Before Joel moved to Minnesota, we made tentative plans to go camping in Missouri and bike the Katy State Trail in Kansas sometime during the spring. Our plans were put on hold when Joel accepted his new job. I think we managed to make up for it during the July 4th weekend!
Great River Bluffs State Park is located about 20 miles southeast of Winona, MN and not too much farther from La Crosse where we had stayed the night before. The park sits on top of the bluffs that are above the Mississippi River Valley.
Minnesota has the best state park signs
First glimpse of the Mississippi River below
We had reserved a drive-in campsite a couple weeks prior so we for sure had a spot during the busy holiday weekend. Our campsite was really nice with a picnic table and fire pit. I was really excited to try out my new camping stuff that I had gotten for Christmas, plus the new tent Joel and I got for our birthdays (thanks Joel’s parents!) We spent July 4-6 camping.
Our awesome campsite!
We hiked a short trail from the campsite to the East Overlook for really pretty views of the Mississippi River.
East Overlook panorama
I wished we had hiked more on Saturday because as you’ll see in the next few pictures, Sunday morning had a very hazy start. We followed the King’s Bluff trail for just over a mile to another overlook. It was pretty hard to see much due to the haze. It was still really pretty, but it would have been prettier had it been clear. That’s ok, I wouldn’t mind going back to this park again someday :) I really enjoyed being able to camp for a couple nights and this state park was perfect for the time of year. Hardly any mosquitoes which was much appreciated considering how many there could have been with the recent rains!
Wildflowers on the bluff
Geology knowledge :)
King’s Bluff Trail Overlook – with extra haze
Taking the Long Way Around 