Nelson Gary Alan - Backroads of Minnesota: your guide to scenic getaways & adventures

Palisade Head overlooking Lake Superior.

Sioux quartzite on the southwestern prairie in Blue Mounds State Park.

Rolling glacial prairie of the northwestern Leaf Hills.

YOUR GUIDE TO SCENIC GETAWAYS & ADVENTURES

Hoarfrost on a remnant oak savanna in central Minnesota.

TEXT BY Shawn Perich
PHOTOGRAPHY BY Gary Alan Nelson

First published in 2002 by MBI Publishing Company and Voyageur Press, an imprint of MBI Publishing Company, 400 First Avenue North, Suite 300, Minneapolis, MN 55401 USA

Text 2002, 2011 by Shawn Perich
Photography 2002, 2011 by Gary Alan Nelson, except where noted
First softcover edition published in 2002. Second softcover edition 2011

All rights reserved. With the exception of quoting brief passages for the purposes of review, no part of this publication may be reproduced without prior written permission from the Publisher.

The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. All recommendations are made without any guarantee on the part of the author or Publisher, who also disclaims any liability incurred in connection with the use of this data or specific details.

We recognize, further, that some words, model names, and designations mentioned herein are the property of the trademark holder. We use them for identification purposes only. This is not an official publication.

Voyageur Press titles are also available at discounts in bulk quantity for industrial or sales-promotional use. For details write to Special Sales Manager at MBI Publishing Company, 400 First Avenue North, Suite 300, Minneapolis, MN 55401 USA.

To find out more about our books, visit us online at www.voyageurpress.com.

ISBN 978-0-7603-4066-0

Digital edition: 978-1-61060-241-9
SoftCover edition: 978-0-76034-066-0

The Library of Congress has cataloged the first softcover edition as follows:

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Perich, Shawn.
Backroads of Minnesota : your guide to Minnesota most scenic backroad adventures / text by Shawn Perich ; photography by Gary Alan Nelson.1st softcover ed.
p. cm.(A pictorial discovery guide)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-89658-508-9 (alk. paper)
1. MinnesotaTours. 2. Scenic bywaysMinnesotaGuidebooks. 3. Automobile travelMinnesotaGuidebooks. I. Title. II. Series.
F604.3.P47 2002
917.760454dc21
2001057363

Edited by Amy Rost-Holtz and Danielle Ibister
Design Manager: LeAnn Kuhlmann
Layout by Pauline Molinari
Maps designed by Patti Isaacs, Parrot Graphics

Printed in China

In memory of Mary CaseySP

To Sisyphus, and all he has
accomplishedGAN

Wind generation on the Minnesota prairie.

White pines crowd the rocky shoreline of the St. Croix River.

Late-blooming flowers enhance an early blush of fall color in the understory of a paper birch forest in Split Rock Lighthouse State Park.

One of the best views of Lake Superior is from the top of Palisade Head, a sheer cliff just east of Silver Bay. The cliff, or palisade, looms two hundred feet over the lake and is composed of columnar jointed rhyolite.

In western Minnesota, the native prairie meets the sky at Upper Sioux Agency State Park.

When the road forks, I usually choose the road less traveled. Gary Alan Nelson does the same. Like me, he is endlessly curious to learn what lies around the next bend. This curiosity has compelled both of us to explore the far corners of Minnesotahe as a landscape photographer and me as an outdoor writer. Between the two of us, weve logged thousands of miles on the states backroads.

A few years ago, Gary and I got together to compare notes on our favorite backroads drives throughout Minnesota. We selected routes that not only displayed the states scenic beauty, but also its historic sites, parks, and picturesque small towns. Then, through words and pictures, we shared our routes with readers. The result was the first edition of Backroads of Minnesota.

For over one million anglers, there is always promise in a Minnesota sunrise.

This edition introduces a smaller, more compact format with new photos and updated text. We havent changed any routes or added new ones because the originals offer a cross section of Minnesotas diverse scenery and history. Best of all, the routes dont have many of the roadside distractions that diminish the scenic value of so many highways and byways passing through developed areas. We prefer quiet rural routes where the people you pass are likely to smile and wave.