New 100-Mile-Long Hiking Trail Proposed for Southeast Minnesota

We have an amazing area in southeast Minnesota called the driftless region. This area was left untouched by the last glacial period and therefore we have some incredible sights, like our bluffs. And in this driftless region, there's a group of people who want to create a 100-mile-long hiking trail for everyone to enjoy.

The proposed trail is called the Minnesota Driftless Hiking Trail. The vision is for it to be a trail like the Superior Hiking Trail or the Appalachian Trail, a long trail hikers will flock to.

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It would be pretty incredible to have a trail like that in southeast Minnesota. As a hiker, I would absolutely want this to happen. Would I ever be able to hike the whole thing in one go? I'm not sure. Google tells me that a 100-mile trail takes about 5 days to hike. I'm not sure how much rest time that allows for but as someone who would love to backpack someday, that doesn't sound too bad.

Where the Proposed Hiking Trail Would Go in Southeast Minnesota

The proposal is for the trail to go from Chatfield to the Mississippi.

The biggest obstacle that they have right now, however, is that "[over] half of the trail miles for the Minnesota Driftless Hiking Trail will need to be on private land". So in order for the trail to be developed, they need the support of those landowners.

If you're someone who owns property in the area that they're hoping to develop this trail, they want to have a conversation about the idea. There's a form you can fill out if you're all for it already or you can contact them if you'd like to talk more about it.

Proposed National Park in Southeast Minnesota

Speaking of the driftless region, do you remember when I wrote about the proposed national park that would have been in southeast Minnesota?

ICYMI: New National Park Proposed for SE MN

Sadly, it did not work out and they're no longer pursuing the proposal. But now we have a chance to have an amazing hiking trail in the area where we can truly appreciate the nature around us. I hope this one works out!