RATTLESNAKE RIDGE TREK 2_7_15

The Vinegar Ridge Recreation area near Houston, MN is another great place for hiking and snowshoeing. Some of it's trails are accessible from the Root River bike trail that runs from Houston to Rushford. During May of 2014 Anita and I captured this trail's spring beauty. This time we enjoyed the trail from a winter perspective. What is unique about this trek is that it is almost all "off trail". Once we went through the iron gate in the third picture, we went off trail to make our own way. This is a lot more fun than following a snowmobile trail. In addition there is no trail to the peak we wanted to get to. This is the same peak we went to in our May 2014 trek. It offers some great views of the Root River valley below. Be forewarned however that making your own way down from this peak is very challenging! Click on the map below to see our trail photos.