Minnesota clues...

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Palette Place Letterbox

Placed by: Merlin and Ardea 10/30/2004 

This walk takes 20-30 minutes, and is best enjoyed on a dry, warm day. In Grand Marais, park in the lot for the Grand Portage National Monument HQ/Coast Guard Station. Walk the gravel drive left of the garage to the "Welcome" sign. Staying on the gravel path, take the stone steps and walk the seawall to the left. Climb the large red stone steps toward the left. Follow the stones and pathway toward the woods, seeing water & shore on your left. Walk the concrete path a short way. Stones lead up toward the right. There is a mossy opening in woods. A path goes to the left. Stay on main middle path past a large round of concrete on the left. Follow the curving path. Go up a large steeply inclined stone to a rectangular concrete pad near the trail. From the pad, take the little path at 110° for 12 paces (steps). Then proceed at 250° for 6 paces. Find the box in a mound of earth covered by a large stone. You'll find a rustic stamp carved with a pen knife into an eraser. Stamp up and replace carefully. Hope you have time to enjoy this beautiful area!

Rock of Racial Harmony Letterbox

Rock of Racial Harmony Letterbox 

Minneapolis, Minnesota 

The Rock of Racial Harmony is an immense boulder in a meadow atop a cliff overlooking the Mississippi River south of 54th Street. 

If you are a dog lover, bring your dog along when looking for this box, but please follow the rules of the dog park posted at the entrance! If you are not a dog lover, be warned that many people do not obey the rules and allow their dogs to run free in this area - so keep alert! 

From the Rock, look for a gate opposite. Proceed through the fence and walk to the river overlook. Follow a smaller path leading off through the weeds to the right which winds along the edge of the steep slope. Look for two small trees which lean out over the brink of the bluff where you'll find the letterbox hidden in a hollow underneath them, behind plates of limestone. 

Matt the Rat

Chicago

45th Parallel Letterbox

First, take the freeway south to the Equator exit. Take a left and then another left. From the Equator, start walking toward the North Pole. When you are exactly half-way there, you'll come to a place worth stopping, at a street intersection overlooking a golden valley with a park way off to your left. 

Sitting on the boulder here, look back where you walked from. Just 30 paces away you'll see three tree trunks which come together at the place where the letterbox is hidden behind a rock.

As this is an urban location, please camouflage the box well when you are putting it back in its hiding place, so that it will remain completely hidden from passersby and curious neighbors.

Matt the Rat
Chicago

Lac Qui Parle Letterbox

Location:
Western Chippewa County, near Montevideo, MN
Placed by Dunkproductions.

Clues:
Find the historic Lac Qui Parle Mission Site.  It is about 1/2 mile east of Lac Qui Prarle State Park.  The mission and park are separated by the county line between Lac Qui Parle County (park) and Chippewa County (mission). When facing the mission house, look to your right and find the walking path leading up the hill.  Take this path to the Ferry Road site marker.

From there, go about 75 paces up the trail and find the tree with three trunks on your left.  Behind this tree there are a few railroad ties that look somewhat like a bench.  The letterbox is hidden under the railroad ties.

Placed July 27th 2002 during a particularly wet and buggy camping trip. 

Hawk Ridge Letterbox

(This box is not missing. It is alive and well)

Hawk Ridge is a scenic overlook on the shores of Lake Superior . In the fall, raptors find their way down the North Shore to the Duluth area to cross the lake. They need thermals to reach an altitude that will enable them to make it across, so they come to the Duluth hills, thermal up, and cross over. Its a fantastic site to see along with the awesome view of Lake Superior . What a GREAT place for a letterbox!

Find your way to Hawk Ridge ( City Park ) in Duluth , Minnesota . As you pull into the Hawk Ridge overlook area you will be on pavement to the first overlook area. Continue on the (newly paved) street until you reach the second overlook area. (In the winter, the city blocks the second road with large boulders so cars can not drive through. I suggest using snowshoes if you plan on venturing out in our northern Minnesota winters because they do not plow the road…) Upon reaching the second overlook area, there will be one obvious parking place in the middle. To the left of the parking spot (when looking at the lake) there will be a large rock with the word "steps" painted on it in blue. Follow the steps down and go forward on the path until you reach a large rock area that overlooks the lake. There are different trails heading off from this "plateau". Follow the blue spray paint dots on the rocks to the right (when looking at the lake). Continue to follow the blue dots until you reach a heavy thicket with two very large rocks on the left of the trail. The rock in front has one of the parks blue dots on it. The box is hidden behind the large rock under a pile of small rocks to conceal it from view...once you find the box, you will be very close to the bottom of another set of stairs. Follow those stairs back up to the parking/overlook...good luck and happy hawk watching!

-Islandgirl

Split Rock Letterbox

MIA

Mississippi River - WANAGAN

Start at the N entrance to Itasca State Park at the junction of US Hwy 200 and Clearwater Co 2. Drive N 1.5 miles and turn left at the sign for the WANAGAN public canoe access. Go 0.4 miles to the end of the driveway and the beginning of the road to the landing.

At this point you can drive the remaining 0.6 miles to the landing or walk the rest of the way. It is a nice walk, there is a good chance of seeing deer or other wildlife along the way. If you choose to drive, be careful, the road is narrow and rutted.

Once you arrive at the landing, go to the NW corner of the shelter. Walk 35 paces at a bearing of 306 degrees to the three small pine trees. The letterbox/geocache is under the trees.

If you want more information, go to the geocache site: http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?ID=20630.

Happy Hunting.

Fish Farm

East of cedar
South of old shakopee
Fish ponds built by the Izaak Walton League in 1927

Across wood duck
Between cottonwood twins

--------------------
This box placed in too much haste by an ill-prepared letterboxer before leaving town. If you visit here soon, will you please bring some ziploc bags and a pen to leave in the letterbox? Be sure to hide the box well again when you leave.

A Simple Love

Round Trip: 1 mile (If you want a longer hike, continue on the Split Rock Loop Trail after you find the box. The Spur trail is .5 and the loop trail is 5 miles.)
Difficulty: Easy to Moderate. If its winter, be careful going down any steps as they will probably be icy. Hiking poles would be helpful, but not necessary.
Time: 1 hour unless you do the loop trail.

Before heading farther north, stop in at the Superior Hiking Trail Association Office for maps of the trail. Be sure to say hello to Gail and Paula who work in the office! (Make sure you know their office hours, as they are shorter in the winter!)

This letterbox is on the Superior Hiking Trail about halfway between  Gooseberry Falls State Park and Split Rock Lighthouse State Park.

Park at the Wayside that is by the Split Rock River. Use the Spur Trail to get to the Superior Hiking Trail. You will come to a three-way intersection. One way is the right way, which will bring you to the bottom of a waterfall. On a wooden structure near the waterfall, there is a trail register. Sign in, if you so desire. On the other side of the wooden structure there is a trail to the left. You will get a wonderful view of the waterfall from at the end of this side trail. Stand with your back to waterfall next to the bench. Within 10 or 11 steps (off the trail) from the bench at an angle, you will find this box under a fallen tree hidden by bark.

Happy hunting and good luck!
Daisy

Grasshopper Chapel

Lost Viking Letterbox

The LOST VIKING LETTERBOX is located near my Geocache site. To begin with, to be in Minnesota would be a good start. Then finding a town that's located on the Mississippi called Saint Cloud, is probably your next step. Then in an adjacent town called Sartell you will find the Great River Road (County Road 1 ) which  runs right through Sartell. If you follow this road north out of town for about 8-10 miles you will come across a Stearns County park called The Mississippi County Park. A fine place to leave your car and walk about a bit. 

Find your way down to the trail that follows along the Mississippi. If you walk downstream (EAST) from the boat landing, you will come to a picnic table under a   red cedar tree and nearby the beginning of a trail that follows the river downstream (EAST). Follow this trail EAST approximately A hundred yards. You will come to a very large basswood tree on the bank of the river. 

On the right hand side of the trail, there is a trail marking post just before this very large basswood tree. In a large knot hole on the  river side of the very large basswood tree you will find my Geocache site.

Across the trail from the very large tree is another red cedar tree.
Just to right of the red cedar tree you should be able to discern a small opening in the woods. This is the small trail that leads to my letterbox. This small opening goes into the woods just a few feet before making a 90 degree turn to the RIGHT.
It then proceeds only another 10 feet or so before turning LEFT .
It then proceeds on about another 20 paces or so where you will see a small white tag (no you won't, someone keeps removing any markers I put up so make like Daniel Boone and follow the path of least resistance through the woods, that's how I got to the deadfall in the first place. Its not that hard, really.) with rune symbols on it fastened to a sapling marking the trail. Proceed on till you see a Large Deadfall.

Congratulations you've found my LETTERBOX ! ! ! !

Minnesota Mystery

Leapin' Lizards