Showing results by author "Rob Bignell" in All Categories

THE BEST GUIDE TO ENJOYING WISCONSIN’S TOP WILDFLOWER TRAILS! UPDATED FOR 2023! Home to more than 500 wildflower species, Wisconsin stands out as one of the best states to see these beautiful wonders. From the tiny pasqueflower that appears with the first warm breath of spring to the 10-foot-tall giant sunflower rising above prairie grasses in late summer, from late spring’s woodland blooms that look like you’re walking through a Monet painting to October’s single small blossoms that work their way up through fallen leaves, Wisconsin offers a variety of great wildflower experiences....

THE BEST GUIDE TO ENJOYING MINNESOTA’S TOP WILDFLOWER TRAILS! Home to more than 500 wildflower species, Minnesota stands out as one of the best states to see these beautiful wonders. From the Northwoods where forest floors come alive with color each spring to the prairies where yellow and purple flowers rise above the swaying grasses…from winter’s end when tiny pasqueflowers mark the coming warmth to autumn when sunflowers and goldenrod herald the harvest season…Simply put, Minnesota offers a variety of great wildflower experiences. A hike is the best way to see these flowers, but ...

Imagine a place where you can walk quiet paths lined with red-leaved maple and green-needled spruce, where grouse drum and dance in the wide open each spring, where osprey and bald eagles dip out of the sky upon eyeing a river fish, of trails that once were historic portage routes used by fur traders, of routes alongside a rapids-filled river now conquered by modern kayakers. The place is real: It’s called Sawyer County, Wisconsin. This is the only complete guide to Sawyer County’s great day hiking trails. With a tap of the screen, this volume helps you: • Plan a day of fun family-...

Imagine a place where you can hike sandy beaches as enjoying fantastic vistas of the world’s largest freshwater lake, a place of towering pines that bald eagles fly over and black bears scamper under, a place where you can explore sea caves or hike across billion-year-old red rock. The place is real – it’s called Bayfield County, Wisconsin. This is the only complete guide to Bayfield County’s great day hiking trails. With just a single click, you can: • Plan a day of fun family-friendly activities • Learn the best places for exploring the Apostle Islands • Discover popular ...

THE BEST GUIDE TO ENJOYING MINNESOTA’S TOP FALL COLOR TRAILS! Autumn in Minnesota is like living in a painting. Before the all-pervasive green of summer gives way to the stark white of winter, fall celebrates with masterful brushstrokes, from the ambers and golds of aspen and birch to the crimson and purples of sumac and white ash, from the brilliant yellows, oranges and red of maples to the scarlet and russets of oaks. Accenting this are the fiery reds of prairie grasses, the bronze cornstalks of farm fields, the oranges of pumpkins and gourds, and the carmines of plump ripe apples and ...

Imagine a place where a river plunges a fifth of the way down a 20-story canyon, where premier trout streams run through picturesque fields and charming woodlands, where bald eagles grace the skies and white-tailed deer graze at twilight, where prairies have been restored to look just as the pioneers saw them, where the Midwest’s largest earthen dam holds back a mighty waterway. The place is real: It’s called St. Croix County, Wisconsin. “Day Hiking Trails of St. Croix County” is the only complete guide to the best trails of the west-central Wisconsin county. With one tap of the ...

THE ONLY HIKING GUIDEBOOK DEDICATED TO OUR NATION'S NEWEST NATIONAL PARK! Imagine a place where you can stroll magnificent Lake Michigan beaches and scramble over towering sand dunes, where you can explore mysterious marshes filled with carnivorous plants and amble about peaceful oak savannas, where you can roam among migrating birds on their stopover and traipse about historic turn-of-the-century homesteads. The place is real: It’s called Indiana Dunes National Park. With the park stretching more than two-dozen miles from end to end and the large crowds, though, how can you ensure that ...

Imagine a place where you can walk amid majestic evergreens and blue freshwater lakes, across 1.1-billion-year-old rock formed in the violent rending of a continent, past peaceful dairy farm pastures, over a landscape carved by a mile-high glacier, through small towns seemingly torn from the pages of yesteryear. The place is real: It’s called Polk County, Wisconsin. “Hittin’ the Trail: Day Hiking Polk County, Wisconsin" is the only complete guide to the county’s great day hiking trails. With one tap of the screen, you can: • Plan a day of fun family-friendly activities • Learn ...

Imagine a place where you can hike the grounds of a historic lighthouse that for decades kept ships safe from smashing into jagged rocks; where trails offer fantastic vistas of the world’s largest freshwater lake and that take you along quaint pebble and cobblestone beaches; where easy walks pass strange rock formations formed in the violent rending of a continent more than a billion years ago; where paths cross through the remnants of a pioneer-era logging camp and a turn-of-the century mining operation. The place is real: It’s called Split Rock Lighthouse State Park. With this book, ...

Whether you own a cottage that you visit on weekends or rent one for a week-long vacation, “headin’ to the cabin” is more than a time-honored tradition among Midwesterners. Simply put, it’s part of who we are. And what better way to experience all that “up north” has to offer than through a day hike? “Headin’ to the Cabin: Day Hiking Trails of Northeastern Minnesota,” is the indispensable guide to anyone who owns or rents a cabin on or near the St. Croix River, the North Shore and the Arrowhead, describing trails in Chisago, Pine, Carlton, St. Louis, Lake, and Cook counties.

Imagine a place of more than a hundred glacial lakes and trout streams, full of rustic charm and beauty in its farms and villages, all where ancient hills that formed 1.7 billion years ago stand as a backdrop. The place is real: It’s called Barron County, Wisconsin. “Hittin’ the Trail: Day Hiking Barron County, Wisconsin” is the only complete guide to the area’s great day hiking trails. With one tap of the screen, you can: • Plan a day of fun family-friendly activities in Rice Lake, Cumberland, Chetek, Cameron and Turtle Lake • Learn the best places for walking the Ice Age ...

Imagine a place where five waterfalls spill over billion-year-old rock, all within a mile of one another, where both incredible vistas of the world’s largest freshwater lake and paths past an array of sweet-scented wildflowers await, where you can traipse through historic handcrafted stone buildings or alongside a creek meandering about an evergreen forest. The place is real: It’s called Gooseberry Falls State Park, which many consider the crown jewel of Minnesota’s multitude of natural gems. With this book, you can: • Plan a day of fun family-friendly activities • Learn the best ...

Listing more than 100 diversions, “Hikes with Tykes: Games and Activities” provides anyone taking kids on a day hike with loads of tried and true amusements to keep children from getting unruly or bored. Topics include: activities to get kids excited about a day hike; crafts in which kids make their own hiking gear; recipes for healthy snacks on the trail; games that will help kids better understand and appreciate nature; and post-hike activities to keep kids excited about the sport. Culled from the experiences of fellow outdoor-minded parents, “Hikes with Tykes: Games and Activities...

Imagine a place where you can walk beneath rare giant conifers and across nearly 2 billion-year-old rock, where you can traipse the scenic routes of old railroad lines along majestic rivers that feed the Mississippi, where you can whistle as passing rustic trout streams and turtle ponds or pause in reverent silence by ancient effigy mounds. The place is real: It’s called the Chippewa Valley. “Day Hiking Trails of the Chippewa Valley” is the only complete guide to the best trails of Wisconsin’s Eau Claire, Chippewa, Pepin and Dunn counties. With one tap of the screen, you can: • ...

Whether you own a cottage that you visit on weekends or rent one for a week-long vacation, “headin’ to the cabin” is more than a time-honored tradition among Midwesterners. Simply put, it’s part of who we are. And what better way to experience all that “up north” has to offer than through a day hike? “Headin’ to the Cabin: Day Hiking Trails of Northwestern Wisconsin,” is an indispensable guide to anyone who owns or rents a cabin on or near the St. Croix River, Lake Superior and all points between, describing trails in Ashland, Barron, Bayfield, Burnett, Douglas, Polk, St. ...

Imagine a place where you can walk among the remnants of an ancient ice age lake and past tens of thousands of rare and endangered birds gathered on their annual migration, all as you hear the howls of wolves and calls of loons in the distance. The place is real: It’s the Crex Meadows Wildlife Area in northwest Wisconsin. “Hittin’ the Trail: Day Hiking Crex Meadows Wildlife Area” is the only complete guide to this wildlife area’s great day hiking trails. With one tap of the screen, you can: • Learn the best places for spotting sandhill cranes • Discover an internationally-...

Few locales in the Upper Midwest match Wisconsin and Minnesota’s Interstate State Parks’ scenic beauty: a pristine blue river running through a gorge sided by black lava rock; fascinating multi-story sandstone formations; an utterly clear lake; extinct ancient riverbeds covered in ferns and wildflowers; glacial potholes that run dozens of feet deep. “Hittin’ the Trail: Day Hiking Wisconsin and Minnesota Interstate State Parks” is the only complete guide to the parks’ great day hiking trails. With one tap of the screen, you can: • Plan a day of fun family-friendly activities ...

Imagine a place where you can walk through lush green forests and alongside crystal blue rivers…where you can lean against 200-year-old trees or feel the splash of hidden waterfalls…where you can retrace the steps of historic portages as watching bald eagle families soar overhead. Such a place not only exists, it has been preserved for all to enjoy – it’s called the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway. “Hittin’ the Trail: Day Hiking the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway” is the only complete guide to the park's great day hiking trails. With one tap of the screen, you can: • ...

Imagine a place of crystal blue waters surrounded by lush green forests, of friendly Mayberry-like villages, of skies graced by rare, elegant birds, some whose wings span up to seven feet. The place is real: It’s called Burnett County, Wisconsin. Now comes the only complete guide to the county’s great day hiking trails: “Hittin’ the Trail: Day Hiking Burnett County, Wisconsin.” With one tap of the screen, you can: • Plan days of fun family-friendly activities • Learn the best places for walking the multi-state Gandy Dancer Trail • Discover one of the National Park Service's ...

Day hiking with kids isn’t quite as simple as taking them onto a trail and walking. Many parents have no idea where there even is a trail. They wonder how to keep their kids properly dressed for the wilds and how they’ll ever carry their infant all those miles. They struggle to figure out how much water and food to bring. They ponder what to do when their children get bored on the trail or start to misbehave. They know there must be a better way to cross rough terrain than the balancing act they’re attempting. They want to understand how to treat injuries from blisters to broken bones...