Hutchinson, MN Masonic West River Park
Hutchinson, Minnesota was a great choice for a short weekend camping trip! Three whole weeks passed since we were camping in St. Louis and we were getting a little twitchy. I hadn’t even really given Hutchinson a thought as a destination since it’s pretty close to home, but Jamey drove through the town once for work and said we should check it out since they have a brewery and a bike trail (basically our only qualifications). I’m glad we did, Hutchinson is an underrated town.
Masonic West River Park
The city-run Masonic West River Park campground in Hutchinson was the first result in my Google search, it was super affordable ($30/night for full hookup) and was right on the bike trail.
Only an hour an a half away from home, we were able to get there early Friday night with plenty of time for a walk around the campground and time to sit around the fire.
Hutchinson Sculpture Scroll
Saturday morning I was up bright and early. It was already hot and humid, so I appreciated the chance to drink my coffee and watch the local news from the comfort of a recliner in the A/C in the new camper. The last two years I always drank my coffee outside, since it got pretty crowded inside. Jamey got up and moving (very slowly) and I decided to take Buddy for a walk to burn off some of his energy before we left the dogs to go for a bike ride.
Off we went down the Luce Line State Trail and we found a nature center and a few pieces of sculpture art. The first one we came upon was The Biker. As a big fan of bicycling, I was delighted by this one and, of course, forced Buddy to pose with the piece of art. He did a good job, and we continued our walk a short way until we found the bronze police officer at Law Enforcement Park. I placed Buddy’s leash in the hand of the statue for another photo shoot while Buddy tried to nudge the statue’s hand and legs to either demand pets or herd the person into walking!
We also walked along the river and stopped to admire the rapids and the Little Crow statue before turning back to the campground.
Crow River Winery in Hutchinson
After taking some time to cool off, we hit the bike trail. Typically we like to #biketobeer but the brewery was too darn close to the campground at only 2 miles away. If Toby was younger we’d just walk there! So instead we biked the trail, once again past the sculptures and the river. I mentioned it was HOT, right? At almost exactly five miles along, we found Crow River Winery and Jamey was sweet enough to take time to stop for me (he doesn’t like wine).
Thankfully they also make their own cider and have beer on tap, so we were both quite happy. I had a wine flight and a glass of wine while Jamey downed a couple of ciders. Water bottles refilled, we continued along the trail. Another 5 miles in, we came to Molly’s Cafe.
Molly’s Cafe, Silver Lake
We bike a lot. We often stop to consult Google Maps to find restaurants and breweries near-ish to bike trails. So we were so happy to find this trail with so many options right along the trail! I mentioned Hutchinson was underrated.
Biking in the heat and humidity really works up an appetite. So obviously we had to stop for a drink and snacks and a photo.
We swung by the winery again on the way back to refill our water bottles … and lets be honest, for another drink. Once we were back to the camper we took showers and cooled off. Dang it was hot and humid!
Bobbing Bobber Brewing, Hutchinson
Cool and clean, we grabbed the dogs and headed over to Bobbing Bobber Brewery right in Hutchinson. It was surprisingly quiet when we first arrived, so we took a minute to pose the boys in their canoe. We did the best we could! Buddy did “place” but Toby was not having any of it, so Jamey hoisted him on the chair.
Toby is the best dog ever, but he’s old and his hips hurt real bad, so we don’t force him to do things anymore. It’s his world, we just live in it. He did a great job taking a nap on the floor!
The brewery itself was a fun place to visit, very fishing themed with a collection of growlers from a bunch of different breweries. Even the tables are made from docks! Their beers were great and super refreshing on a hot day. You could say the place is REEL al-LURE-ing.
After a couple of pints, we bought a grower for drinking around the fire and headed home to the camper. We spent a happy couple hours by the fire before we moved inside to the A/C and a comfy bed.
Luce Line State Trail
Another morning, another chance for Jamey to sleep in while I’m up early. Buddy hopped into bed to tell me it was time to go outside. I briefly considered just going back to bed, but I was already up, and I do love some “me time” so instead I got on my bike and rode the Luce Line trail the other direction as we rode the day before.
The ride was gorgeous! But it was also super windy. I made it 5 miles down the trail before turning back. On the way back, a fawn came onto the trail and looked at me with big, beautiful eyes. I got pretty close to the baby before it ran away. The rest of my ride was directly into the strong winds. We got torn down pretty quickly and hit the road. It was kind of nice to get home early enough to take our time putting everything away and enough time to grab a dinner later.
We had a trip to Duluth planned for the Independence Day holiday, so we were happy to get back into the camping groove and to have a long trip in my favorite place ever in only a few days!
If you’re looking for a Twin Cities adjacent trip, Hutchinson is a great option! Bring your bike, see the art, drink wine and beer, and be happy.
