Hammocking in Southern Minnesota?

[Crash]

I plan on taking a trip to Minneapolis and parts south to the Iowa border.
I got a couple of days to hang out.
Any one know of a good spot to hammock out there?
Or even on the Eastern side of Minneapolis going towards Wisconsin?

Thanx for any input.

[Crawldaddy]

All my kin are from S.E. Minn. I always dreamed of canoeing down the Miss. River from Winona and camping/hanging on the islands on the way down to Savanna.

[steene]

Here are a few suggestions about places to go. These places are in the river bluff country:
Forestville / Mystery Cave State Park near Preston, MN

Great River Bluffs State Park near Dakota, MN

Harmony / Preston Valley State Trail near Isinours, MN (connects to the Root River State Trail)


I cannot vouch for whether or not the State Parks allow hanging or not. You may want to call the DNR and find out.

[FreeTheWeasel]

I live in Minnesota in a suburb of Minneapolis. I haven't done too much south of the Twin Cities but if you have the time to drive north, the Superior Hiking Trail is absolutely fantastic. I plan to put a trip report with pictures and the obligatory hammock photos soon. I've never been to the Appalachian Trail but I'm suspect that I am spoiled for all other trails after this one. We did 30 miles in 4 days and we went from one stunning vista to the next. I took a swim in a waterfall. There is one campsite right on another waterfall. In some places we were 500 feet above the forest floor with a full view of mountain lakes and trees. It is going to be insanely beautiful once the leaves turn.

http://www.shta.org/


Other than that, I've been to state parks near the Twin Cities and in Wisconsin. Lake Maria Park (MN), Sand Dunes National Forest (MN), and Levis Mound (WI) are very cool places. Lake Maria is a state park with dedicated hike-in campsites about 1/3 to 1 mile from the parking lot. They are fairly isolated from each other with no shortage of trees. Sand Dunes Forest is being logged and is not quite so nice but since you can camp anywhere you like. You don't need to be at a campsite in MN state forests.

Here are some good links that may help.

http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/map.html

http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_forests/camping.html

Levis Mound is primarily a mountain biking trail but I did an adventure race there and the geography is pretty interesting.

FreeTheWeasel