day hike!

🧢 holthe prairie scientific & natural area!

here’s my latest and greatest hiking observation: you can’t lose the trail if you’re never on a trail to start with!

i’ve followed many paths in minnesota, across the upper midwest, and of course along the pacific crest trail, but i’ve rarely blazed my own. that is until september 12th, when southern minnesota guy & i traipsed around the holthe prairie scientific & natural area (sna).

the state of minnesota manages more than 160 of these preserves, protecting native plant and animal species and geological features. the majority of these public lands are accessible year ‘round and 24/7 but don’t provide infrastructure or services such as campgrounds and restrooms.

instead what an sna provides is nature… for stuff like birdwatching, photography, and hiking. sounds good to me! let’s go exploring!

holthe prairie is located along the des moines river as it flows through jackson county, minnesota — home to indigenous speakers of the Dakȟóta (Western Dakota), Dakhóta (Eastern Dakota), Lakȟótiyapi (Lakota), and Yankton languages.

hike visualization credits — music: L'etoile Du Nord by Shared Fable, used with express written consent of the artist; route data: gpx.studio; animation: mapdirector / support independent artists & developers!

my trail name’s mythic and in 2026 i continued my multi-year thru-hike (m.y.t.h.) of the pacific crest trail. as i plan my 2027 return to the pct, i'm going on day hikes & bikes to help keep in trail shape!

visit my “follow along” page to make sure you don’t miss any updates!

references:

• Holthe Prairie SNA

• Scientific & Natural Areas

• Calcareous fens

• Location on Google Maps

• Native Land Digital

• Southern Minnesota Guy

• Minneapolis Mutual Aid