Essex Park, Rochester

Location:  Northeast Rochester off 55th St
Miles: 1 to 5 miles
Surface: Paved, Dirt, Grassy
Terrian: Varied
Uses: Hiking, biking, cross country skiing, playground
Map:  Ski/Hiking Trail Map
Website:  RochesterMN.Gov
Ticks:  Never had a problem with ticks here but it's safe to assume there are some in grassy areas May- July
Mosquitoes:  Medium to Low

Essex Park is a small park in Rochester with many interesting hiking trails.   There is also a short bike trail which always you to bike through it if you desire.  For me this bike trail is on the way I would take to get to the Douglas Trail so you could plan to bike through the area if you live in NE Rochester.

You will find a nice playground at Essex park with a bathroom / picnic table area in the summer.

There is a 2nd playground on the NW edge of the park along 55th street next to the apartment complex.   A pleasant walk through the woods will take you from one playground to the other but in the summer the mosquitoes can make the walk through the woods annoying.

On the south side of the park are several fields with pretty wild flowers in the spring and summer.

The park also has an archery range on the SW side.

There are a couple of options for a very short/pleasant loop hike here.  

There have been reports on the internet of people finding morels here in the spring but I have yet to find any at this park.