Mere miles from the 16th-biggest metropolitan area in the United States lies an underutilized gem. At 14,000 acres, the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge hugs the Minnesota River in stretches along 70 miles of the Minnesota River. And, get this, parts of the refuge come as close as eight and six miles from the skyscrapers in downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul respectively. The refuge is a good spot for hiking and hunting. The refuge affords Twin Citians the opportunity to open their day hunting waterfowl in a swamp and end it bowhunting deer from a tree while working a full shift in between. The refuge truly is an oasis for the urban outdoorsman. One thing I like about the refuge is that it increases the likelihood I will raise my family in the Twin Cities metro area. The refuge provides some real outdoors activities near a thriving metropolis.

I am a big fan of winter walks (see my recent post on the topic here), and–despite having grown up near it–I had never been to the Louisville Swamp. I decided to marry the two together. So last week, I dragged my sister along with me to hike the Mazomani Trail around the Louisville Swamp. It had snowed a foot or so two weeks earlier and over an inch the night before. Here’s what it looked like:

What, you can’t see the bricks? Okay, here’s a close-up of the tree’s roots:

Before your first journey to the refuge, look at satellite maps and try to get a paper map to bring with you. Here’s a link to the map we used. I imagine it’d be confusing to go there blind. We parked at the “Middle Road Parking.” Well, actually, we didn’t park there. We parked past there where we should not have parked. The parking lot is a bit confusing. You’ll turn off of 169 onto Bluff Road and head west. When you come to a “T” in the road (the other street will be Jordan Ave. SE), turn right and park immediately. There is a sign that says something like “No refuge parking beyond this point.” Pay attention to that sign and park before it–unlike me. We drove passed it, across what looked to be private property, and parked at the trailhead.

After parking, you must walk (yes, I am almost certain this is correct) in between the house you’ll see and the same homeowner’s outbuildings. This will feel crazy wrong, but I am near certain I am right. I think you are on private property here, so be quick and respectful. I think the refuge has an easement on the property, so just trust me and go for it. You will then cross the railroad and come to the trailhead.

There are good maps at the trailhead. And you’ll need one. Despite the trail being clearly marked and tough to miss, there is no map at each marking, so you could easily get confused. With a map or an understanding in your head before you go, you will not get lost.

We hiked the trail counter-clockwise from the “P” at the bottom right of the above-map. Starting out from the trailhead, we crossed Sand Creek on a small bridge:

I do think Sand Creek is “paddle-able” so I want to explore it in the spring and summer. I did a bit of map reconnaissance (Google Maps) and noted that Sand Creek goes past the Mini Met baseball field I played at in Jordan. Sand Creek, I found, also has a nice reputation for kayaking, especially when the water is high. I am excited to find this creek so close to home. After crossing Sand Creek and continuing on for about 1000 feet, we turned right before the glacial rock. This is clearly marked as a part of the Mazomani trail. We wanted to do most of the walking first and enjoy the attractions towards the end of the circular walk. Delayed gratification, I guess.

This “first” part of the trail (I put first in air quotes because there are numerous spots you can start) brings you through some oak forests and low swamp land.

After this area, we crossed Sand Creek again on bridges. From looking at overhead satellite photography, this crossing appears to be very close to the delta where Sand Creek empties into the Louisville Swamp.

The we hit the Louisville Swamp. The overnight snow left it serene and level like a desert. From a distance, we saw a deer traipsing across the frozen swamp. We traced the swamp to the north along the trail and then went to Jab’s Farm. Jab’s Farm is a semi-restored, partially-preserved farm built around 1880. I’d heard of and read about this farm for a long time, so I was excited to see it. Here’s a few photos from the farm:

After Jab’s Farm, we followed the, again, clearly-marked trail towards the trailhead. For ten minutes, we walked in silence. The silence enthralled me. We were inside a major metropolitan area and it was silent. No sirens. No planes. No highways. Just us, the dog, and a new blanket of snow.

Then I twisted my bad ankle the worst I’ve twisted it in a few years. I used to twist it, wrench it, sprain it, and tear things all the time. Historically-speaking this was not a bad twist for me, but I hadn’t done it in a few years. Desk jobs will do that to you. But I only whined and felt bad for myself for a few minutes. Nature reminded me that a sprained ankle was nothing to worry about:

The dead animal’s blood was fresh. Our approach scared off the predator. We passed on and, I’m sure, moments later the predator returned to finish his meal.

Then we came upon the glacial rock. It was a neat, out-of-place formation, but much smaller than I expected. Quite familiar with places like Joshua Tree, I felt bad for rock climbers in Minnesota. While I am not a climber, I suspect their options are quite limited here. That being said, I do think there were a lot of crags and things to grab onto, so I imagine this is a solid, low-stakes spot to learn the basics.

Final Thoughts

This hike was a “win.” A beautiful area with some history (the 1862 Dakota Uprising occurred here in the river alley) so close to the Twin Cities is a great find for hiking. I enjoyed the winter aspect too with the fresh snow. I also scouted out some good bowhunting spots for the future. And I found a wonderful creek for future kayaking. I did not measure the hike’s distance, but I think we covered just over five miles. And finally, perhaps my favorite part: we were the only people in the whole area. The Louisville Swamp portion of the refuge is 2600 acres and for the entire three hours we were there, we were alone. That’s more than four square miles of swamps, oak forests, sumac, and farm ruins all to ourselves. And while I will continue to explore new areas, I know I will be back here in the future. The only question is: will I have a paddle, rifle, bow, camera, or shotgun in my hands?