With a long shoreline on Lake Superior and the countless lakes and ponds of the vast "North Country" above the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota lives up to its nickname as "The Land of 10,000 Lakes." Not surprisingly, all of that fresh water makes the state a great destination for outdoor activities, especially canoeing and kayaking. Great water trails explore the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and nearby Voyageurs National Park, both on the Canadian Border, while thousands of other waterways await exploration in the reaches of the Superior National Forest.

But outdoor recreation in Minnesota is not restricted to paddlers; hikers and backpackers can travel the long-distance Superior Hiking Trail, which runs along the shore of Lake Superior north of Duluth, and Battle Creek Regional Park just south of Saint Paul provides plenty of good mountain biking trails in a metropolitan region that also includes the Bloomington Ferry Trail. And spectacular fall colors make for great scenic drives and weekend getaways to such popular destinations as Lake Itasca State Park, the headwaters of the Mississippi River, or along the Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway.