Hayes Lake State Park sits on the western edge of the Beltrami Island State Forest. The lake was created in 1967, by impounding waters from the North Fork of the Roseau River, to provide recreational opportunities in this area of the state. The Hiking Club route here is short (2.0 miles (3.2 km)) but did – as part of the Pine Ridge Interpretive Trail – take us right along the shore of the lake.
We had done a lot of driving today, so it felt good to get out of the truck and take a short stroll through the Red and Jack pine forest along the shore of the lake. We did spot one loon – who may not have gotten the memo about migrating elsewhere for the winter.
We had one more park to visit before we called it a day and headed to a hotel and dinner in Rainer, just east of International Falls – which is often the coldest place in Minnesota (or the U.S. for that matter). 🥶 Maybe, but that was hard to imagine as we basked in today’s wonderful Fall weather. 😎🍁 Anyway, we headed off to our last park of the day – another hour of driving away – only to discover a bit of a complication when we got there. 😲
BOOTS on the TRAIL 
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