Fall color hikes abound in Mankato MN area

Minneopa State Park, Mankato, Minn.

There’s no better way to experience autumn colors in the Mankato, Minnesota, 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 Mankato to hike. Some are right out your back door,

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

Minneopa State Park (Mankato)
Day hikers can walk to the most scenic waterfall in southern Minnesota, a perfect adventure in autumn when the gorge glows in orange and red leaves. The 0.4-mile round trip Minneopa Falls Trail sits in Minneopa State Park near Mankato. The trail is located in the park’s smaller southern part. From Mankato follow U.S. Hwy 169 west. Turn right/north onto County Road 69/Gadwall Road. After entering the park, take the first left/south. The road ends in a gravel parking lot; leave your vehicle there.

Minnesota River Trail (Mankato)
A nice urban trail to enjoy autumn leaves is the section of the Minnesota River Trail in Mankato. Try the 0.5-mile round trip segment that runs through Sibley Park. On sunny days, a variety of harvest hues reflect off the Minnesota River. Autumn colors peak late September to mid-October. Several other pathways at the parked are tree-line. From U.S. Hwy. 169 in Mankato, exit onto South Riverfront Drive then take Owatonna Street north. Go left/west onto Sibley Parkway, which enters the park. Leave your vehicle in the second lot and cross the park road to the trail.

Red Jacket Trail (Rapidan)
Autumn colors abound on the Red Jacket Trail running between Mankato and Rapidan. To stay in the woods, hike the 3.75-mile round trip segment from Huffy Lane north to the bridge over the LeSueur River. The bridge runs across former railroad tresses 80 feet above the water. Leaves usually peak between late September to mid October. From Mankato, take County Road 33 south. Turn right/west onto Huffy Lane. Park on the road shoulder at the trailhead.

Sakatah Lake State Park (Waterville)
Day hikers can visit the classic Big Woods of old at Sakatah Lake State Park. The 2.4-miles round trip Oak Tree Trail and Big Woods Loop heads through a forest of basswood, oak and maple, all resplendent in harvest hues during fall. From Waterville, take Minn. Hwy. 60 east. Turn left/north at the park entrance. When the park road splits, go right/northeast. Park in the first lot. Hike the side of the road back, crossing the Sakatah Singing Hills State Trail. The Oak Tree Trail is the next junction; go right/west onto it. The trail leads to the Big Woods Loop.

Seven Mile Creek County Park (North Mankato)
Among the best local spots to enjoy autumn colors is Seven Mile Creek County Park between St. Peter and North Mankato. The 2.3-mile looping Trail 8 (marked yellow on park maps) heads up and down the sides of wooded hills surrounding Seven Mile Creek. The park covers more than 600 acres, most of it forested. Leaves peak late September to mid October. From Mankato, take U.S. Hwy. 169 north. Turn left/west into the park. Follow the park road all the way to its end, where you can leave your vehicle in the Back Lot and locate the trailhead.

Flandrau State Park (New Ulm)
Red, orange and yellow maple trees and golden grasses await hikers at Flandrau State Park during fall. To enjoy both autumn leaves and prairie, try a combination of three trails. The Ridge Trail to the Grasslands Trail to the north side of the Bluebird Loop Trail to the eastern segment of the Bluebird Trail then back on the Ridge Trail covers 1.6-miles round trip. The maples also are fantastic at the park’s picnic area. From the junction of U.S. Hwy. 14 and Minn. Hwys. 15/68 in New Ulm, take the latter southeast. Turn right/southwest onto Center Street then left/southeast onto Summit Avenue. Go right/southwest on County Road 26 and enter the park. Park in the lot next to the RV sanitation station and head northwest onto the Ridge Trail.

Fort Ridgely State Park (Fairfax)
Though Fort Ridgely State Park is better known for its historic importance on the Plains in the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862, forests cover its ravines and hills, making it an ideal place to enjoy autumn leaves. Try the 1.8-mile round trip Valley Trail (sometimes referred to on maps and brochures as the Lower Valley Trail), which runs through a maple, basswood and ash woods overlooking Ft. Ridgely Creek. From St. Peter, take County Road 5/Old Fort Road west. Turn left/south onto Minn. Hwy. 4 then right/west onto County Road 21, and finally right/north onto County Road 30. Use the Main Camp and Creek Picnic Area parking lot.

Autumn colors glow on waterfalls day hike

Lower Falls of Minneopa Falls drops 39 feet in southern Minnesota.

Minneopa Falls Trail map. Click for larger version.

Day hikers can walk to the most scenic waterfall in southern Minnesota, a perfect adventure in autumn when the gorge glows in orange and red leaves.

The 0.4-mile round trip Minneopa Falls Trail sits in Minneopa State Park near Mankato. The trail is located in the park's smaller southern part.

To reach the trailhead, from Mankato follow U.S. Hwy 169 west. Turn right/north onto County Road 69/Gadwall Road. After entering the park, take the first left/south. The road ends in a gravel parking lot; leave your vehicle there.

Follow the paved path from the parking lot past the picnic area. You'll hear the rush of the falls as you approach Minneopa Creek.

The trail next turns northwest and comes to a footbridge that crosses between the falls' two drops, allowing you to see the smaller falls and the lip of the lower falls. Multicolored leaves float and swirl along the shallow creek.

Trail to Lower Falls
Minneopa Creek flows 11 miles, most of that through farmland, before reaching park. The Upper Falls drops 8 feet.

After crossing water, the trail go upon the top of the gorge then limestone steps heads down the edge of ravine. At the bottom is a sandy and rocky trail that runs along the creek bank.

The orange-red glow of the autumn leaves forms a canopy over the trail. Sugar maple, basswood, elm, and northern red oak, with some hackberry and ironwood, all contribute to the harvest colors. A stand of yellow birch also can be found at the southernmost edge of its range.

How the trail looks to your great-grandchildren in a few decades almost certainly will be different than it does now. Dutch elm disease has claimed most of the elms while oaks, unable to tolerate shade, are not replacing themselves as they fall. The result is maples and basswood are becoming more dominant.

At last the trail reaches the Lower Falls. It drops 39 feet and is 25 feet wide. If you can take your hike a couple of days after a thunderstorm, the water flow will be heavier that usual in autumn.

Millions of years in the making
Minneopa Falls exists thanks to millions of years of geology that predate the dinosaurs. Beneath the dirt are several stories of dolomite and sandstone, set down in a shallow sea over tens of millions of years atop a layer of steeply tilted granite. The granite slopes to the east toward Mankato.

At the end of the last ice age about 10,000 years ago, the Glacial River Warren carried meltwater from retreating glaciers, carving out what today is the Minnesota River Valley. As the amount of meltwater decreased, so did the size of the glacial river, forming dry, flat terraces where it used to flow. The park sits on one such terrace.

The Lower Falls at one time likely was the the creek's mouth to the Minnesota River, but the creek eroded away the rock below the waterfall until the mouth moved to its current location, about 2.2 miles downstream.

There's a double waterfall because of three different layers of hardness in the sandstone. The site of the waterfalls is the softest while the 66-feet stretch between them is harder or more resistant. The constant spray of the waterfalls ensures nearly vertical gorge walls.

Minneopa Falls got its moniker by shortening the Dakota name for it – Minneinneopa – which means "water falling twice."

After taking in the Lower Falls, retrace your steps back to the parking lot.