George Crosby Manitou State Park
Given the weather in northwestern Wisconsin over the last week was akin to living in a slow cooker (I’m not built for heat), I decided to take a trip to George Crosby Manitou State Park, a primitive state park near Finland, MN. The weather was about perfect, 74 degrees Fahrenheit and sunny, with a pretty good breeze that kept most of the bugs at bay. The next time I visit, I’m going to have to bring more than my daypack and check out a few of the 22 backpack-only campsites.
George Crosby Manitou State Park Information (MN DNR)
One word of caution, the trails are full of rock, roots, and in several places pieces of rebar that once held stairs or boards. A lot of these have been marked with flagging tape, but some were not, so watch your step.
My “lollipop” style hike started at the parking area, headed down the east side of the Benson Lake trail, then followed the Matt Willis trail to the Manitou River. This is where the “lollipop” comes in, hiking to the southern terminus of the Manitou River Trail, then back up along the river to the Yellow Birch Trail to the parking lot. Total distance came in just shy of 8.5 miles.
Manitou River from the Manitou River Trail
Benson Lake
Benson Lake Boardwalk
Manitou River from Manitou River Trail (near the southern end)
Definitely worth the trip, and I will be back!
Hike on!
-Scout
