We approached another intersection, unsure of the path forward. Even our 4.5 year-old Border Collie, Dash, normally chomping at the bit to see what lies around the next bend patiently waited for us to assess the map again to chart our way back to the car. We weren’t lost, exactly. We knew we were on the west side of the park. But we didn’t want to get caught running farther than we needed to on tired legs.
Lake Elmo Park Reserve was the destination for the day. I’d skied here a couple of times before, but was still a newbie at navigating the impressive trail network. Sprawled across 2,165 acres of mixed woodland and prairie, 20 miles of trails awaited us to explore at Lake Elmo. This offered us plenty to wander in during an hour-long trail run.
While Lake Elmo Park is a gem, the St. Croix River Valley abounds with similar opportunities. Afton, Willow River, and William O’ Brien State parks also beckon with comparable systems. Numerous smaller parks like Pine Point or Brown’s Creek Preserve are also scattered across the region.
Choosing the trail north, we set off again, bound for our parked car a couple miles away. I knew this moment would be fleeting. Lake Elmo would never seem so expansive as it did right now. Soon we’d run these trails without glancing at a map. We’d get to know each hill to climb and the shortest route to the trail center to get a drink or use the bathroom.
Similarly, one only gets to run the trails at Brown’s Creek Preserve a handful of times not knowing where the next turn will take you. The sense of adventure each time we set off in a different park would fade. Like the spark of a new relationship, the excitement wanes, but the abounding love remains.
The residents of Washington County and the St. Croix River Valley are lucky to have such natural areas at their fingertips. Then again, the old adage is true that people make their own luck. These landscapes were consciously set aside by citizens of the region in an attempt to safeguard the natural areas that humans and wildlife depend on alike. We’re grateful recipients of the work that earlier inhabitants gifted us.
Lake Elmo, Sunfish Lake, Pine Point Park, and William O’ Brien have been first up for us to explore. We’d love any suggestions of other areas to traverse! Leave a comment with your favorite St. Croix Valley haunts below.
See you out on the trails!
John and Kate