Circle Trail, Pipestone National Monument, July 2022 Pipestone National Monument in southwest Minnesota preserves the site of an active pipestone quarry used by the Sioux and other American Indian tribes to craft famed “peace pipes” popularized by groups in the northern plains of the United States. The Sioux Quartzite that predominates in the park dates …
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Pothole Trail, Interstate Park, July 2022 Evidence of ancient lava flows, prehistoric seas, and glacial erosion abounds at the Dalles of the St. Croix, a narrow gorge situated on the border of Minnesota and Wisconsin, about an hour’s drive from the Twin Cities. In addition to the high basalt walls that frame the dalles, the …
Natural Bridge, Natural Bridge State Park, July 2022 Nestled in the unassuming woods northeast of Leland, Wisconsin, a sandstone bridge some 35 feet long and 25 feet high constitutes the largest natural arch in the state. Just below the aperture is the impressive Raddatz rock shelter, named for the family who once owned the land …
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Parfrey's Glen, Devil's Lake State Park, July 2022 Given the significant focus on Utah and the American West, narrow canyons and slots feature heavily on Live and Let Hike. But these beautiful features can be found in surprising places, such as the limestone gorges of Starved Rock State Park in northern Illinois and southwest Virginia’s …
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Silver Creek Pathway, Pere Marquette State Forest, June 2022 The 54-mile Pine River, a tributary of the Big Manistee River, undulates gently through the modest hillocks of northwest Michigan, making for a popular floating destination—but also a few decent hikes. The Silver Creek Pathway—a nearly four-mile loop that is a short drive from Cadillac, Michigan—is …
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Empire Bluff Trail, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, June 2022 What happens when a combination of glacial recession, wind, and erosion produces a perched dune atop a glacial moraine atop geological debris from the most recent Ice Age? The result, in Michigan’s Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, is the Empire Bluffs, a 400-foot headland overlooking …
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Bailly/Chellberg Trail, Indiana Dunes National Park, June 2022 A prominent French Canadian fur trader, Joseph Bailly settled in the Indiana Dunes area in the early 19th century, establishing a trading post in 1822 near present-day Porter, Indiana. Decades later, Swedish immigrants Anders and Johanna Kjellberg purchased 80 acres of land on the other side of …
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Kaskaskia Canyon Falls, Starved Rock State Park, June 2022 Note: This is the fourth of four posts covering hikes in northern Illinois’ Starved Rock State Park, which boasts 18 sandstone canyons, dozens of waterfalls, and an impressive network of trails along the southern shores of the Illinois River. This post covers a 2.8-mile hike that …
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Harpers Corner Trail, Dinosaur National Monument, June 2022 Following a pinyon- and juniper-studded ridgeline out to its terminus, the Harpers Corner Trail features stunning panoramic vistas high above canyon country in Colorado/Utah’s Dinosaur National Monument. The landscape below, cut and eroded by the Green and Yampa Rivers, spans millions of years of geologic time, from …
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Box Canyon Trail, Dinosaur National Monument, June 2022 Two short and easy hikes take off from the parking area at the end of Cub Creek Road (Josie Morris Cabin) in the Utah portion of Dinosaur National Monument. The longer—and arguably better—is the Hog Canyon Trail. But there is a shorter alternative—Box Canyon—which wanders ¼ mile …
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