Forested hiking trails follow the picturesque Pike Creek as it meanders through the park on its way to the Mississippi River. Visitors can rent a canoe or kayak from the park to explore this creek and river. In addition to this main area of the park, the Little Elk unit lies 3.5 miles north, where the Elk River joins the Mississippi. This unit was added in 2003 and is rich in archeological resources. Visitors can enjoy hiking a roughly 1.5-mile loop trail.
The park was established in 1931, when 110 acres were donated to the state by the famous aviator, who at the time was considered a national hero for being the first to make a nonstop solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean. Later, that heroic stature was called into question as he associated with leaders of the Nazi party and advocated against U.S. involvement in WWII. Some of this complicated history is on display at the nearby museum and former home of Lindbergh, which the Minnesota Historical Society operates.
This 2-acre parcel of oak woodlands was offered as a donation by the landowners to the MnDNR. However, it couldn’t be accepted until park boundaries were legislatively expanded. The MnDNR approached Parks & Trails Council for help in acquiring and holding the land while the legislative process was completed, which happened two years later.
We had to act quickly when we learned that the Institute for Minnesota Archeology (IMA), an organization that had worked for 16 years to develop the Little Elk Heritage Preserve, an area rich in archeaological resources dating back thousands of years, was having financial trouble and about to lose this important place.
The Preserve was located about 3.5 miles north of Charles A. Lindbergh State Park. After lengthy planning and facilitation by P&TC, it was officially added to the park.
Today, the area contains a couple miles of looped hiking trail that allow visitors to see and learn about such archaeological sites as a 1700s French fur-trading post, an 1800s Ojibwe Mission and a settlement called Elk City to name a few.
Pike Creek is a picturesque creek that meanders through Charles A. Lindbergh State Park. It provides important recreational opportunities and wildlife habitat. On Sept. 9, 2020, P&TC purchased a small private property along Pike Creek where it empties into the Mississippi River. This was the only private property along the creek’s southern terminus that was not within the park.
Before P&TC saved it for the park, the former park manager described the property as, “the most critical natural resource-based inholding remaining in the statutory park boundaries.”
P&TC conveyed the property, along with its modest house, barn, shed and foot bridge, to the MnDNR in 2023. The buildings will eventually be removed and the foot bridge will likely be brought up to accessibility standards and integrated into the park trail system.