Fall color hikes abound in Victoria MN area

Carver Park Reserve, Victoria, Minnesota

There’s no better way to experience autumn colors in

the Victoria 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 Victoria to hike. Some are right out your back door, while some are a day trip that you can do in an afternoon.

Carver Park Reserve (Victoria)
A colorful maple and oak forest await day hikers at the Carver Park Reserve. The 4.8-mile Lundsten Lake Loop passes two lakes as winding through the forest. A bridge crosses part of Lundsten Lake, offering beautiful reflections of the harvest-hued canopy. From Minn. Hwy. 5 in Victoria, take County Road 11/Victoria Drive north then turn left/southwest onto Carver Park Road. Park where the road ends in a roundabout.

Lake Minnetonka Regional Park (Chanhassen)
Shady woodlands await hikers at Lake Minnetonka Regional Park. A 1.8-mile trail, most of it unpaved, heads through a thick forest of tall trees. From Chanhassen, take Minn, Hwy. 5 west. Turn right/north onto Rolling Acres Road, a left/west onto Minn. Hwy. 7, then a right/north onto County Road 44. The park entry is on the right/east. Go right/southeast onto Old County Road and park in the first lot. Walk the road northwest then go left/west onto Minnetrista Regional Trail. The woods is on the other side of County Road 44.

McKnight Lake (Chaska)
Hikers can enjoy the reflections of autumn colors as heading around tree-lined McKnight Lake. A 1.8-mile round trip trail loops around the lake and, should you wish to walk farther, connects to other trails. From the junction of U.S. Hwy. 212 and Minn. Hwy. 41/North Chestnut Street in Chaska, take the latter north. Turn left/west onto West 82nd Street then left/south onto McKnight Road. Watch for a dirt path going east and park off the side of the road there.

Minnesota Landscape Arboretum (Chanhassen)
Day hikers can enjoy a variety of autumn leaf colors at the famous Minnesota Landscape Arboretum in the Twin Cities. The 1.6-mile Ridge and Oak Trails Loop runs through woodlands at the 1100-acre arboretum. While the University of Minnesota facility is known for its gardens and award-winning tree collection, it also boasts a large natural areas, which the loop takes you through. Throughout the walk, sugar maple, sumac, birch and oak dominate. In Chanhassen, head west on Minn. Hwy. 5. Enter the Arb by turning left/south onto Arboretum Drive. After passing through the gatehouse, turn left/south when the road splits and park in the lot at the road’s end. The trailhead is on the park’s south side.

Gale Woods Farm (Minnetrista)
Autumn colors and a harvest vibe abound at Gale Woods Farm near Minnetrista. A 2.1-mile limestone trail rambles through the park’s rolling hills and past two lakes and a working farm featuring sheep, pigs, cows and more. From Victoria, take Minn. Hwy. 7 west. Turn right/north onto County Road 44 then left/west onto County Road 110. Go left/northeast onto County Road 11 (Extended) into the park.

Fall hikes abound in southwest Twin Cities

Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, Chanhassen, Minn.

There’s no better way

to experience autumn colors in the Southwest Twin Cities 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 the Southwest Twin Cities to hike. Some are right out your back door, while some are a day trip that you can do in an afternoon.

Minnesota Landscape Arboretum (Chanhassen)
Day hikers can enjoy a variety of autumn leaf colors at the famous Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. The 1.6-mile Ridge and Oak Trails Loop runs through woodlands at the 1100-acre arboretum. While the University of Minnesota facility is known for its gardens and award-winning tree collection, it also boasts a large natural areas, which the loop takes you through. Throughout the walk, sugar maple, sumac, birch and oak dominate. In Chanhassen, head west on Minn. Hwy. 5. Enter the Arb by turning left/south onto Arboretum Drive. After passing through the gatehouse, turn left/south when the road splits and park in the lot at the road’s end. The trailhead is on the park’s south side.

McKnight Lake (Chaska)
Hikers can enjoy the reflections of autumn colors as heading around tree-lined McKnight Lake. A 1.8-mile round trip trail loops around the lake and, should you wish to walk farther, connects to other trails. From the junction of U.S. Hwy. 212 and Minn. Hwy. 41/North Chestnut Street in Chaska, take the latter north. Turn left/west onto West 82nd Street then left/south onto McKnight Road. Watch for a dirt path going east and park off the side of the road there.

Bryant Lake Regional Park (Eden Prairie)
An oak and maple woods awaits hikers at Bryant Lake Regional Park. A 1.3-mile trail consisting of the park’s two southernmost loops partially runs alongside Bryant Lake. Cottonwoods and ash trees flourish in lower ground. From the junction of Interstate 494 and U.S. Hwy. 212 in Eden Prairie, take the latter northeast. Exit left/northwest onto Shady Oak Road. Turn left/southwest onto Old Shady Oak Road, which naturally becomes Rowland Road. Go left/southwest onto Bryant Lake Regional Access road and enter the park. Take the first left/south and park in the second lot. The trail heads west south of the lot.

Minnesota Valley State Recreation Area (Jordan)
An incredible variety of trees – and hence autumn colors – can be seen at the Minnesota Valley State Recreation Area. The 3.8-mile Lawrence Trail begins by heading through ash, box elder, and oaks, next enters a stand of ironwood and box elder, crosses a highland of burr oak, basswood and ash, then traverses stands of tall aspen and stately oaks. From Jordan, take U.S. Hwy. 169 northeast. Turn left/north onto County Road 57/Park Boulevard then left/north to the park’s trail center.

Lake Minnetonka Regional Park (Lake Minnetonka)
Shady woodlands await hikers at Lake Minnetonka Regional Park. A 1.8-mile trail, most of it unpaved, heads through a thick forest of tall trees. From Chanhassen, take Minn, Hwy. 5 west. Turn right/north onto Rolling Acres Road, a left/west onto Minn. Hwy. 7, then a right/north onto County Road 44. The park entry is on the right/east. Go right/southeast onto Old County Road and park in the first lot. Walk the road northwest then go left/west onto Minnetrista Regional Trail. The woods is on the other side of County Road 44.

Spring Lake Regional Park (Prior Lake)
Hikers can head through a forest of yellow, orange and red maple and olive-colored basswood at Spring Lake Regional Park. A 1.54-mile paved lollipop trail includes part of the Spring Lake Regional Trail. From Minn. Hwy. 13 in Prior Lake, take Eagle Creek Avenue NE northwest. Turn left/west onto 154th Street then left/south onto Stemmer Ridge Road, and lastly left/southeast onto Skuya Drive NW into the park. Use the lot on the road’s left/north side and take the path east then south on the regional trail.

Murphy-Henrehan Park Reserve (Savage)
A canopy of maple and oak leaves await hikers at Murphy-Henrehan Park Reserve. The 1.8-mile Knob Trail loops through the woodlands as well as past Henhrehan Lake and a pond. From Minn. Hwy. 13 and Egan Drive on the Prior Lake-Savage border, take the latter east. Turn right/south onto County Road 27/Dakota Avenue then left/east onto 154th Street, and right/south onto Murphy Lake Boulevard. Once in the park, take the first left/east and park. The trail leaves from the lot’s southeast corner.

Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge (Shakopee)
A wetlands may not seem like the best place to see fall colors, but often the uplands of such areas make for excellent autumn hikes. One such spot is the Louisville Swamp area of the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge. A 4.8-mile round trip hike on a segment of the State Corridor Trail – the trail includes part of the Little Prairie Loop and a connector trail – heads through large cottonwoods, ash, willows and maples along the Minnesota River. From Shakopee, take U.S. Hwy. 169 south. Exit right/west onto Red Rock Drive. Turn left/west onto 145th Street. The road ends at the parking lot for the trailhead. From the parking lot, take the Little Prairie Loop west, go north on the connector trail to the State Corridor Trail, then once at the trail go east. Turn back at at the boundary for the Carver Rapids Unit, which is managed by the Minnesota DNR.

Gale Woods Farm (Victoria/Minnetrista)
Autumn colors and a harvest vibe abound at Gale Woods Farm near Minnetrista. A 2.1-mile limestone trail rambles through the park’s rolling hills and past two lakes and a working farm featuring sheep, pigs, cows and more. From Victoria, take Minn. Hwy. 7 west. Turn right/north onto County Road 44 then left/west onto County Road 110. Go left/northeast onto County road 11 Extended into the Three Rivers park.

Arboretum offers vibrant autumn displays

Sugar maples grow across woodlands on the Ridge Trail.

Day hikers can enjoy a variety of autumn leaf colors at the famous Minnesota Landscape Arboretum in the Twin Cities.

The 1.6-mile Ridge and Oak Trails Loop runs through woodlands at the 1100-acre arboretum. While the University of Minnesota facility is known for its gardens and award-winning tree collection, it also boasts a large natural areas, which the loop takes you through.

To reach the trailhead, in Chanhassen, head west on Minn. Hwy. 5. Enter the Arb by turning left/south onto Arboretum Drive. After passing through the gatehouse, turn left/south when the road splits and park in the lot at the road’s end. The trailhead is on the park’s south side.

Sugar maple
The trail immediately enters a woodlands. Throughout the walk, sugar maple, sumac, birch and oak dominate.

Sugar maple is among the few plants whose leaves turn different colors from tree to tree, so there will be rounded dense crowns of yellow, orange and red throughout the woods. The tree usually grows between 80-115 feet high, though some have been known to reach 148 feet. The younger trees have smooth bark, but as the trunk ages, it turns shaggy. They can live up to 400 years.

The tree thrives in the Midwest’s and New England’s colder climates. It needs a hard freeze to enter winter dormancy, and seed germination only occurs when the thermometer registers just above freezing. Sugar maples rarely are found any further south than Tennessee, and even there the temperature isn’t cold enough to produce the sap used to make maple syrup.

Global warming is pushing the sugar maple’s range north. It’s disappearing from its southern edges while starting to appear in Minnesota’s Northwoods. Acid rain and the ensuing soil acidification also has led to the maple’s decline in some regions. Meanwhile, the logging off of woodlands allows other tree species to take hold, limiting the maple’s ability to expand. The tree doesn’t do as well in urban areas either, where the Norway maple is displacing it.

Sugar maples usually reach their peak color the last week of September across the arboretum.

Smooth sumac
At the next two splits in the trail, go left/east to stay in the woods. As the forest thins a bit, at 0.12 miles, the trail heads through a small meadow. It quickly re-enters the woods, where it divides again at 0.17 miles. Turn left/north, where the trail skirts the meadow and woods.

Woodland edges are an ideal place for the smooth sumac. Though actually a shrub rather than a tree, its brilliant red to burgundy leaves make it a popular autumn sight.

Sumac grows up to 18 feet tall. Its leaves often stretch 14 inches long with up to 23 leaflets on a stem.

You’re likely to see a lot of sumac bunched together. It can expand quickly by forming a colony as clones sprout from its roots. It also isn’t picky about where it lives, liking both part shade and sun, both dry soils and those with average moisture, and both woodland edges and prairies, as well as roadsides and shorelines.

At 0.42 miles, the trail curves through the woods.

Paper birch
Even in autumn, a variety of birds make the woods their home. In the forested sections of the loop, watch for blue jays, chickadees, golden-crowned kinglets, hermit thrush, and the red-bellied woodpecker.

The trail re-enters a meadow area at 0.59 miles, offering a chance to see the harvest-hued trees on the horizon.

Upon reaching another woodland edge, a paper birch grove flourishes on the trail’s left/east. The striking white bark of paper birch with its yellow autumn leaves is truly an impressive sight.

Native Americans used the paper-like bark to make everything from canoes and wigwams to baskets and cups. Today, the birch still is useful in making a variety of products, whether it be spools and toothpicks, snowshoe frames or flooring, paper pulp or interior finish.

Paper birch doesn’t much like shade, so it must grow fast to outcompete other trees for canopy space. They typically rise 66 feet high, but some have reached double that height. The sugar maple still beats it out, though, usually growing higher, so birch often sticks to wetter soil, which maples don’t like.

As the trail enters another woods on the loop’s southeast corner, the Spring Peep Trail branches off at 0.81 miles. Continue straight/south. In about 50 feet is the Oak Trail junction (some maps refer to this as the western half of the Spring Peeper Trail). Go right/west onto it.

Red oak
The Oak Trail skirts a woods and savanna then runs through the forest.

Red oak is common in the arboretum. It often appears in northern mesic forests common in eastern Minnesota and neighboring Wisconsin. During autumn, their leaves turn brown, another nice accent to the oranges, reds and yellows of the arboretum’s other trees.

The tree is enormous. Growing quite straight and very tall, the red oak can reach up to 92 feet high with a trunk diameter of 39 inches. In old growth forests, the red oak soars even taller, and some even have been measured at 141 feet high. Red oaks grown in open areas, such as lawns, tend to be stouter, though, but can have a trunk diameter of up to 6.6 feet.

A XXL tree like the red oak also produces big acorns, which measure 1-1/8 inches long. With acorns that size, the tree is fairly easy to spot in autumn. The thoroughly fissured bark on mature red oaks is another giveaway.

Home stretch
When the trail comes to a four-way junction at 1.3 miles, continue straight/west. The trail soon becomes paved and enters a more open area.

At the next junction, go right/north. Stay on the paved path (which some maps refer to as the northeast portion of the Green Heron Trail), and ignore the next two junctions, one of which is a side trail and the other a connector to the Ridge Trail.

After entering the woods again at 1.5 miles, the path turns back to dirt, as it crosses the Great Heron Trail. Go straight/northwest.

At the next junction, you’ve come full circle. Head left/west onto the Ridge Trail. Ignore the next trail intersection and return to the parking lot.

Ridge and Oak Trails Loop map. Click for larger version.