<p>I know it shouldn't be such a large factor in my decision, but does anyone know where I could go hiking near Macalester? I LOVE the school, and I'll definitely apply either way, but I've never lived in a city before ( or at least , without a car), so I want to know if there's any places that are......forests? or mountains? nearby. It's stupid, I know, but for whatever reason it really matters to me.</p>
<p>You’re pretty much out of luck when it comes to mountains in Minnesota in general, but several wooded areas within the Twin Cities–not what I would call forests, but there are trails there. One prominent example is the Mississippi river, which is a little less than a mile from campus and is surrounded by parks with trails on both sides, which include some pretty impressive bluffs and a small waterfall or two off the tributaries. There’s also several regional/state parks within St. Paul, the most prominent of which is hidden falls. It’s an easy bike ride from Mac, and I’ve heard great things about it, but I’ve only been to it on my bike and haven’t gotten a chance to look around or see the titular falls. And of course you have the lakes, tons of them, many of which are surrounded by parks as well and have biking/walking trails. It’s going to be difficult to get serious hiking or wilderness within the Twin Cities metro area for obvious reasons, but when it comes to green space and the outdoors you could do a whole lot worse, city-wise. I hadn’t lived in a city before coming to Mac either, which was one of my reasons for wanting to come here, and honestly one of the best things I did during my visit was walk down to the river and look around, it reminded me of doing the same type of stuff at home.</p>
<p>There is also the Outing Club on campus, which conducts trips twice a year (spring break and thanksgiving break) to places like the Badlands or the Ozarks, if walking down by the river isn’t exciting enough for you haha. These are overnight trips, usually 3-5 days, and go anywhere in the country.
Before school starts there’s also an orientation program called Macward Bound, which goes to northern Minnesota at Lake Superior.
Minnesota’s a pretty nature-y place, so if anything you can just drive 400 miles either direction and probably find something you can climb.</p>
<p>Make some outdoorsy friends and you’ll be good.The great thing about the twin cities is that people go outside and enjoy nature all year. The fabulous network of walking/biking trails around the lakes, the access to the boundary waters(Lake Superior), and the general attitude of the population-I am from the NE, lived in the Cities for 3 years, and really found it a great spot for nature-loving types.</p>
<p>The closest thing you’ll find to mountains is the Sawtooth Range on the North Shore. MN’s premier hiking trail is there and it is very challenging. </p>
<p>[Superior</a> Hiking Trail Association](<a href=“http://www.shta.org/]Superior”>http://www.shta.org/)</p>
<p>Roughly three hours from St. Paul.</p>
<p>Many of the trails cited here (Afton, Lilydale, Canon Falls, Minnehaha Creek) are within a 40-minute drive of Mac.</p>
<p><a href=“AllTrails: Trail Guides & Maps for Hiking, Camping, and Running | AllTrails”>AllTrails: Trail Guides & Maps for Hiking, Camping, and Running | AllTrails;