Welcome back, friends! I’m glad you’re here. Today I want to share my experiences from what will likely be the last trip of the season (unless I can figure out lodging for one more). First stop–Lake Louise State Park!! This trip didn’t go as planned, which was unfortunate, but I adapted and made it through. More on that later…
Lake Louise State Park Information
Lake Louise State Park is located in LeRoy, MN on the border of Minnesota and Iowa and is about 1,168 acres. It is home to Minnesota’s oldest, continuous recreation area, formerly known as Wildwood Park. Lake Louise got it’s name from a member of the Hambrecht family, which owned the land before it was given to the town as a recreation area. Then, in 1962, the city donated Wildwood Park to the state, which began the formation of the state park.
Activities
If you’re looking to hike, there’s 11.5 miles to explore. Wanting to bike? The Shooting Star State Trail crosses through the park. Bringing your horse? There are 9.7 miles of natural vegetation trails. You will need a trail pass, so make sure you prepare beforehand. Looking to spend time on the water? You can visit the swimming beach, paddle around the lake, and fish.
During the winter months, you can snowmobile on 9.6 miles of trails. These trails connect to other nearby trails. Snowshoeing is allowed throughout the park as long as you stay off the groomed trails.
Looking for wildlife? The diversity of this habitat provides homes to many species of birds, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians. It’s likely you’ll see fox squirrel, raccoon, beaver, red fox, white-tailed deer, and 141 different species of birds.
Camping here? There’s 20 drive-in sites with 11 being electric and 9 without electricity, as well as a group camps that can accommodate 20-30 people depending on the site.
Other offerings
The park also offers a ranger station, naturalist programs, historic site, firewood sales, public phone, picnic area, and a picnic shelter. If you need groceries, ice, or a restaurant in LeRoy.
All of this info came from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources website, so credit where credit is due. Click here to view the original source.
Accessibility of Lake Louise State Park
Parking
I parked in the large gravel lot at the picnic area. The lot is spacious with plenty of spots.
Bathrooms
Vault toilets are located throughout the park.
Getting to the trail
The trail starts behind the pavilion with picnic tables.
Lake Louise Park Trail Information
The Wildwood Loop is 1.2 miles in length and has 19 feet of elevation. It took me about 37 minutes to complete. I found the trail to be lush and green near the water. It was quite nice. The terrain varies as it’s a combination of gravel, mud, and natural path. It can be narrow in places and wide in others. The trail has inclines and declines, which weren’t bad for me but they’re there.
I liked this trail. I did struggle a bit because I went into tired (it was a 4 hour drive to get here and I set up camp beforehand), and sore (my SI went out the night before so I was having to navigate that this time too.). Also, I hear some strange noises while out here. It sounded like crying. While I was curious about it, I was not about to go looking for whatever that was while I was alone in the woods. I may be a white woman, but I’m not that white woman. Besides, I’m fairly certain it was a bird or something anyways.
My rating
This trail would fall into the easy to moderate category of my rating scale. While this trail could be accessible for most, the terrain, inclines, and varying widths could make it difficult. If you need wheels or mobility devices, make sure they can handle mud, sticks and rocks, and changes in elevation.
If you have lung issues and function like me, it wouldn’t be too difficult on a day without a flare up. I had some mild shortness of breath, but that’s typical for me and exercise. Especially if I am already fatigued and in pain.
My Camping Experience at Lake Louise State Park
Site 2E
This site was small with little privacy, however, it is nice and flat, which is appreciated. I have rarely been at a site where it’s level, which makes setting up the tent easier. Black walnut trees surrounded the site, so I did need to clear those first. It’s not far from the amenities like bathrooms, showers, and drinking water. As you can see in the photo, the pad is gravel and the surrounding area is mud. Said mud was made worse by the thunderstorm the night before, so the ground was soft by the time I got there.
There is no cell service here, so plan accordingly. I forgot to grab a weather radio and I regretted it. That being said, there were one to two bars in the picnic area and by park office. Download whatever you need so it can be done offline.
Facilities at the Campground
There is accessible toilets and showers in the campground. Well-maintained sidewalks lead up to the building, with benches available to sit on. The doors to the building open outward (so keep that in mind) and appear to open far enough to navigate through.
As you can see in the photos, it’s pretty standard for what we see at the parks. I think the accessible shower is decent, but could be improved upon. The showerheads are attached and while they have two at different heights, I can see how it could still be challenging to shower if standing is difficult or something you can’t do.
So, you said this trip didn’t go as planned. What happened?
I ended up being rained out. While I knew rain was in the forecast, I hoped it wouldn’t be bad or get severe. After all, I planned this trip four months ahead of time and it was fully paid for, so I figured I’d see what happens. As we’ve seen over the past few years, I don’t cancel for maybes and usually end up with a story out of it.
Day One at Lake Louise:
The first night, I was fine. Well, I was uncomfortable for the first time in a while. Likely, this was due to the spotty at best cell service and the fact that the black walnut trees kept dropping nuts all night. If you don’t know what they are, basically they’re nuts inside of their shell and are almost the size of a baseball. They’re solid, so they shake the leaves and thud when they hit the ground. Unsettling, really.
I did make sure to get the hike here done. I wanted to move around after the drive, but also wanted to make sure I had time with the weather and everything. I’m glad I learned from my experience at Big Bog and put up my guylines because in the early hours, it started to rain and eventually downpour for hours. Like I said above, the ground was muddy and my shoes paid the price. Glad I had my heater to dry them off.
Day Two at Lake Louise:
The second day I was up early, so I made sure to check the radar and my tour information. It was covered in thunderstorms with warnings that things could get severe, so I changed my plans to get as much as I could done that day. Going home crossed my mind. Right away, I went to my last stop on the trip and did what I needed to so I had time to get to my tour at the Mystery Caves (next post).
I met up with someone I know from the area for lunch and when they found out I was in my tent, they offered me a place to stay. I did take them up on it after I saw how bad it was going to get and grateful I did. Overnight, the weather got bad. While I would have stayed warm and dry, I would have had to tear down in a thunderstorm and that was not on my agenda. I hit my record tear down time. I impressed myself and the neighbor who offered food.
Other things of note:
My neighbors were so kind and thoughtful. The ladies that were tenting a couple of sites down gave me firewood and fire starters, told me about the happenings before I got there and were all around friendly. A different neighbor offered me a warm meal as I was packing up. It was a kind offer, but I declined. People tend to leave me alone while I’m out and about, outside of a friendly greeting so it was an interesting experience to have these happen.
Also, deer. Lots of deer.
Have you been to Lake Louise State Park? Want to go? Comment below. I’d love to hear from you.
Did you find Currently Unnamed Cardybear? Put found in the comments!
Be safe out there! REMEMBER YOUR MAPS AND PASSPORT STAMPS!! Seeyalaterbye <3
Also, if you feel called to help a sista out with her travels, check this out!
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