(One more hiking spot and I’ll be back to the #MNGPHO2018!)

Springbrook Nature Center is a metro oasis hidden away in a residential area in Fridley.

The center has all sorts of educational programs, school programs, nature camps, and even an interpretive building.

The 127-acre park and nature reserve include native prairies, oak and aspen forests, oak savannah, and wetlands.

There are three miles of trails AND a gorgeous, 900-foot-long floating boardwalk, which is likely why it was named one of Explore Minnesota Tourism’s 10 Fall Hikes!

The parks natural beauty makes it the perfect place to throw on a sweater and take a walk through the woods.

You’ll see all kinds of animals; deer, fox, the cutest painted turtles, beavers, and birds.

Before it was a designated a Nature Center in the mid-1970s, the area now known as Springbrook had been used for dairy cattle pasture, horse riding trails, and even a materials dump site for a roofing contractor.

Interestingly, a tornado went through Springbrook in 1986. Even though it only stayed in the park for 16 minutes – the natural areas are STILL recovering.

This post was brought to you by Explore Minnesota, but opinions are all my own. #onlyinmn

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