Site Description	Directions to Site
FORT SNELLING STATE PARK Hennepin County (2,931 acres). Habitat: Woods, thickets, grasslands, riparian, and wetlands. Amenities: T, R, P, B, Interpretive Center. Note: This park features 18 miles of trails in the river bottoms where the Minnesota River joins the Mississippi River. Contact: 612-725-2724 (Center) or 612-725-2389. Web Site Available.	From the intersection of I-35W and I-494, travel east on I-494 for 3.8 miles to the Hwy. 5 Exit, which goes to the Lindbergh Terminal of the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and St. Paul. Travel east on Hwy. 5 for 1.3 miles to the first exit, Post Road. Turn right on Post Road and enter Fort Snelling State Park. The visitor center is 2.1 miles from this point. (Note: This site is also part of the Great River Birding Trail along the Mississippi River. For information about this trail check the website at www.audubon.org/ campaign/umr/.)
MINNESOTA VALLEY NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE VISITOR CENTER Hennepin County (25 acres). Habitat: Woods, thickets, wetlands, and lake. Amenities: T. R, Interpretive Center. Note: The center has a large amount of information about the entire river valley, a book store and very helpful staff. Call or check the website for hours. Contact: 952-854-5900. Web Site Available.	Retrace your steps to Hwy. 5. Travel west on Hwy. 5 for 0.5 miles to the I-494 East and 34th Ave. S. Exit. Exit here to I-494 and then exit again at 34th Avenue S., a total of 0.9 miles. Turn left on 34th Avenue S. and travel south 0.3 miles to 80th Street E. Turn left on 80th Street E. and travel east 0.3 miles to the entrance for the visitors center parking area.
BASS PONDS Hennepin County (80 acres). Habitat: Woods, thickets, grasslands, wetlands, ponds, and lake. Amenities: T, R. Contact: 952-854-5900. Web Site Available.	Return to 80th Street E. and 34th Avenue S. and continue west on 80th Street E. for 0.8 miles to 24th Avenue S. Turn left on 24th Avenue S. and travel south 0.5 miles to Old Shakopee Road. Continue south on Old Shakopee Road and then southwest 0.3 miles to a stoplight at 86th Street E. Turn left at 86th Street E. and travel 0.1 mile to a small gravel road on your left. There is a parking area at the end of this gravel road. (Note: If you are handicapped, you can get a key from the visitors center that will open a gate allowing you to drive down the hill to a second, closer parking area.)
OLD CEDAR AVENUE Hennepin County (2,200 acres). Habitat: Woods, thickets, grasslands, wetlands, ponds, and lake. Amenities: T. Note: The old bridge has been closed, but there are plans to replace it sometime in the future. This should not deter you from visiting this prime birding location. Contact: 952-854-5900. Web Site Available.	Return to Old Shakopee Road (Hwy. 1) and turn left. Travel southwest on Old Shakopee Road for 0.8 miles (past the entrance to Hwy. 77, Cedar Avenue) to a stoplight at Old Cedar Ave. Turn left on Old Cedar Avenue and travel down the hill 0.5 miles to a parking area at the bottom of the hill. (Note: It is possible to hike all the way from the Bass Ponds to Old Cedar Avenue, but it’s a long walk and the birding between the two sites is not as good.)
LEBANON HILLS REGIONAL PARK Dakota County (2,331 acres). Habitat: Woods, grasslands, marsh, and lake. Amenities: T, R, C, P, B. Contact: 651-438-4671 (24 hour info line) or 651-438-4660. Web Site Available.	Return to Old Shakopee Road (Hwy. 1) and turn right. Travel east 0.2 miles on Old Shakopee Road to the entrance to Hwy. 77 (Cedar Avenue). Travel south on Hwy. 77 for 3.8 miles to the Cliff Road Exit. Turn left on Cliff Rd. and travel east about 2.8 miles to Pilot Knob Road. (Note: You can turn right and travel south 0.7 miles to Carriage Hills Drive. Turn left on Carriage Hills Drive and travel east to the Jensen Lake trailhead.) Continue traveling east on Cliff Road 1.0 miles to the Holland Lake trailhead on your right. Then continue east on Cliff Road 1.2 miles to the entrance for the Schultz Lake trailhead on your right. The parking area is 0.6 miles from Cliff Rd. The Schultz Lake area is the one preferred by most birders.
BLACK DOG NATURE PRESERVE SCIENTIFIC AND NATURAL AREA Dakota County (126 acres). Habitat: Woods, thickets, grasslands, wetlands, mesic prairie, calcareous fen. Amenities: T. Contact: 651-297-2357. Web Site Available.	Return to Cliff Rd. and Hwy. 77 (Cedar Avenue). Continue west on Cliff Road 2.7 miles to the parking area for Cliff Fen Park on your right. You can park here and walk to the trailhead at the north end of the athletic fields. The trail will take you into the Black Dog Nature Preserve Scientific and Natural Area.
BLACK DOG LAKE UNIT Dakota County (1,300 acres). Habitat: woods, thickets, grasslands, riparian, wetlands, and lake. Amenities: T. Notes: This is a good place for winter birds, because the power plant on the east end of Black Dog Lake keeps part of lake open year round. Keep an eye out for Peregrine Falcon on the power plant. Contact: 952-854-5900. Web Site Available.	To reach the north side of Black Dog Lake, turn right on Cliff Rd. and travel west 0.6 miles to I-35W North. Travel north on I-35W for 1.2 miles to the next exit, Black Dog Road. Turn right on Black Dog Road and travel east 1.2 miles to a parking area on your right. You can walk out to an observation platform from this parking area. (Note: You can continue east 2.1 miles on Black Dog Road to a second parking area on your right where you can walk along a channel out to the edge of Black Dog Lake. If you continue east on Black Dog Road for another 0.2 miles, there is a parking area for Jens A. Casperson Landing on your left, which is part of Fort Snelling State Park. You can walk trails from this parking area, too.) To return to the starting point of this loop, head west on Black Dog Road back to I-35W. Travel north on I-35W 4.5 miles to the starting point.
Key to Amenities: T: trail; R: restroom; C: camping; P: picnic area; B: boating.

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The Minnesota River Valley Birding Trail is a project of Audubon Minnesota