Chilly Tent Camping at Frontenac State Park

This past weekend, my wife had a “girls weekend” with her sisters and her Mom in WI. So the boys and I reserved a campsite south of the cities in Frontenac State Park. We used our first of our 2 “free night stays” as part of the MN State Parks “Passport” program. (Stamp a fake passport with stamps from each park, and after 25, you get a free night’s stay - both boys have one, and this state park was #35 since July of 2017!) So I got the car packed on Friday, and the boys and I hit the road after getting Henry from school.

Our typical start.


Helping set up the tent. It always seems to take twice as long when they “help...”


Heading on a hike down to Lake Pepin (a wide part of the Mississippi River).


View of Lake Pepin from over In Yan Teopa rock (lower left).


The boys in front of the rock.


Hiking down.


The view of In Yan Teopa rock from the trail.


The boys thought the rock was pretty cool.


LOTS of the hike was slick rocks.

It was a short hike (just 0.2 miles), but it was also 400 feet of elevation change. We got spit out on a rocky shores of Lake Pepin, and the boys were ready to play:

We played down there for 30+ minutes, and then took the SUPER STEEP stairs back up to the trail.


So much moss. This is the trail.


We learned there was a 10 mile trail race the next morning! Around mile 9 was this climb
(400 feet up over about 0.2 miles!). That made me say “that sounds horrible... and kinda fun...”


Hamsteak paninis for supper (as some fog rolled in).


Paninis and grilled hamsteak.


Henry’s starting a marshmallow over the fire as Charlie
works to finish his “good food” before treats at the picnic table.


S’mores!


A good night selfie for Mama!

It was a bit chilly overnight: I woke up to my phone saying it was 43 degrees. We’re all “hot bodies,” so when my wife heard I was covered with a sheet, an open sleeping bag, and TWO heavy quilts, she said “Oh, that’s a lot... for you!” I was on a thin air mattress which I think was cooler. The boys stayed plenty warm in their sleeping bags. Here was my view around 6:30 the next morning:

Charlie starting to stir.


Henry still passed out.


Oatmeal, cereal, and a big fire for a chilly breakfast.


A hooded selfie.

Sidenote: I used my cast iron pan over the fire to heat water for oatmeal, but I had hoped to not bring the pan (it’s just a bit of work to get all the soot off and re-season it). But there wasn’t another good option being we had a non-electric site (I couldn't bring our hot pot). So on my list of “things for camping to grab at a thrift store” is a teapot that can hold up to use over an open fire.

We played and got packed up, and then we hit one last hike on the south edge of the park. This one was the favorite hike for all 3 of us. It was a hike to Sand Point. We didn’t see ANYONE for our entire 90 minute hike. It took us through a forest for the majority of the hike, and then it spit us out onto the shores of Lake Pepin again. After another 0.3 mile hike along the shore, we were at the tip of a sandy peninsula created over thousands of years from silt from Wells Creek.

Starting our way through the woods.


Boardwalk for a while over some muddy areas.


A little shelter near the river should hikers be caught in a storm.


Our first view of Lake Pepin through the trees at the end of the trail.




After 0.3 miles towards the point, the boys took off running to try to catch/scare
the seagulls (white specks in front of the water and trees).


On the point, looking back. It was BREEZY, and it was awesome how many
whitecaps were on the left, and how the right was totally calm.


The point.


Selfie on the point.


Screenshot from a video of the boys playing on the point.


The dot is where the hike ended, and this shows the final 0.3 miles to the point. It’s TRUELY a “point!”

We threw rocks, looked at shells, etc for a while, and then Charlie tried to kick a rock and ended up launching his shoe into the Lake instead. I paused for a moment, and then realized the breeze was taking the shoe farther out into the lake. So in I went to grab it. I put it back on Charlie, and both him and I hiked back with 1 soaking wet shoe.

Heading back from the point.


A final pic on the boardwalk.


Goodbye Frontenac!


An Instagrammed pic from later in the day.


As I posted in yesterday's post, we got home and I took the boys for our longest double stroller run ever. They were POOPED from a fun 2 days camping, so some down time was good for them.

Oh, and I think this might be our first State Park trip where Charlie didn't ask to be carried at all during any of our hikes. He put in some good miles this past weekend!