Crow-Hassan Park Reserve

TRIP DETAILS 

LENGTH 7.5 miles
DIFFICULTY Easy to moderate
DATE  May 14, 2016
MAIN FEATURES  Horseback riding, close proximity to greater Minneapolis area

This week’s hike took us just a short drive out of the city to Crow –Hassan Park Reserve in Rogers, MN!

Crow-Hassan was recommended to me because it is one of the most “wild” of the 3 Rivers Park District. With close to 18 miles of unpaved trails, it is a popular destination for Horseback riders/campers. We didn’t check out the individual campsites, but they do have one walk-in site and two horse campsites. Might be a fun place to check out if you don’t have time for a long drive.

Our 7.5 mile hike took us through restored prairies, thick woods, a few small lakes and the Crow River.   The old boarded up barn at the Riverbend group campsite was cool to check out and parts of the trail were deep sand, which made it a fun challenge for our group. The best part was the cool weather and NO BUGS (yet).

This hike was part of our prep for our Isle Royale Backpacking trip later this summer, so our packs were loaded and the variety of footing was good practice for us.  Not much for hills at this park, but we are adding miles as well as weight, so a flat trail was certainly welcome.