Best Dog Friendly Hiking Trails Near Me – Minnesota may not be known for its great hiking like Colorado or Oregon. But the land of 10,000 lakes still has thousands of miles of hiking trails that can be found on 51.2 million acres within the state’s borders. And while not all trails are dog friendly, most are.
Want to go walking with your dog? Here is my list of the 5 best dog-friendly hiking trails in Minnesota:
Best Dog Friendly Hiking Trails Near Me
Read on to learn more about each of these trails and why my pup and I love them so much.
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Banning State Park is located about an hour and 15 minutes north of the Twin Cities metro area and is one of my favorite state parks in Minnesota. The park has 17 miles of trails, many of them the best, including the Hell’s Gate Trail, which runs along the cliffs along the Kettle River.
The Hell’s Gate Trail is the steepest trail in Bing State Park. So for those of you who are not interested in a bit of rock scrambling as this trail is more towards the end than a clearly marked path in the woods, this trail may not be for you. In this case, I recommend the Barrier Trail along with the High Bluff Trail to reach Wolf Creek Falls. But for canine and human couples ready for more adventure, the Hell’s Gate Trail is a fun day adventure.
You can access the Hell’s Gate Trail from either the Wolf Creek Falls area or the south end of the Curry Loop Trail. In any case, the path will be quite easy to follow at first. But as you get closer to the middle, the road gets rockier.
At this point, you may have to choose your own route and crawl over some rocks and rock ledges. Some routes are easier than others, so go back and try again if you’re not satisfied with one. This trail is often quite busy (especially on summer weekends), so you can always see other people walking in front of you.
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While walking your dog in Minnesota State Parks requires a 6-foot leash (or shorter), you may need a longer leash for these areas. Or a climbing partner who, instead of holding the rope, helps you in some sections. Smaller dogs may need help navigating the obstacles on this trail. And there is one place where I usually keep my dog’s leash No. 40 to help down or up depending on which way we go.
Does this trail seem too challenging for you and your pup? Then visit other trails in Bing State Park. We discuss other trails to this fantastic Minnesota hiking destination in the following blog posts:
The Middle Falls Trail, located along the Minnesota-Canada border in Grand Portage State Park, offers beautiful views of Lake Superior as well as the opportunity to see two waterfalls. Middle Falls is the destination of the Candy Loop on the Middle Falls Trail. But before you start your hike to Middle Falls, I highly recommend visiting High Falls, located near the Middle Falls trailhead.
High Falls is the tallest waterfall in Minnesota, at 120 feet, with water from the Dove River flowing into Lake Superior. The trail to High Falls is handicap accessible, but there are many steps leading up to the waterfall view.
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Once you’ve spent enough time admiring the impressive High Falls, head back up the much steeper Middle Falls trail. The Middle Falls Trail is approximately 3.5 miles round trip (4.5 miles round trip from the Visitor Center).
The trail begins with a climb that offers beautiful views of Lake Superior and the surrounding forests. Don’t miss a trip to the observation deck.
The trail is relatively well maintained but narrow in places. And it gets a little more lush as you move away from the lakeshore and toward Middle Falls.
Middle Falls is more intimate than High Falls. You can walk right up to the rushing water and almost reach the rocks on the Canadian side.
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Overall, this trail feels more remote than many trails in Minnesota State Parks. Depending on the time of your visit, this can be an isolated and quiet street to spend time with your pup. We enjoyed seeing the snow covered waterfall during our November 2019 trip to the North Shore.
Eagle Mountain is the highest point in Minnesota at 2,301 feet. The peak is located in the Boundary Waters Canoe area (BWCA) and can be reached via a 3.5 mile trail (one way) for a scenic 7 mile round trip.
To reach the trailhead, which is on the north side of FR170, you must pass a dirt/gravel road. But the further drive from the popular Highway 61 along the North Shore also means that this wilderness trail is less frequented than the state park trails along the North Shore. North.
As this trail is part of the BWCA, you will need a permit. If you are going to camp for the day, you can use a self-issued permit. Directions and permits can be found at the kiosk at the trailhead.
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The trail itself is nice and steep, with lots of tree roots and rocks to cross. The trail passes beautiful small ponds and the trail goes through the forest.
And when you reach the top of Eagle Mountain, the view is very beautiful. The highest point is surrounded by trees, so there is not much to see at this point. However, you can take photos with the memorial plaque located at the highest point. Then turn around and go back to the car.
Perhaps one of the most photographed hikes on the Super Hiking Trail (SHT), the Bear and Bean Lake Loop is a popular SHT day hike. If you start on the main trail, the round trip loop is about 7 miles.
This is another steep trail with lots of tree roots to navigate. So wear good shoes and watch your step. Although this trail is rugged and looks remote, it can be very busy on summer weekends.
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The trail is marked with blue Superior Trail blazes. Therefore, even when you are crossing rocky terrain where the trail is not very well exposed, you can look down and find a fire painted on the rock itself or on a nearby tree. This is a great feature of SHT that makes navigation easy.
As you walk through the woods, you’ll see some views of Lake Superior and then the woods to the west. At the end you will be treated to a beautiful view of Bean Lake.
Continue along the trail and you will have the opportunity to go down to the Bear Lake campground and stay on the shore of Bear Lake. It can be warm enough that you can even swim in this lake.
Then, after passing Bear Lake Campground, you will see the two lakes. Be sure to take a classic photo of yourself from this vantage point before returning to the car.
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For our newest favorite hike in Minnesota, in this post we switch gears and highlight a spot in southern Minnesota. Whitewater State Park, located about 40 minutes east of Rochester, Minnesota, offers several challenging hiking trails that are dog-friendly.
We encourage you to hike around the state park, but if you have to choose just one trail, consider the Coyote Point Trail. This trail starts right outside the visitor center.
The first time I crossed the Whitewater River was via a bridge made of rocks and concrete slabs. Then enter the forest to begin a steady upward climb with panoramic views of the Whitewater River Valley.
As you reach Coyote Point, the trail becomes a little rocky and narrow. Be careful. There is also a short staircase in this area. If your dog is too big to go down the stairs easily, consider reversing the walkway to allow your dog to climb the stairs.
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Once you’ve taken in all the views from Coyote Point and the Coyote Point Trailheads, you have four options:
Whichever you choose, you’ll love walking through Whitewater State Park. Looking for more hikes in southern Minnesota? Check out our post on 5 Great Dog-Friendly State Parks in Minnesota.
And a great benefit of hiking in the many parks of southeastern Minnesota is the absence of mosquitoes. Beaver Creek Valley SP, Forestville/Mystery Cave SP, Frontenac SP, Great River Bluffs SP, John A. Latsch SP, and Whitewater SP contain few mosquitoes.
Why, you ask? According to MPR News, you can thank the absence of glaciers millions of years ago. The last glacier that passed through Minnesota overran this area, so there are no natural lakes in this area. Because of the mosquitoes
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