Fall Adventures in Otter Tail County, MN
By Jenna Kvidt
Hey, Jenna here, from the travel blog, Wander The Map! My husband, Micah, and I grew up in Otter Tail County, Minnesota, and we currently live in St. Paul. Since we haven’t been able to travel much this year, we decided it was time to re-explore the region we call home. Follow along as we travel around all the communities in Otter Tail County to rediscover all the reasons this area is so special. First up: exploring all the fall adventures!
Fall is a special time in Otter Tail County. As the seasons start to shift and a chill fills the air, the area comes to life with a vivid array of colors and adventures. From leaf peeping on hikes, bike rides, and scenic drives, to corn mazes, pumpkin patches and fall inspired treats, there is something for everyone to enjoy. Read on to learn more about all of these adventures and more.
Hit the Hiking Trails
Some of our favorite fall hikes include Inspiration Peak (the highest point in Otter Tail County), the trails at Glendalough State Park, the North Country National Scenic Trail, and the trails at Maplewood State Park.
This year we decided to revisit one of the trails that we hiked every year growing up but haven’t made it to in quite some time: Hallaway Hill. Located in Maplewood State Park, Hallaway Hill is a short trail that rings in just under 1-mile roundtrip (about 0.5 miles each way). We really enjoyed making our way back here, especially since the path was recently repaved. The trail gains about 116 feet of elevation and the path is a combination of packed gravel and pavement. We enjoyed the fields, forest, and wildlife we spotted along the way. The colors of the leaves were really starting to pop. Once you reach the top of the hill, the views overlooking the lakes are hard to beat! When you are done with this short hike, stick around the park to explore more of the nearly 30 miles of trails offered.
Head out on a scenic drive.
Hiking isn’t the only way to enjoy leaf peeping—we also love going for a drive to look at all the beautiful autumn trees. One of the best drives in Otter Tail County is the 5-mile scenic drive at Maplewood State Park. I have awestruck memories of this drive as a child, and we were excited to head back to check it out again. Well, I’m happy to report, nothing has changed! Driving under a canopy of multi-colored trees, next to lakes, along prairie restoration, and scenery bursting with wildlife simply can’t be beat.
Another great drive to cover more ground and still see spectacular fall colors is the Otter Tail Scenic Byway. This route is 150-miles long and takes you through several towns and past 23 byway sites. Our favorite aspect about this drive was making stops in various towns for coffee, treats, and shopping! We even made one pit stop for some kayaking at Phelp’s Mill…stay tuned for more on that below! Driving this route in the fall gives you the perfect combo of nature, small-town life and trees filled with hues of orange, red, yellow, and green!
Pedal Along Bike Trails
Biking is another way to soak in all the colors of the changing trees. Some great spots to go on a bike ride in Otter Tail County are the trails at Glendalough State Park in Battle Lake and the Central Lakes Trail which starts in Fergus Falls, and the array of trails in Perham. We have never been biking in Perham, so we were excited to explore the trails they have to offer!
Arvig Park, in Perham, is home to a 3+ mile bike trail that creates a loop along the outside edge of the park. We set out on the trail and enjoyed our ride through the trees. It was nice to see some of the first colors of the season starting to pop. We rode the entire Arvig Park Bike Path, and thought it was neat that the 4+ trails in town all connect with one another. It’s a great way to go for either a short bike ride or a longer one!
Shop For Fall Decor
Otter Tail County is chock full of adorable shops and boutiques, and nothing puts us in the fall spirit quite like festive fall décor. As we drove the scenic byway, we stopped to browse at a variety of shops. We had a great time finding autumn scented candles, pumpkin displays, and warm, cozy sweaters. A few of our favorite shops include The Market in Fergus Falls, Neverwinter in Battle Lake, Periwinkle in Ottertail, and Wild Goose in Perham. But really, there are so many others to explore, too!
Snack on Fall Themed Treats
As the weather starts to cool, we can never resist a fall inspired snack like warm apple cider donuts, kettle corn, pumpkin spice latte, or caramel apple cider. And as luck would have it, if you set your sights in the right direction, you can find fall inspired treats all over Otter Tail County.
During all of our exploring this fall, we have stopped at several locations for fall themed treats. Some of our favorite snacks from this year include caramel apple kettle corn from Mother, Goose & Bean’s, apple cider donuts from Thea’s Pumpkin Patch, pumpkin pie from the Cornfield, and the pumpkin bars from the Ottertail Bakery. If you are craving a festive drink, head to just about any coffee shop in the area—we tried the apple cinnamon tea from The Nest, the pumpkin spice latte from The Williams Company Store & Deli, and the butter pecan latte from Perks Coffee and Tea. I’m sure there are many more delicious snacks to be had around the county, but our stomachs can only hold so much at a time!
Pick Gourds at a Pumpkin Patch
It’s really not autumn until you visit a pumpkin patch, right? There are several pumpkin patches throughout the county that offer both pick your own and pre-picked pumpkins. Three of the pumpkin patches host an annual corn maze, as well (more about that below!).
We stopped at Mother Goose and Beans this year and we ended up coming home with a trunk full of pumpkins. We always love looking for the most unique pumpkins we can find, and Mother Goose and Beans has an amazing variety, from bumpy to smooth and an array of colors.
Get lost in a corn maze
There are three corn mazes in Otter Tail County, and they are located at Mother Goose and Beans, Otter Berry Farms, and Thea’s Pumpkin Patch. The designs at all three locations change on a yearly basis, and it’s always fun to see what they come up with. This year, we took our niece and nephew through the maze at Mother Goose and Beans.
We can’t believe how large the maze is and how fun it was to work our way through it. With the helpful maps placed throughout the maze, we never truly felt lost. But we did get quite turned around on more than one occasion, and it certainly added to the fun!
Search for Birds on the Pine to Prairie Birding Trail
Northwest Minnesota is home to more than 275 bird species, and the Pine to Prairie Birding Trail includes several stops in Otter Tail County. During the fall bird migration, the Pine to Prairie Birding Trail is a fantastic place to head for a morning of birding.
One of the stops on the trail is the Prairie Wetlands Learning Center in Fergus Falls. The center includes 330 acres of prairie lands and 28 wetlands, so it’s a wonderful spot to see wildlife. We couldn’t resist planning a visit to the center to explore the trails and see if we could find some birds. To be honest, we don’t know much about birding, so we weren’t very talented at finding (or snapping photos of) the variety of birds in the area. Despite our inexperience, we did manage to see several bird species and grab a photo or two of what we think are Pine Warblers!
Go Leaf Peeping from the Water
You can’t visit a county that has more than 1,000 lakes and not explore at least one of them! Plus, seeing the changing leaves from the water can be magical, so it’s another must do fall adventure. There are so many options to pick from when deciding on where and how to enjoy the water. Paddling, boating, and pontooning are all great options, and you can launch in almost any lake or river around.
This time around we dropped our kayaks in the Otter Tail River at Phelps Mill. We had the perfect fall afternoon on the water. Just downriver from the Phelps Mill Dam there is an access point to launch a kayak. To start, we paddled upriver towards the old mill and then made our way downriver before turning back to the start. Another route option is to paddle all the way to West Lost Lake and take your boat out there. If you go this route, just be sure you have transportation to get back to your starting point.
Some other great spots for fall paddling or boating are the Pelican Rapids River, the lakes at Maplewood State Park, the lakes at Glendalough State Park, or really, any accessible lake nearby!
No matter which autumn adventures you decide to indulge in, Otter Tail County has them all. Enjoy!