Visit Minnesota's Largest State Forest For A True Wilderness Experience
By Jo Magliocco|Published August 27, 2016
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Jo Magliocco
Author
Minnesota staff writer for Only in Your State and owner of Minnesota blog NorthGuide.co, I'm a Minneapolis transplant who loves my cats, camera, and local coffee. On the weekends I'm usually exploring the North Shore or making my way through the list of Minnesota's State Parks. Want to talk about MN or ask me a question? Tweet me @sotafiedjo!
If you’re looking for adventure in Minnesota, head up north to the wilderness sanctuary that is MN’s largest state forest. Escape into the 878,040 acres of wild terrain surrounding the Big Fork State Water Trail, and experience the beauty of orchids, pines, and peatlands.
Pine Island State Forest is the largest of all 58 state forests in MN, and the land is mostly undeveloped.
In the forest along with stunning nature views you can catch glimpses of moose, black bears and white-tailed deer of course, along with countless birds and other wildlife.
This forest is definitely unique, and you'll love exploring an area different than many others in MN, with pines, shrub swamps, peatlands, and bogs that are much more beautiful than they sound!
And if you still aren't convinced, don't forget about all the ATV trails in this massive forest waiting to be used! If you don't want to hike Pine Island, you can certainly drive it!
For another epic forest experience like this one, head to the Lost 40, where some of MN’s oldest and most beautiful trees were preserved through the logging years due to a mapping error!
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