Willow Falls Trail Hike

 This was the first time I had been to Willow River State Park, and boy, what a beautiful park it is!  It's only abou 30 min from the Twin Cities (I live in St Paul), and is really easy to get to.

There was a suprising 2 - 4 inches of snow throughout the park, which made for a slightly more challenging hike, considering the slick spots under the snow.  I brought my camera and dog and we hiked around for about 2.5 hours.  The trails were well marked and easy to follow.  We even met a couple that had camped the night and was warming up by a fire.  

The snow covered trees along the trails were just stunning, and the falls were beautiful as well.  There was a nice ridge on the left of the falls, and snow covered rocks along the river.

I will definitely be coming back to this park, both for a snowshoeing trip, as well as for camping next spring.  There are some beautiful camping sites with car access (great for car campers).

 Willow River State Park has some pretty cool sites and sounds:  rolling bluffs, loud waterfalls, and beautiful lakeshore views.