Bluebell Blooms at Carley State Park and a Night Backpacking Isinours Management Unit

Checking out the wildflowers at Carley

Throughout last week up to Saturday morning, several posts in local hiking Facebook groups were made asking whether the bluebells were blooming at Carley State Park. This was all the motivation we needed to check it out for ourselves. Carley delivered. If you don’t like hiking or have limited mobility, the bluebells are visible right off the road prior heading downhill to parking, the day use area, and the campground entrance. In the main day use area, the bluebells span the woodland edge, again, not too far from where you can park. If you want to do a little walking, the Wildflower Trail and the trail on the opposite side of the picnic shelter provide ample bluebell viewing. We spent our time walking the valley, taking photos of the flowers and some of the other early spring plants.

As we were finishing up, T suggested camping that evening. I’m never one to turn down a camping night, but Carley’s campground wasn’t open yet, and most state park sites nearby were probably already booked. After some brainstorming, we decided to try a dispersed hike-in site at the Isinours Management Unit, a spot I had scoped out before for this kind of situation.

Trying dispersed camping in southeast Minnesota

After checking the weather forecast, packing up sleeping gear, some snacks, and plenty of water, we were on our way. To aid in packing light, we stopped for supper at the Old Barn Resort just down the road from Isinours Management Unit. The dispersed campsites here are a short hike from the parking lot—ours was about 0.6 miles in. There’s cell service, so it was a good low-pressure spot for T’s first backpacking trip, and my first time backpacking without his dad along. Other than a steep hill right at the start, the hike in is pretty mild. You can take the route through the towering pines or along the bluff edge which overlooks a valley crossed by the Root River State Trail. There are also campsites right off the bike trail/parking area for a nominal nightly fee. This unit also has some day use picnic areas too.

We gathered twigs and branches for a fire, then settled in for the night. The dispersed site provided a mix of nature and farm sounds: an owl hooting, coyotes howling, a combine working across the valley, cows from the neighboring farm, and some occasional light road noise. The farm machinery was noticeable, so if you’re looking for total quiet, it’s better to come outside of planting or harvest. Otherwise, it’s a nice spot.

T quickly fell asleep and stayed asleep after he declared he was tired. Being newer to this backpacking experience, I had a bit harder time falling asleep. Although the farm machinery was noticeable, the coyotes and other sounds of the night were still very clear. The air was very still, no branches swaying in the wind, tent fabric flapping, or general noise to drown out every crack of branch being stepped on by animals and what not. When I finally drifted off to sleep, I was awoken by the sound of a rabbit meeting the end of its days around 11:55pm. It fought hard for its life, by the sounds of it, but eventually served its role as prey. The only sound in this scenario was the rabbit, so I am guessing the owl or maybe a hawk caught it. Throughout the night, the coyotes howling continued sporadically. At one point, the howling turned into yipping and other noises where it sounded like they were maybe fighting over a meal. Thankfully, T slept through all these occurrences that popped me right of my slumber and delayed falling back asleep each time.  

We woke up to birds quickly overpowering the hum of any distant equipment and any other remnants of noises from the night in my mind. After packing up camp and hiking down the trail, I took a few moments to notice some of the beauty around us that I missed hiking to camp in a bit of hurry. All in all, it was a successful first backpacking trip for T, and a good test run for me.

Although it was uncomfortable and a little bit scary at times (for me, T was a trooper), I’m glad we had this experience. Doing things outside of your comfort zone have a way of making you feel extra alive, if that makes any sense? Do things scared. Do things last minute. Live your life outside of your comfort zone occasionally, it’s worth it! And now I feel I am one step closer to a solo backpacking trip that I’ve been dreaming of for years…