Vetsch/Vollenweider/Stoney Point Park Hike (MN)

This weekend marked the first in a series of three early morning hikes in city and state parks to track down the ever-changing landscape of spring ephemerals. These hikes are offered by our Driftless Drifter Hiking Club which is sponsored by our school district's Community Education Department.*

In our small community of La Crescent (population 5,274), we are fortunate to have two large bluffland city parks that give recreational users a chance to climb bluffs and get to amazing overlooks and sandstone formations. One of these parks is Vetsch Park , just west of the downtown area, which also encompasses another park (Vollenweider) and city property (Stoney Point). That's where we hiked on Saturday!

Vetsch Park is part of an old apple orchard that the city was able to acquire from the owner. It has a huge swath of pollinator prairie plants at the entrance to this 25 acre park.  From there, multiple trails ascend up through the hardwood forests of Vetsch and Vollenweider to Stoney Point, an iconic sandstone monolith that affords sweeping views of the city, MN bluffs and Blue Lake. 

There are no trail markers or named trails so it's always an adventure to head into the park (the city has plans to untangle the trails and improve trail markers in the next few years). While there are a number of old orchard roads, interested residents have bushwhacked deer trails into narrow trails that cling to the sides of the steep bluffs which hikers, bikers, runners and others have used. The trails meander back and forth and can offer hikes from 2-4 miles as you wander them.

The park is a paradise of wildflowers, mushrooms/fungi and wildlife. Ruth Nissen and Betsy Knowles, two community members who serve on the city's Natural Resources Advisory Group, have spent the past few years searching out and identifying the wildflowers blooming during the growing season. Their 109-page Vetsch Park and Stoney Point Guide is available online and is amazing! From the common to the rare they have created a who's who and what's what of the wildflower world all the way up and on Stoney Point.

Ruth and Betsy guided us on this first hike in the series as we discovered a number of spring wildflowers. They talked about the different pollinators for many of the flowers; the geology that lends these flowers their unique home, their identification work and much more over the two hour hike. They also mentioned how quickly many of these ephemerals bloom and then lose their blooms. Hiking every few days opens up constantly changing blooms. Below is a perfect example - Betsy walked the trail again after our hike. What a difference a few hours make:

9:00 am unopened Jack-in-in the Pulpit
Image - Marge Loch-Wouters

11:30 am - opened Jack-in-the-Pulpit!
Image - Betsy Knowles

THE HIKE

Vetsch Park, La Crescent MN

From the park entrance, follow old orchard roads up through the orchard into Vollenweider Park or through the pines in Vetsch park onto challenging, narrow trails that climb steeply up to the spectacular views on top Stoney Point (a scramble at the end up this sandstone rock formation. 200 foot elevation gain. Trails are unmarked and multiple trails can be confusing. Head upwards is my best advice until the city marks the trails! Note that the park abuts private property on the south side so be courteous of all posted signs.

Location: 

722 N. 2nd St. Follow North 2nd St west until it ends at the water plant. Ample parking.

* The Driftless Drifters is a member-led hiking club program sponsored through the La Crescent-Hokah Community Education Department of MN ISD 300. Begun in 2021, the group goes on weekly "under 5 mile" hikes around the Driftless area and weekly "Ambles - shorter hikes on flat surfaces for hikers looking for a slower pace. All hikes feature learning opportunities as they identify flora, fauna and fungi around the area. New members are welcome - the fee for the club is $14 /yr (July through June). Members have access to a weekly newsletter with hike locations and tips as well as additional pop-up hikes. Contact Community Ed at 507 895-5150 to join.