Note: The eastern prairie is a rare ecosystem that is home to the endangered massasauga rattlesnake. Although this small and reclusive snake is very timid, it is venomous and visitors should be careful when walking through its home.
Staying on the mowed paths and keeping alert can reduce the chances of an unexpected encounter.
Trail Definitions
Difficulty Ratings
Easiest -- For beginner trail users. Grade is gentle with few obstacles.
More Difficult -- For the majority of trail users. Grade is steeper and trails narrower with embedded rocks or roots on the trail surface.
Most Difficult -- For trail users with advanced skills. Grade is steep and provides a definite physical challenge. Routes may not be well marked. Elevation gain or loss is severe.
Trail Route Type
Loop -- Start and end at the same location and follow a single trail to form a loop.
Out-and-back -- Start and end at a trailhead and follow a single trail to an endpoint or specific point of interest, then return along the same route.
Point-to-point -- Trails are generally longer in distance and parks may often contain only a portion of the trail within their boundary. Hiker starts and ends in different locations, often requiring a shuttle.
Connector -- Begin and end in connection with another trail or trails but do not terminate at a trailhead.
Black Cherry Trail
0.5 mile | Easiest hiking | Loop trail | Marked with signs
Recreations permitted: hiking, snowshoeing recommended
Trailhead amenities: modern restrooms in park office, potable water, picnic tables
Traveling through both upland and bottomland, this trail has good habitat for spring wildflowers, ferns, and birds. For a short distance, the trail follows Big Run, a small stream that flows through the park.
Blazing Star Trail
0.22 mile | Easiest hiking | Out-and-back trail | Marked with signs
Recreations permitted: hiking, snowshoeing recommended, cross-country skiing recommended
Trailhead amenities: non-flush restrooms, picnic tables, benches
Named for the beautiful wildflower that turns the prairie purple in late July and early August, this self-guiding trail travels through the middle of the prairie. Follow the signs and discover how the prairie was formed and why it is unique.
Deer Trail
0.35 mile | Easiest hiking | Loop trail | Marked with signs
Recreations permitted: hiking, snowshoeing recommended, cross-country skiing recommended
Trailhead amenities: none
Accessed at the end of Blazing Star Trail, this short, flat, wide loop trail travels through an area where trees were removed to open the forest canopy, expanding the prairie and oak savannah ecosystem. This important resource management effort provides additional habitat for a variety of wildlife, including the endangered massasauga rattlesnake.
Glacier Ridge Trail
0.31 mile in the park | Easiest hiking in the park | Point-to-point trail | Marked with signs
Recreations permitted: hiking, snowshoeing recommended
Trailhead amenities: none
This trail links Jennings to Moraine State Park. In Jennings, it travels though some of the most scenic woodlands in the park. In Moraine, the trail continues for 14.8 miles to the western side of the park, and many portions are designated as the North Country Trail.
Hepatica Trail
0.26 mile | Easiest hiking | Connector trail | Marked with signs
Recreations permitted: hiking, snowshoeing recommended, cross-country skiing recommended
Trailhead amenities: none
Spring wildflowers, such as the fragile hepatica, can be seen along this connecting trail that links Oakwoods Trail to Glacier Ridge Trail.
Massasauga Trail
0.47 mile | Easiest hiking | Connector trail | Marked with signs
Recreations permitted: hiking, snowshoeing recommended, cross-country skiing recommended
Trailhead amenities: none
Starting in the prairie, this trail soon enters a mixed hardwood forest of predominately oak and hickory. The dry forest soon drops into the damp, scenic Big Run valley, providing an opportunity to observe barred owls, before rising again to meet Deer Trail.
North Country National Scenic Trail
0.9 mile in the park | Easiest hiking in the park | Point-to-point trail | Blue blazes
Recreations permitted: hiking, backpacking
Trailhead amenities: none
This National Scenic Trail passes through Jennings and utilizes a number of the woodland trails, including Glacier Ridge, Ridge, and Black Cherry. This blue-blazed trail system links North Dakota to New York, traveling through seven states with a distance of more than 4,600 miles.
Oakwoods Trail
1.2 miles | Easiest hiking | Connector trail | Marked with signs
Recreations permitted: hiking, snowshoeing recommended, cross-country skiing recommended
Trailhead amenities: none
Accessed from Deer Trail or Massasauga Trail, this is the longest trail at Jennings and covers varying terrain and several different types of habitat, including an area recently influenced by beaver. Unique to this trail are several manmade pits. It is believed that the pits were excavated in the 19th century for ore bearing clay, which was taken to local iron furnaces.
Old Elm Trail
0.25 mile | Easiest hiking | Loop trail | Marked with signs
Recreations permitted: hiking, snowshoeing recommended
Trailhead amenities: modern restrooms, potable water, picnic tables
Starting west of the center office and looping back to it, this trail passes through an area of the park once dominated by large elm trees. Most succumbed to Dutch elm disease in the 1930s, leaving nothing but rotting logs behind.
Old Field Trail
0.18 mile | Easiest hiking | Connector trail | Marked with signs
Recreations permitted: hiking, snowshoeing recommended, cross-country skiing recommended
Trailhead amenities: none
Linking Deer Trail to Oakwoods Trail, Old Field Trail passes through an area dominated by hawthorns and other small shrubs. This is evidence that the area was a farm field many years ago.
Old Mill Trail
0.14 mile | Easiest hiking | Connector trail | Marked with signs
Recreations permitted: hiking, snowshoeing recommended
Trailhead amenities: none
Accessed by following Woodwhisper Trail for 0.04 mile, this trail connects the center office to Black Cherry Trail and passes by the remains of a 19th century sawmill.
Prairie Loop Trail
0.28 mile | Easiest hiking | Loop trail | Marked with signs
Recreations permitted: hiking, snowshoeing recommended, cross-country skiing recommended
Trailhead amenities: none
The educational signs continue on this short loop that can be accessed from Blazing Star Trail. This trail is recommended for viewing wildflowers in the summer and fall.
Ridge Trail
0.68 mile | More difficult hiking | Connector trail | Marked with signs
Recreations permitted: hiking, snowshoeing recommended
Trailhead amenities: none
This rough, wooded trail passes through the only area open to hunting in the park and can be an interesting extension to Black Cherry Trail. Large boulders and rocky terrain highlight this steep trail.
Wetlands Kiosk Trail
0.68 mile | Easiest hiking | Connector trail | Marked with signs
Recreations permitted: hiking, snowshoeing recommended
Trailhead amenities: none
Accessed half-way along Woodwhisper Trail, this short trail leads to an educational kiosk overlooking a passive wetland treatment site.
Woodwhisper Trail
0.16 mile | Easiest hiking | Loop trail | Marked with signs
Recreations permitted: hiking, snowshoeing recommended
Trailhead amenities: potable water, benches
Popular with people with strollers, this ADA accessible trail with a crushed stone path loops through an upland, mixed hardwood forest. A short spur trail leads to an educational kiosk overlooking a passive wetland treatment site.