YOUR GATEWAY TO A WORLD OF ADVENTURE
Mark’s Hotspots
In alphabetical order
Banning State Park
30 minutes from Nature Retreats MN.
Miles and miles of great hiking trails! 4568 acres
Canoe, kayak, hike, picnic, and this is a birdwatcher’s haven – 184 species of birds have been sited here. Also find a ton of other wildlife including deer, bear, coyote, fox, raccoon, beaver, squirrels, snowshoe hare and more.
Click here for Google Maps driving directions
46.17927° N, 92.84875° W
Chengwatana State Forest
30 minutes from Nature Retreats MN
29,000 acres of wilderness with trails for ATVs, hiking, snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, boating, fishing, hunting bear, deer, grouse, waterfowl, etc.
Click here for Google Maps driving directions
45.86051° N, 92.83671° W
Conservation Officer Eugene H. Wynn Jr. Memorial WMA
Previously known as Pine County V&S 1 Wildlife Management Area
27 minutes from Nature Retreats MN
551.68 Acres
Miles of trails for hiking, hunting, cross-country skiing, biking and photography.
Duquette General Store
50 minutes from Nature Retreats MN.
My favorite place to get deli sandwiches on my way to Nemadgi State Forest.
Click here for Google Maps driving directions
46.36955° N, 92.55539° W
Erickson-Lidstrom Family WMA
4 miles from Nature Retreats MN
80 Acres
Erickson-Lidstrom Family Wildlife Management Area is great for pheasant hunting or simply running the dogs.
Click here for Google Maps driving directions
45.86840° N, 93.21319° W
Erickson-Lidstrom Family WMA
4 miles from Nature Retreats MN
321.21 Acres
Erickson-Lidstrom Family Wildlife Management Area is great for hunting grouse, turkey, deer, bear, pheasant, coyote and bobcat. You will also find tons of songbirds here.
Click here for Google Maps driving directions
45.86840° N, 93.21319° W
Father Hennepin State Park
35 minutes from Base Camp
Father Hennepin State Park on Mille Lacs Lake out of Isle is a great place to launch your boat and enjoy a picnic in the beautiful picnic area.
Gitchi-Gami State Trail
Gooseberry Falls to Silver Bay Segment
2 hours from Nature Retreats MN
Gooseberry Falls is where Mark parks his bike to go 15 miles up the North Shore to the cute town of Beaver Bay. Extremely good ice cream parlor!
Gitchi-Gami State Trail
Silver Creek Cliff Segment
1 hour, 30 minutes from Nature Retreats MN
This short-but-sweet 1/2 mile of trail is located atop the old Highway 61 road grade, offering spectacular views. It’s a great trail segment to check out on foot, and provides awe-mazing selfie opportunities! (4 miles north of Two Harbors)
Gooseberry Falls State Park
1.5 hours from Nature Retreats MN
1,687 acres, the gateway to the North Shore, home to a spectacular 4 level waterfall, river gorge and scenic overlooks, this is a stunning state park on the North Shore of Lake Superior. Miles of trails run along the Gooseberry River, through aspen, cedar, spruce & pine forests.
This is also where you get out on the bike path to go north 15 miles to Beaver Bay along the Gitchi-Gami State Trail.
Click here for Google Maps driving directions
47.14322° N, 91.46852° W
Hay-Snake WMA
30 minutes from Base Camp
227.16 Acres
Hay Snake Wildlife Management Area has great hunter walking trails closed to vehicles so you can grouse hunt or deer hunt without being disturbed by four-wheelers.
Jay Cooke State Park
1 hour from Nature Retreats MN
With 8,125 acres, and over 50 miles of incredible hiking/biking trails, Jay Cooke State Park has many scenic overlooks with wildlife viewing and photography opportunities. The park is inhabited by 46 species of mammals and 173 species of birds. Nature abounds!
Click here for Google Maps driving directions
46.65541° N, 92.37299° W
Kroschel WMA
30 minutes from Nature Retreats MN.
Over 1500 acres of open prairie/woods with some large trails for easy hiking, birdwatching, predator hunting and more.
East Parking
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46.08588° N, 93.13924° W
West Parking
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46.08639° N, 93.15411° W
South West Parking
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46.08337° N, 93.15849° W
Lake Five
30 minutes from Nature Retreats MN
Lake Five is a great little wilderness lake with good pan fishing and Northerns with no traffic on the lake at all. Perfect Lake for kayak or canoeing.
This lake is 44 acres in size and approx. 32 feet deep at its deepest.
Click here for Google Maps driving directions
46.14249° N, 93.13995° W
Little Walleye Public Water Access
10 minutes from Nature Retreats MN
Very pretty spot to sit and look at the river or launch.
Click here for Google Maps driving directions
45.79601° N, 93.08365° W
Mille Lacs Lake
45 minutes from Nature Retreats MN
The best lake for fishing walleye and muskie in the country! Mille Lacs Lake is huge with 132,516 acres and also shallow with a maximum depth of 42 feet with most ranging between 20 and 38 feet. Gravel and rock bars are common.
Minnesota Dept of Forestry SF
6 miles from Base Camp
80.21 Acres
Great for big and small game hunting.
Minnesota Misc. Land
21 minutes from Nature Retreats MN
563.14 Acres
Great for hiking, cross-country skiing, hunting large and small game and if you love songbirds and especially if you want to photograph them, you will find plenty!
Minnesota Misc. Land
35 minutes from Base Camp
5,356.95 Acres
There are deer, coyote, bobcat, lynx, ruffed grouse, spruce grouse, wild turkey and endless amounts of hiking trails.
Nemadji State Forest
1 hour from Nature Retreats MN
92,924 acres of wilderness for hunting bear, deer, coyote, grouse, small game and waterfowl. Hundreds of miles of trails for UTV’s, dirt bikes and four-wheelers.
Click here for Google Maps driving directions
46.41763° N, 92.46476° W
North Country Market
11 minutes from Nature Retreats MN.
Cute little gift shop in Braham Minnesota on the way up to nature retreats MN. They have great ornaments, Christmas gifts and ornaments along with Minnesota clothing line, fudges and candies and chocolate covered chips great little mom and pop shop.
Click here for Google Maps driving directions
https://www.northcountrymarkets.com
103 Central Dr NW, Braham, MN 55006
45.72459° N 93.17112° W
North Shore Highlands
1 hour, 10 minutes from Nature Retreats MN
This narrow strip along the shore of Lake Superior is some of the most beautiful land to be seen. 9 state parks are within this area, there is much to do and see.
Northern Hollow Winery
10 minutes from Nature Retreats MN.
They have the best wine in the state of Minnesota and really fun arts and crafts going on there on certain weekends.
Click here for Google Maps driving directions
6916 Canary Rd, Grasston, MN 55030
https://www.northernhollowwinery.com
45.79364° N, 93.08502° W
Pine County V&S 2 WMA
14 minutes from Nature Retreats MN
80.97 Acres
Pine County V&S 2 Wildlife Management Area is great for hunting both small and large game, hiking and photography.
Pine County V&S 4 WMA
7 miles from Nature Retreats MN
285 Acres
Pine County V&S 4 Wildlife Management Area is great for hunting both small and large game, tons of wildlife.
45.97801° N, 93.12532° W
Pine Lake State Water Access
35 minutes from Nature Retreats MN.
Pine Lake is a great narrow lake for canoeing or kayaking
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46.19637° N, 93.06372° W
Pokegama Lake
12 minutes from Nature Retreats MN
Pokegama Lake is a large, deep and clear water lake, 6,710 acres in size and is approximately 112 feet deep at its deepest point.
Pokegama Lake Boat Launch
10 minutes from Nature Retreats MN.
Click here for Google Maps driving directions
45.82219° N, 93.04602° W
Pomroy Pastures State WMA
20 minutes from Nature Retreats MN
Pomroy Pastures State Wildlife Management Area has 745 acres with a long hiking trail right down the middle. Enjoy birdwatching, hiking, coyote hunting, bobcat hunting, and deer hunting.
North Parking
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46.03914° N, 93.07249° W
Northwest Parking
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46.05071° N, 93.09608° W
South Parking
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46.02529° N, 93.07675° W
Ryders Bar and Grill
3 minutes from Nature Retreats MN
Great food and nice people
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https://www.ryderssaloon.com
283 5th Ave SW, Henriette, MN 55036
45.86867° N, 93.12380° W
St. Croix State Forest
55 minutes from Nature Retreats MN
42,000 acres with rugged hiking, deer, bear, grouse hunting, horseback riding and off-road vehicle recreation.
If you want extremely rugged hiking trails up and down hills, visit Tamarack nature preserve within the St. Croix State Forest. It is actually a Horse Camp horse trail area, but if you want extreme hiking this is the place to go. Very remote and wild, one of my favorite places to go ever.
Click here for Google Maps driving directions
46.06126° N, 92.39376° W
St. Croix State Park
45 minutes from Nature Retreats MN
With 33,895 acres, St. Croix is the largest state park in Pine County. It offers many miles of hiking and biking trails with numerous small lakes to fish and tons of birds, black bears and more, to photograph.
Sapsucker Farms
8 minutes from Nature Retreats MN.
Incredible homemade hard cider, root beer, ginger ale syrup and honey! Friday Saturdays and Sundays they have unique food trucks. Awesome place to spend time.
Click here for Google Maps driving directions
https://sapsuckerfarms.com
2752 215th Ave Mora, MN 55051
45.89722° N, 93.15232° W
Snake River Boat/Kayak Launch (Mora)
10 miles from Nature Retreats MN
Launch at Mora Minnesota Canoe/Kayak access for 6 serene hours of Snake River wilderness floating through scenic wooded banks. You will end up 4 miles from Nature Retreats MN.
Click here for Google Maps driving directions
45.88224° N, 93.30902° W
Snake River Boat/Kayak Launch (south of ranch)
5 minutes from Nature Retreats MN
The Snake River, 104 miles long, drains into the St. Croix River 13 miles east of Pine City. Difficulty of the waters varies depending on rainfall. Some rapids and waterfalls depending on water levels. Perfect river for boating, kayaking, canoeing, tubing, and more! Beautiful and heavily forested. You will likely see plenty of wildlife along the way.
Click here for Google Maps driving directions
45.78813° N, 93.14763° W
Snake River Cross Lake Dam
23 minutes from Nature Retreats MN.
Great spot to visit or picnic
Click here for Google Maps driving directions
( https://www.google.com/maps/place/45%C2%B050’28.8%22N+92%C2%B056’11.9%22W )45.84132° N, 92.93663° W
Snake River State Forest
40 minutes from Nature Retreats MN
Snake River State Forest is 9637 acres of some of the most beautiful country you’ll see. It offers an incredible hiking trail. It’s very long and dead ends at the Snake River in the middle of nowhere. Lots of bear, dear, wolf, coyote and more. Awesome Trail!
Click here for Google Maps driving directions
46.10112° N, 93.18737° W
Split Rock Lighthouse State Park
2 hours from Nature Retreats MN
On the North Shore of Lake Superior, this state park offers hiking, river and stream fishing, fat bike trail and miles of snowshoe trail with amazing views of the lake and waterfalls.
Spring Brook Golf Course
10 minutes from Base Camp
Spring Brook Golf Course is an extremely nice and challenging 18 hole golf course in the country. It is wooded all the way around with wildlife
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45.87561° N, 93.25098° W
Wild River State Park
45 minutes from Nature Retreats MN
6,574 acres, Wild River State Park offers hiking, boating, horseback riding, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, biking and more!
Click here for Google Maps driving directions
45.56791° N, 92.87598° W
Willard Munger State Trail
20 minutes from Nature Retreats MN
The Willard Munger Trail runs from Hinckley for 70 miles to Duluth Minnesota. The interconnecting multiple use trails offer hiking, bicycling, snowmobiling and more.
The link below takes you to the parking lot at the Hinckley entrance.
The trail offers a hiking and bicycle trail that goes all the way up to Duluth.
Click here for Google Maps driving directions
46.01837° N, 92.94472° W