown's Pond, and the south side of Lake Elmo. Use the same parking lot and trailhead (except go south) as for the Orange and Yellow trails.
• Brown (Brown's Pond) Trail – For a loop around Brown's Pond that also passes Margaret Lake, try this 2.6-mile trail. Use the same parking lot and trailhead as for the Green Trail.
• Black Trail – The paved trail runs alongside the park entry road through the reserve’s heart and forms a couple of stacked loops on Lake Elmo’s northwest side with some stems to nearby subdivisions.

Each of the trails, except for the Blue and Black, can be cross country skied during winter.

Learn about trail guidebooks available in the Hittin’ the Trail series.

Hiking trail circles pretty lake in Twin Cities

Red Trail loops
Eagle Point Lake
on cities' east side

Day hikers can enjoy a leisurely stroll around a scenic lake on the Red Trail at Minnesota’s Lake Elmo Park Reserve.

While several trails crisscross the Washington County park, the one circling Eagle Point Lake offers pretty views and is among the easier to follow. The hard-packed gravel Red Trail forms a 3.7-mile loop.

To reach the trailhead, from Interstate 94 in Woodbury, take Keats Avenue north. At 10th Street, continue straight/north into the park. Use the parking lot on the north shore of Margaret Lake. From the lot's west side, go left/south on the trail to head clockwise around the lake. In short order, you’ll arrive at Eagle Point Lake’s southwest shore.

Woods and meadows
The trail’s southern side is wooded with a variety of trees, including oaks, maples, paper birches and cottonwoods but also a variety of evergreens, particularly cedar, spruce and white pine. This section of the trail makes for a pleasant autumn walk. Patches of meadows featuring islands of ash trees sit amid the woodlands.

Upon reaching a shelter on the lake’s west side, though, the feel of the trail changes. The western and northern sides of the trail run alongside more open and gently rolling oak prairie that feature wildflowers and spruce.

About half-way up the lake’s west side, hikers will notice a windmill left from the days when this section of the suburbs consisted of farms. Lines of evergreens grow across the preserve, most of them planted by those farmers as wind breaks.

Upon crossing Farney Creek, the trail is nearing the lake's northern end. While shallow, Eagle Point Lake makes up for it in surface area at 111 acres. The lake used to be larger, and the trail essentially follows what at one time was its old sandy bottom. Eagle Point is so named because eagles used to nest on one of its peninsulas.

Wildlife
The crossing over Raleigh Creek marks the rounding of the lake's northern tip. Red oaks grow on a knoll to the left/north while on the right/south are the foundations of a former dock. Hikers also can see across the entire length of the lake from a small viewpoint.

As traveling down the lake’s northeast side, hikers are likely to see white-tailed deer if not their tracks on the trail. Raccoons and foxes also reside in park, and the underbrush on this section of the trail makes a perfect habitat for them.

At Trail Junction 29, turn right/southeast then cross another creek. Upon reaching Trail Junction 30, go straight/east, but if your dawgs are tired, take a shortcut by turning onto the Blue Trail. If staying on the main Red Trail, at Trail Junction 31, go south back to parking lot.

As most of trail heads through meadows or the marsh grass-lined lake, it is exposed to the sunlight, so don a sunhat and sunscreen. Also note that the trail sometimes is referred to as Eagle Point Loop; it’s used as a cross country ski trail in winter, and is referred to here by that name.

Learn about trail guidebooks available in the Hittin’ the Trail series.