As if we hadn't spent enough time in nature (or at lakes), we decided to check another State Park off our list once we arrived home from our houseboat adventure (read the first part here). Saturday was cool and cloudy with an occasional drizzle in southern Iowa. We decided to do a hiking trail next to the lake at Lake of Three Fires State Park. Appropriately called the Lake Trail, we hiked 3 miles through the woods.
While the trail was clear and well kept, it was also very wet and muddy due to recent rains. This made some of the more hilly climbs more challenging. The most exciting part of the hike was getting to an extremely muddy portion of the trail, setting down, and seeing hundreds of teeny tiny frogs jump away! The kids and dog kept trying to catch one, but those frogs were quick!
We had to order a new car seat cover for the dog because our last one was destroyed in the accident. We had to make due with a fitted bed sheet over the middle row with slits cut out for the seat belts. Odd, but it worked great for this short day trip.
Check out the headlights on the car behind us (in the rearview mirror). They gave us a giggle.
The minis wanted to get back to grill and work on their Lego map, so we didn't spend more than an hour and a half at Lake of Three Fires. However, that was plenty of time to enjoy the hiking trails and the playground. The park wasn't busy at all. We had the trails and playground to ourselves. The fresh Minnesota lake water spoiled us and the minis had no desire to swim in the water that wasn't clear, however it did have a small beach area. Given how quiet the lake was, this would be a great spot to kayak too.