Growing up in Colorado, I did a lot of hiking in the mountains. As I got older, I really got into hiking 14er's. Those are mountains that are over 14,000 feet tall. Those would take all day, but the views were amazing. One of the many reasons I moved to Rochester was access to hiking. So here are a few trails I think will be interesting to try this summer.


According to Rochester's Mom's Blog, one of the best trails for kids is the Oxbow Park and Zoo. There are around ten kid-friendly trails that range from two miles to a half-mile. In this park, these options for fishing as well as covered picnics if you reserve ahead of time.


Chester Woods County Park was another option that came up in my searches. It is located near Eyota and has convenient hours of 5 am to 10 pm. To get into this park, you have to pay a fee of $5 per car or an annual fee of $25. If your family loves the water, you can rent paddle boats and other water toys to have a fun day on the lake. There are around 15 miles of hiking trails here with access to a lot of wildlife.


Rochester's Mom's Blog also talked about Whitewater State Park. According to the park's website. There are around 10 miles of trails that loop around and there's a trail for everyone. They have easy trials for the kiddos and more advanced ones for the avid hikers.


Located just outside of Rochester, Indian Heights Park is not only a great hiking trail, it's a stop on the "Trolley of Doom" haunted trolley tour. This one-mile loop allows you to get out in nature and see beautiful forest land. So if you aren't looking to make a friend on your hike, I wouldn't go at night. ;)


Lastly but certainly not least, Douglas State Trail has a lot to offer. With around 12 miles of trails, there is plenty to see. According to their website, the trials are on abandoned railroad grounds. The park even tries to do different events throughout the summer to get families out and active. Later this summer, they'll even have horse trails that'll be open to the public. Looks like I need to find me some friends that have horses. Fun fact, I ask my dad for a horse every year for Christmas and I get a plastic one instead. That won't help me in this situation!

It looks like I have plans the next few weekends going and checking out all of these awesome trails.

Paisley Dunn... Putting a smile on your face every workday from 3pm-7pm!

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