50 Hikes in Minnesota: Day Hikes from Forest to Prairie to River Bluff [Paperback]

Gwen Ruff (Author), Ben Woit (Author)

Book Description

Series: Explorer's 50 Hikes | Publication Date: June 21, 2005

Hiking in the Land of 10,000 Lakes.

This all-new hiking guide covers Minnesota's distinct areas of terrain and habitat—the northern arboreal forests, the western prairies, the deciduous forests, and the southeastern Mississippi River bluffs. These diverse areas offer a wide variety of hiking experiences, flora and fauna, and spectacular vistas. Ranging from easy walks of several miles to daylong outings, these hikes take advantage of Minnesota's extensive and well-maintained state and national parks. Bonus destinations of historical importance or scenic value also are described. Each chapter includes driving directions to the trailhead, a topographic map, trail mileage and estimated hiking time, a trail description with safety notes, and stories of the human, natural, and geological history you'll encounter along the way. 50 black-and-white photographs, 51 maps

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Gwen Ruff has been a writer and editor for nearly 25 years, working for daily newspapers, the University of Minnesota, and freelance clients.

Ben Woit has worked as an assistant to a literary agent for over three years. He lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Countryman Press (June 21, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0881506222
• ISBN-13: 978-0881506228
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,596,767 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Good, but Could be Better, February 4, 2011

By 

David Prager "redhawk" (Winterville, GA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: 50 Hikes in Minnesota: Day Hikes from Forest to Prairie to River Bluff (Paperback)

I purchased this guide last summer on a hiking vacation to the North Shore of Lake Superior. What I got was good, but it could be much better.

As you would expect, this guide describes 50 hikes in the state of Minnesota. Geographically, the hikes are scattered through most of the state except for the northwest. I do not know why the northwest portion of the state seems to be ignored. Distance and difficulty range from 1.6 flat miles along Lake Superior to 11.6 hilly miles through Tettegouche State Park. Every hike in this guide is a dayhike; no multi-day backpack trails are described here.

While I found no serious problems with this guide, I couldn't help but thinking that almost everything about this guide could be better. For example, the trail maps are copied from USGS topo maps, which would normally make them excellent. However, some of the maps are too small and blurry (Tettegouche State Park, for example), and the maps do not mark enough points of interest to help you figure out where you are on the trail. The trail descriptions are quite good overall, but some of them are short on details, and many of the introductions are very long. In my opinion, it would have been better to incorporate more of the background material into the trail description so you can read about a topic at the same time you see it on the hike.

Also, I question the guide's organization. Specifically, the 9 North Shore hikes are grouped in a section with 18 other inland hikes, and the hikes are arranged alphabetically in each section. This makes it hard to follow along in the guide as you drive up the North Shore. For example, you read the Grand Portage hike right before you read the Lake Itasca hike even though these destinations are hundreds of miles apart. Since the North Shore is the most popular hiking destination in Minnesota, this guide would be easier to use if the North Shore hikes would get their own section.

Finally, I question the difficulty ratings in this guide: none of the hikes are rated difficult. For example, this guide includes a 2.5 mile front-country hike at Gooseberry Falls with some steps but no rugged terrain (I know from experience) and a remote, rocky 7 mile hike to Eagle Mountain. In fact, the author records that she fell on a rock and sustained minor injuries on the hike to Eagle Mountain. Yet, both of these hikes are rated Moderate-Difficult. If the Gooseberry Falls hike is M-D, then surely the Eagle Mountain hike should be rated D, but it is not.

Overall, this is a good guide, but there is considerable room for improvement. If you want a guide dedicated to North Shore hiking, then "Waterfalls on Minnesota's North Shore" by Wallinga and Wallinga is slightly better, but only slightly. Hopefully some changes will be made to the next edition that will lift this guide from the ranks of the good to the ranks of the great.

5.0 out of 5 stars Can't wait to finish the book !, August 28, 2009

By 

Michael A. Pierce (Farmington, MN.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: 50 Hikes in Minnesota: Day Hikes from Forest to Prairie to River Bluff (Paperback)

Suprisingly the book came from a local dealer, so delivery was quick and the book is in good condition. When I am "finished", I will have had 50 beautiful hikes in our Minnesota State Park system. the first 9 have been awesome, thus far!