A Sunny Hike in Seven Mile Creek Park (St. Peter, MN)
It is finally, blessedly the end of the semester. Just one final and a sizable amount of grading stands in between me and the summer (and returning to Kentucky). Unlike last year, Minnesota has decided to grace us with sun this May, which meant Kayla and I could squeeze a last hike in this weekend. Back in fool’s spring, we tried to do this hike (which neither of us have done before), but the entire park was closed due to flooding. This time, only the Minnesota-River-half was closed, so we were finally able to check it out.
Seven Mile Creek Park is 628 acres, with ten miles of hiking and equestrian trails winding along the creek for which it’s named. Seven Mile Creek got its name because from the creek crossing, it took seven miles for early settlers to get to the county courthouse via a trail that is now Highway 99.
Kayla and I visited the park on a gorgeous seventy-degree day, the views in top form with the sunny weather. White flowers carpeted the forest floor, colored rocks tumbled by streams feeding down into the creek. If you stick to the creekside trails, the walk is tranquil, the rushing water providing an idyllic soundtrack. We split from this trail and hiked up to a scenic overlook at one point (which was a much steeper climb than either of us expected), and we could look down on the valley below. The hike was then capped off by sitting creekside and soaking our feet in the cold water, which is a pretty wonderful way to end a hike in my humble opinion.
Click through the slideshow below to view photos from the hike!
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