Interested hikers and walkers are invited to join the Walk on the Wild Side Thursday Night hikers, an aggregation of hiking enthusiasts from the Minnesota Rovers, the North Star Ski Touring Club, the Sierra Club, and others, for an evening of hiking, conversation, and conviviality.
The group schedules hikes Thursday nights March through December, rain or shine and cold or hot. The hikes are open to any interested hiker or walker. Hikes begin at 7:00 PM and conclude at approximately 8:30 PM. There is no cost to participate. Hikes are moderately paced and typically cover about four miles. If you have questions, email Chris Olson .
May 2012 Hikes
May 10, 2012 : Northern Bruce Vento/Northern BNSF Regional Trail Hike (Maplewood)
Hike Leader: Chris OlsonJoin the hiking group for a hike along the northern portion of the Bruce Vento/BNSF (Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad) Regional Trail in northern St. Paul and Maplewood. The trail is a "rails-to-trails" trail developed by Ramsey County. The trail follows a former Burlington Northern rail line. U. S. Congressman Bruce Vento (1940-2000) was a 12-term liberal Democrat from St. Paul who championed environmental and homeless causes, including efforts to ban oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, efforts to preserve tropical rain forests, and efforts to make it easier for the Hmong who fought with the U.S. in the Vietnam War to become U.S. citizens. Vento died of malignant mesothelioma, a cancer apparently caused by inhaling asbestos fibers as a young worker at a St. Paul East Side manufacturing plant. The BNSF dates back to 1849, initially as the Aurora Branch Railroad. The Burlington Northern Railroad (BN) was created in 1970 by the merger of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Company (CB&Q), the Northern Pacific Railway Company (NP), the Great Northern Railway Company (GN), and the Spokane, Portland & Seattle Railway Company (SP&S). In 1980, the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway Company (Frisco) was merged into the BN and the merger in the late 1990’s of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway is reflected in the choice of the current name of the railroad. The BNSF is an aggregation of a total of 330 prior railroads.
Directions Take I-94 to I-35E in downtown St. Paul and proceed north on I-35E to the Larpenteur Avenue/Wheelock Parkway exit. Proceed on the frontage road to Larpenteur Avenue, the second street connected to the exit off ramp, and turn east (right) on Larpenteur Avenue. Continue on Larpenteur Avenue to Parkway Drive (the third stop light after leaving the freeway) and then go northeast (left turn) on Parkway Drive. Parkway Drive becomes Frost Avenue after crossing Arcade Street/Highway 61 in Maplewood. Park at the Flicek Park parking lot, 1141 Frost Avenue, which is about 7/8ths of a mile from the junction of Highway 61 and Parkway Drive/Frost Avenue. Flicek Park is primarily a set of baseball fields with a parking lot and is located on the north side of Frost Avenue, just across from a pontoon boat sales room and a dog grooming facility.
May 17, 2012 : Rice Creek Regional Park Hike (Fridley)
Hike Leader: Tom EllerbeDirections From I-694, take the University Avenue exit and proceed north on University Avenue approximately 1.75 miles to the former Columbia Ice Arena parking lot (7011 University Avenue NE, Fridley). Either turn east on 69th Avenue and use the frontage road on the east side of University Avenue to the south edge of the arena or turn east on 73rd Avenue and use the frontage road on the east side of University Avenue to the north edge of the arena.
The group will meet along the southern edge of the former Columbia Ice Arena parking lot by the Locke Park paved trail.
May 24, 2012: Mounds Park Hike (St. Paul)
Hike Leader: Chris Olsonp>Join the hiking group for a hike along the bluffs above the Mississippi River in St. Paul. Dayton's Bluff, at the east side of the Mississippi in the southeast part of St. Paul, has a large residential district on the plateau extending backward from its top. The name of the bluff commemorates Lyman Dayton, for whom a village and township in Hennepin County also were named. On the edge of the southern and highest part of Dayton's bluff, in Mounds Park, is a series of seven large aboriginal mounds, four to 18 feet high, from which a magnificent prospect is obtained, overlooking the river and the central part of the city. Dayton was born in Southington, Connecticut, in 1810, and died in St. Paul, in 1865. He came to Minnesota in 1849, settled in St. Paul, invested largely in real estate, and was the president of the Lake Superior & Mississippi Railroad. In addition to passing near the remaining burial mounds, the hike route will pass by the last airport landing light beacon remaining in the Twin Cities. Just below the park, the Department of Natural Resources ran a fish hatchery operation.
Directions Take I-94 east through downtown St. Paul to the Mounds Boulevard/Sixth Street exit. At the stoplight at the top of the exit ramp, go southeast (right) on Mounds Boulevard, proceed past 3rd Street and the I-94 overpass bridge. The Mounds Park overlook is two blocks beyond the overpass. Enter the parking lot on Cherry Street. Meet by the historical marker at the midpoint of the overlook.
May 31, 2012 : Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden (Minneapolis)
Hike Leader: Linda QuammenJoin the group for a hike among the butterflies and wildflowers of the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden in Theodore Wirth Park in Minneapolis. Theodore Wirth championed an expanded park system during his tenure as Superintendent of Minneapolis Parks from 1906 to 1935. He had a reputation of being a dynamic, progressive, energetic leader who loved flowers, but frequently clashed with Eloise Butler. Wirth Park includes the "Eloise Butler Wild Flower Garden," developed by the school teacher and amateur botanist in 1907, after the Park Board initially turned down her request and she successfully led a citizens’ campaign for the preservation of wild flower areas. After the garden outgrew its original three acre fenced site, and plants were vandalized or stolen, Butler begged for fencing, but Theodore Wirth was busy developing golf links, ski facilities, and a bathhouse in the Park and he brushed her pleas aside. Finally, in 1923, Butler became so determined not to see her life's work so badly treated, she spent $700 dollars of her own money to have the fence constructed. Butler was dumbfounded when Wirth offered to reimburse her for the cost of the fence.
If coming by car: Take I-394 West and exit at Penn Avenue, then go south to the Frontage Road. Proceed west and turn north (right) on Theodore Wirth Parkway. Proceed north, following the signs, to the Garden, which will be on the right hand side of the road. There are two parking lots for the garden, one on the bottom of the hill and one on top of the hill by the entrance gate. There is a $1 Minneapolis Park Board parking fee at either lot.
Listing of Hikes
Thursday Night Hikes hike directory (alphabetic)
Thursday Night Hikes hike directory (geographical)
Thursday Night Hikes hike directory (seasonal)
Local Weather and Related Information
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Traffic Condition Links
Links to Other Outdoor Activities
Minnesota Rovers
St. Paul Hiking Club
Superior Hiking Trail Association
Hiking Primer
Twin City mountain bike trails
North Country Trail Organization
Kekekabic Trail Organization
Collection of Twin City Architecture and Walking Tour Sites
Anoka County Regional Parks
Carver County Parks
Dakota County Parks
Suburban Hennepin County (Three Rivers Park District) Parks
Ramsey County Parks
Scott County (Three Rivers Park District) Parks
Washington County Parks
Last Updated: May 1, 2012.
