Park Info
Nerstrand Big Woods State Park is located in Nerstrand, MN. It is home to the hidden falls as well as the endangered dwarf trout lily. Seriously, this is the only place it grows! It is a great place to go all year round. In the summer there’s a hidden waterfall; spring is perfect for wildflower viewing; fall is for those gorgeous leaf colors; and the winter months bring snowshoeing and snowmobiling through the woods.
Did any of that pique your interest? Well, good news. You can hike on 11 miles of trails, snowmobile on 4 miles of trails, and snowshoe anywhere in the park that isn’t a groomed trail or a roped off area.
If you’d like to camp here, there are options. The campground has 51 drive-in, 1 pull-through, 27 electric, 2 wheelchair accessible, 4 walk-in, and 6 cart-in sites. The facilities are wheelchair accessible showers and flush toilets, as well as a dump station for those RVing it.
Aside from those nuggets, the park has a park office, visitor center, interpretive exhibit, groceries at the nature store, snowshoe rentals, firewood, and public phones. Recreational facilities include a picnic area, picnic shelter, playgrounds, and amphitheater.
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 Facility
Parking
The parking lot at the park office is a small gravel lot. It is close to the trailhead, but space is super limited. There is overflow parking 0.5 miles down the road as well as some parking on the other side of the picnic area. I didn’t check out these other lots since I was fortunate enough to get a close space.
Bathroom
There is a vaulted toilet at the start of the trail–near the parking lot. Other bathrooms with running water are in the picnic area. I didn’t use them, but I sat at the shelter for a while, so I know they’re there.
Getting to the trail
This trail is just off the parking lot. You do need to follow the gravel path past the playground to get there. It is clearly marked.
Trail Info
The trail that leads to the Hidden Falls is part of the Nerstrand Beaver Loop. I was originally going to do the North Loop trail, but when I heard the words hidden waterfall, the plan changed. Here at Adventures of Seleana we always chase waterfalls (sorry TLC). I was going to have to pass it anyway to get there.
The Nerstrand Beaver Loop is 2.5 miles in length and has 295 feet of elevation. I did 1.05 miles of it which had around 140 feet of elevation. It took me around 45 minutes to get to the falls and back. Right away the trail is gravel (with larger rocks like Red Rock) and is fairly flat in grade, but that does change. That being said, it is a wide and well-maintained nature trail overall. It’s also shaded, which is nice when the sun is beating down.
Along the way, there are posts and culverts to crossover, which is to help with the erosion of the trail. Parts of it look to be washing away. I made sure to take pictures of all the changes in terrain so be sure to take a peek and see if it’s something you’re up to. There are two benches to rest at on the part that I did…and I utilized them on the way back. Inclines, I tell ya, get me every time.
Speaking of changes in terrain, the gravel did turn into the boardwalk, which was made of wooden steps that were not consistent in size or slope. There is a handrail, so that helps with stability, if needed. After the boardwalk, it goes back to being gravel until the stone steps and wooden bridge to the top of the waterfall.
Short steps will bring you from the top to the bottom so you can get up close for pics, videos, or going behind the falls. I didn’t realize I could go behind them until I got there, so I wasn’t properly dressed. It was early evening by the time I got to the park, so I didn’t want to walk around in wet clothes when the sun was going down soon.
How would I rate this you ask?
As for my rating, I would classify this somewhere between moderate and hard. Like I said earlier, the way back was difficult for me. It was an incline the whole time and I had to take quite a few breaks to catch my breath. My lungs definitely got a workout. Looking at the info I had for the trail, the other side of the loop had larger inclines which factored into me just going back the way I came. I wouldn’t recommend this for those with mobility issues unless you have the gear to keep yourself upright and safe.
Camping Experience
This is where I stayed for the entirety of my trip. I spent three days in the tent and it was an enjoyable experience overall. There was no chronic illness meltdown (despite being in a decent amount of pain) and that was very much appreciated.
The site was tiny. It had a gravel pad for a tent and a grassy area for the picnic table and fire ring, however, there was little to no privacy. I could see and hear all of my neighbors, and we would have been up in each others business if the windows of our tents weren’t closed. My site was decently shaded, so that was nice. I’ve never had a water spigot in my site before, but I was 100% here for it. I stayed soooo hydrated and didn’t have to haul water.
I also made this as low energy of a trip as I could, so I didn’t even bring a cooler. It was a sandwich and chips kind of weekend. No heavy lifting, cooking, or dishes. All wins in my book.
I had no cell service here, so make sure to download everything you need before you leave. The park office has spotty Wi-Fi, which I tried to use since I didn’t do the above. I got things taken care of, but it wasn’t ideal. Speaking of not ideal….I forgot to check my battery pack and light before I left, so they were dead and had low levels, respectively. In my defense, the batter was charged when I put back after the last trip and the lantern was used all season without needed in to be charged so…remember to check your power levels.
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Be safe out there! REMEMBER YOUR MAPS AND PASSPORT STAMPS!! Seeyalaterbye <3
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