Trails RV Park, Walker, MN
For this years’ Labor Day weekend trip, we decided to head north to Trails RV Park in Walker, MN near Leech Lake, the third largest lake in Minnesota.
Friday Night and the Campground Review
Due to a frustrating day of work on Friday, we got a later start than we originally planned on. After the 3 1/2 hour drive in the rain, we finally arrived in Walker at Trails RV Park. The rain stopped just before we arrived so we only had to set up in the dark, not in the dark and rain which was a relief. When Sam went in the office to check in upon arrival, she was asked if we would be willing to take another site because another group was coming in later than us and it would be easier to put them closer to the entrance. It turned out that we got an upgrade and they waived our pet fee for the inconvenience! The best news was our upgrade had us on a seasonal site that was already vacant for the year; we had a deck and a huge site!
Our Site in Walker
The campground itself was pretty nice. The non-seasonal sites were mostly pull through and large but there weren’t many. They also have a large pool and game room which we didn’t use but they were there. The restrooms were very clean, the only problem was that one of the stalls was too small and my knees hit the door while sitting on the throne! Not for tall people. Overall, we would give Trails RV Park in Walker an 8 of 10.
Our setup on Friday in the dark went very smooth; the owner helped get us backed in and we were able to get our setup done without any problems. Once fully setup, we sat down around the fire and enjoyed a couple beverages before turning in for the night.
Saturday at the Brewery
On Saturday morning, we made up some bacon, eggs, and hashbrowns for breakfast then got ourselves ready for the day. We drove into Walker in the morning to grab a few groceries before heading back to the campground to get on our bikes. We rode the Heartland Trail back into Walker to have some Saturday afternoon fun.
On Our Bike Ride overlooking Leech Lake
So 4 1/2 miles and 20 minutes later we found ourselves at Portage Brewing Company in downtown Walker. We enjoyed a couple beverages out on the patio where they had live music going on all afternoon. I really loved the Hopjus Hazy APA and Sam had The Twin Fields Apricot Table Beer. The beers were very good.
After beverages, we walked a couple blocks further into downtown Walker to Benson’s Eating and Drinking Emporium for a pizza lunch. The décor is that of a northwoods lodge which was an interesting touch at a pizza place. We enjoyed an absolutely delicious Buffalo chicken pizza. We would highly recommend a meal at Benson’s while in the Walker area.
After lunch, with full stomachs, we jumped back on our bikes and cruised back to the campground. Once there, we got ourselves cleaned up and ended up taking a short unintentional nap. After the nap, we grilled up some burgers for dinner then loaded up the dogs in the truck and drove back to Walker to make another trip to the brewery and the musicfest. There was then a bluegrass band playing at the end of the night and they were interesting to say the least. Both the taproom and the patio were dog friendly and the boys surely appreciated that. After the band, we went back inside to the taproom and sipped a few more beverages while playing cribbage. The boys got treats from the owner. We would say that Portage Brewing is a must for the beer fan when in the Walker area.
After the end of the brewery night, we drove back to the campground and sat by the fire and enjoyed a few more beverages while having good conversation and listening to music. We finally turned in for the night shortly after midnight after a great day.
Sunday Funday on the Bikes
On Sunday morning, we were rudely awakened by thunder at 5:30 AM and discovered we were under a severe thunderstorm warning which ended up with only a little rain and a lot of noisy thunder. We were able to go back to sleep for 3 more hours after the storm passed. We then made a huge breakfast of bacon, eggs, and cheesy hashbrowns then headed out for a good bike ride. We did the 4 1/2 miles again back to the brewery where we had a beverage again. Its a great brewery! We then continued down the trail to the other side of Walker where we went to the Shingobee Sports Bar and Marina for another beverage and appetizer. The trail became a bit more hilly on this side of town so we were able to get a little workout. The patio had a great view of Leech Lake and we watched the boat traffic on the lake. Once we had our apps and beer, we jumped back on our bikes and cruised back into Walker and made one last stop at Portage Brewing for a beer before they closed for the night then it was back on the bikes to cruise back to the campground.
After our 18 mile ride, we got cleaned up and made delicious steaks and had potato salad for dinner. It has become a bit of a tradition to grill steaks once per camping trip.
We See You have Steak, We also enjoy steak!
After dinner, we settled down around the fire and enjoyed s’mores and a couple beverages before turning in early. It was a long day with lots of sun.
Monday Tear Down and Drive Home
On Monday morning, we had breakfast then began our teardown process. The teardown went smoothly and were soon on our way home ending yet another fun camping trip.
