Looks like a pained expression, wasn't really. Might have been going for 'pensive' and landed upon something more like 'food poisoning'.
Signage deep in the woods at the location of the landing of Jenny. Perhaps the whole area had been a field at some point, but what remains is a clearing in the thick of the woods now.
The park borders the Mississippi River, but never really feels like it for the bulk of the visit really. The park is split from the river by the main road (county 52) and the bulk of the parking and hiking is away from the river and instead touches Pike Creek much more often. In fact I didn't even realize trail space was provided on the Mississippi River itself until days later when I looked at the map again.
The Trillium flowers were starting to get going well in the woods.
My hike was a normal every day hike for the most part with a few noteworthy exceptions. I found the most cooperative Pine Warbler of my life foraging just a couple feet off the group, which allowed me to get some really nice pictures of this species that seems to relish in making photos impossible. The mixed pine and deciduous forest seemed to suit the birds as I heard or saw at least 4 during my hike along the majority of the hiking club trail that accounts for the bulk amount of non-campground or picnic area trail spaces.
One shot of the eye level and below Pine Warbler from my hike.
The drawback of the hiking club trail was a really soft and muddy experience in the wooded areas. I found many stretches that were like walking the swamps of Mordor in Lord of the Rings. Though a number of cooperative birds were present including a first of year Olive-sided Flycatcher I spent a lot of time picking my way along a wide-open trail hoping to avoid 2 or 3 inches of mud on the trail itself. Along this stretch I heard a drumming Ruffed Grouse as well, saw a couple Broad-winged Hawks, and heard a Red-Shouldered Hawk making a racket overhead.
It wasn't a massive park list at 34, but really not that bad considering it was 10:30 by the time I arrived and started my hike. These types of park spaces are nice to have set aside and available for use and likely serve the local community really well and provide some extra historical value for those looking to travel a little bit and get to know the past.
The Great: The Lingbergh family history in the area is a nice draw and the area was quiet enough that I felt like I was out in the woods for a nice portion of my hike. Though smallish the park still had a good 1 or 2 quick day hikes available that could produce some nice lists.
The Meh: This space is not a massive hikers paradise and only some elevation was present. The limited space along the river is across the road from the main park and not immediately obvious, though looking closer at the map it should have been. A loop is not available in that space though so it would be a cross the road, explore, and then come back on the same trail. Deep in the wooded hike I took it was brutal muddy and soft in many spaces so it may be more desirable to wait until things dry up a bit into early summer.
The Verdict: For the size the park offers some value and I like the idea of coming back with my wife to explore the adjacent museum if we are ever in the area. From a pure birding standpoint the park offers a few decent areas and I'd be really curious to take a look at the river trails for migrants in the coming years. I don't see a return this year happening, but again having the big river on your border is a bonus and something I'll need to keep in mind.
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