Whitewater State Park (MN) Hike or Amble

Our Driftless Drifters* Amblers recently enjoyed a great summer hike along the Trout Run Trail in Whitewater State Park near Altura MN.  Our Ambles are on flatter trails, usually at or under 2.5 miles. Our goal is to find wonderful hiking spots in nature where people who prefer a slower pace or are rehabbing from illness or injury can still get up close to nature.

Whitewater River where Trout Creek runs in
Image - Marge Loch-Wouters

The  2 mile out-and-back trail runs next to the middle branch of the Whitewater River and then turns to follow Trout Run Creek through for the rest of the hike.  The trailhead is in the South Picnic grounds at the site of a former German POW camp that became a CCC camp. Much of the stonework seen in buildings, bridges and signs were built by CCC workers who quarried limestone from quarry at trailsend to build the park structures. A tornado destroyed the structures 70 years ago and the area became the south Picnic grounds.

"Corduroy" (logs) on the trail
Image - Marge Loch-Wouters

Like many wetland tails, these trails often are damp, can be muddy after a rain, and are very brushy. There are small parts of the trail that are permanently damp and squishy and had "corduroy" laid down. This dampness also means lush growth into the trails narrowing them considerably during the summer. I always recommend long pants even on warm days because the prolific wetland plants - and nettles - crowd the trail and often overgrow it. 

The trail wound along past an abandoned beaver pond that now hosts a new population of frogs from elsewhere in the park. Bridges of various types cross back and forth over the spring-fed stream and you pass through hardwoods, floodplain forest and the end up in the meadow of the quarry.

Hackberry Emperor butterfly hitched a ride
Image - Marge Loch-Wouters

On our hike we saw swarms of butterflies, skippers and dragonflies on plants, on seeps, near and over the water. It made a fun day of looking and identifying them.

What I love about Whitewater is that it has great trails for every ability. There is another Amble-worthy walk on the Meadow Loop in a restored prairie south of the visitor's Center. For those who like challenging climbs, the narrow valley offers a number of options that give you great bluff hikes and even greater views. Therese trails include the 4.2 mile Dakota Trail which takes you up to Eagle Point; Coyote trail at 2.7 miles; and Chimney Point to Inspiration Point at 2.2 miles.

The Dakota Trail which has the Eagle Point Lookout has stromatalite fossils that  you walk right over when you are at the top of the lookout. The circles on the photo to the left are fossilized stromatalites on the trail! The Driftless area was once under a sea (and actually near the equator!). Seeing those fossils as you walk gives you a real sense of the expanse of time.

This park has alot of history surrounded it including tales of how early settlers lost the soil during repeated flooding when prairies with their deep-rooted plants to hold the soil were replaced with shallow-rooted corn and soybeans. The Visitor Center has a graphic (left) on the floor that compares long-rooted prairie plants on the left with short-rooted agricultural plants on the right that replaced them. 

The river became flooded with the lost soil and silted up causing multiple damaging floods each year. Eventually most of the homes and farms lost their value and people left. What was left of the town of Beaver was purchased by the state and made part of a restoration of prairie in the State Park and the nearby Whitewater WMA (Wildlife Management Area).

Richard J. Dorer's grave
Image - Marge Loch-Wouters

We ended our hike at the small Beaver Cemetery where we found the grave of Richard J. Dorer. If you are familiar with maps of southeast MN in particular you often see the name of  "Richard J. Dorer hardwood forest" scattered across the forest and bluffland. He died fifty years ago and his rustic marker gives you a sense of his love of the land and his commitment to conservation. He was a main proponent and mover of the restoration of Whitewater Valley. You can read a bit more about him here, here and here.

THE HIKE

An easy in-and-out 2 mile trail that follows the creek through wetlands, forest, floodplain forest and ends in a meadow at the quarry. Great birding and wildlife along the way. A spur to climb up to Inspiration Point is on the trail for those who want to head up. This park has alot of history and the Visitor Center is a must to learn some of it. Other trails that climb up the steep valley walls make this a great destination for those who want mellow tails and/or challenging trails. 

Location: 19041 MN-74, Altura, MN 55910

If you head into the park from the south, you can find the Trout Run Trail beyond the Nature Store parking lot on a road that goes to the South Picnic grounds. Other trails start at the Visitor's Center, North Picnic grounds and near the group camp.

Great spangled fritillary
Image - Marge Loch-Wouters

* 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.