After finishing the Hiking Club loop at Rice Lake, we had lunch in Owatonna, then drove to Sakatah Lake State Park to finish today’s state park twofer. It had rained briefly at Rice Lake but the weather had now given up on that up in favor of increased humidity. Wearing rain gear just in case got us almost as wet as standing in the rain, so we packed it away. Usually at this point it starts raining again but today Nature spared us that bit of irony. 🤨

Sakatah Lake rates a spot in 60 Hikes (Hike #27) and on the Hiking Project but not in Hiking Minnesota. There are more trails at Sakatah than at Rice and the well-signed Hiking Club loop here touches three of them: Hidden Pond, Sumac, and Oak Tree. Although the club loop was easy to follow, it was still very muddy in a few spots. We added a slight diversion so we could catch a glimpse of Upper Sakatah Lake. The day’s theme continued with lots of green, interspersed with a few large fungi and numerous wildflowers.

Once more into the mud…
Virginia Waterleaf
Wrap-around green
Dryad’s Saddle mushroom
Under a widowmaker
Wildflowers
Upper Sakatah Lake
Mossy Maze Polypore and new growth
Green and moist
A bridge in the trail
Red Columbine
The green tunnel continues
Leaves
Dryad’s Saddle as starship

Our loop through this park came to about 2.3 miles (3.7 km), with some elevation change since we also went down to the lake. This was nice little walk in another park new to us and was a good choice for a day when sunlight was dim and rain a possibility. We’re looking forward to seeing these forests when they turn colors in the Fall. Our confinement in temporary quarters ends next week and we’re looking forward to that too! You betcha! 😁

BACK TO BLOG POSTS