Forestville/Mystery Cave State Park – Preston, MN 07/25/2020

COVID-19 Perspective:  We felt pretty good here.  The trails allowed for social distancing and the people were for the most part respectful and followed the governor’s order for social distancing.

Kid Perspective:

• Running Wild – No concerns, let them loose.  Just be sure you can keep a close enough eye on them so they do not spook any passing horses.
• The Trail – Winding trail through the park (see map for more details).  The majority of the trails were fairly flat and packed dirt.  There were a few portions where the trail became steeper (noted below) but for the most part it was more of a leisurely stroll.
• Trail Conditions – Great conditions when we were there but I can imagine there would be some serious mud during the spring months.
• Bugs and Pests – No issues.
• Plants – Watch out for the itchy plants listed below.
• Bathrooms – Spread throughout the park and campground.
• Cell Service – Sketchy in some areas.  Go prepared with maps and what you need ahead of time.  On the way out we definitely lost service for a bit but luckily, we remembered the roads to take out

Trail Information:

• Length – 9.02 miles
• Moving Time – 04:36:03
• Elevation Gain – 256 ft from highest point to lowest point
• Difficulty – Moderate due to length and heat.

Highlights:

• Combo – The town part was pretty cool!
• Biff – Going on the bridge, spending time with you, and the abandoned buildings.
• Blaze – The big spring!
• Ripper – Getting some bigger miles in finally!

The last time we were at Forestville/Mystery Cave State Park it was miserably hot outside and we only made it to the Hiking Club Trail.  Then a magnificent storm came through which kicked us out of our campsite, so we have been determined to get back there.  This was the weekend.  We were looking for something farther out of the way (potentially less people) with a decent number of miles.  We started on the Big Spring Trail which wound along Canfield Creek.  This portion of the trail was flat and easy sailing.

We crossed the creek via a really cool bridge that we would have loved to explore more but when we stopped and turned around, we saw a group of horses waiting for us to leave the bridge, so they too could cross.  Of course, Blaze being the charmer that he is had the ladies riding the horses smiling from ear to ear with his goofy jokes and smooth talking.  I always kid him that he is quite the schmoozer.

Walking along the creek we saw several people fishing and enjoyed some of the delicious skittles that our mail carrier bestowed upon our kiddos.  They have a very friendly relationship and the kids wait patiently for her to come to our house each day, to chat and catch up.  It’s pretty sweet.

Eventually the trail will take you to a water crossing with a small plank bridge running across.  The kids really do enjoy crossing the water, what way they can.

Before we knew it there was a second water crossing.  There was a couple directly behind us and we decided to let them cross before us.  Instead of using the offered bridge, they decided to traverse the water with their dog.  The kids really got a kick out of that.  We took the bridge and on the other side the trail was super overgrown and covered with itchy plants.  Here we also noticed that it appeared that someone had been purposefully eradicating the Wild Parsnip, as these would be the only plants that died while all the other plants in the area were flourishing.

At the big spring the views were pretty spectacular, with the mist floating off the water.  Unfortunately, several people were traipsing all over the land, off trail.  There were more horses and we again encountered the ladies that Dad had charmed earlier in the day.

We followed the same route back to the trailhead and our legs were beginning to break out in some serious hives from the plants.  We washed them the best we could with water from the creek and slowly they started to feel normal again.  When we reached the portion of trail just beyond the itchy plants there were two more horses, one of which was spooked by the water crossing.  They decided to turn back.  As we crossed the final bridge on our way back to the trailhead, we noticed that we could see fish way below in the crystal-clear water – very cool!  We also took this opportunity to decide which trails we would take for the remainder of our journey.  I was dead set on getting 10 miles in but did not really care how we did it – choose your own trail adventure it was!

When we crossed the parking lot to get to the Maple Ridge Trail Loop (portion of the Hiking Club Trail) it was starting to get VERY HOT.  Greeted by a steep hill up to the ridge, we became warmer by the minute.  The ridge itself had an amazing breeze which was completely refreshing.  We were starting to see more and more horses, but everyone was super friendly and worked hard to share the trail with us.  One gentleman actually had a beer strapped to his saddle!

We crossed the road to continue on the Hiking Club Trail.

The people became less frequent but horse traffic remained at a steady pace as we made our way to the Oak Ridge Trail.

The Oak Ridge Trail to the overlook was a good workout, with a winding and never-ending slope up.  Biff was getting pretty tired and hot, needing quite a bit of encouragement to carry on.  But he did it!  This was my favorite portion of the trail.  Heavily wooded, hardly no traffic, and fun views of the trail running towards the sky.  The only downfall was the gravel footing, I tend to prefer packed dirt.

The trail to the actual overlook, offered little to no breeze and man oh man was it getting toasty.  The tree coverage definitely obscured the views here and I imagine that in the early spring and winter you are able to see quite a bit more.  Since we had not seen a soul in quite some time we decided to finally stop for a picnic.  This has always been a favorite part of our hikes, stopping to enjoy a trail lunch.  Due to the conditions as of late, we have not been able to do that so we were excited that we finally had our chance.  When we had just about finished another group strolled up to the overlook and one person SNEEZED!  Yikes, time to pack up and move it along.

Forestville itself was closed but we were able to walk around the buildings and check them out from afar.  Imagining what the town looked like when it was functioning and alive was pretty fun.  We spent time reading the interpretative signs to get a better idea of what we were looking at.  I love checking out old towns that are no longer functioning but have been preserved to learn about the past.

The last leg of our journey was along the Forestville Creek and nearing the park entrance and campgrounds, so we started to see more and more people.  Luckily everyone was polite and kept to themselves, following the rules of the trail.  We were all getting hot and the kids were getting pooped by this time, so we were thankful that we were nearly done.

Near the picnic area there was this MASSIVE tree that we marveled at for quite some time.  I can only imagine how old the tree was.  Pretty cool!

The final stretch took us along the river, through the campground, over the bridge, back along the river, through another campground and on the road to our car.

That is it for this one!  I hope you enjoyed the trail as much as we did, it was a splendid day for sure!  If you have any questions or comments, please let us know – we value any input you may have and LOVE to answer questions or point you in the right direction.  Happy Hiking, Stay Safe and Please Wear Your Mask!!