From May to October of this year, my fiancee and I spent nearly every free moment of time we had traversing across the state of Minnesota in an attempt to hike every state park. It was rewarding and exhausting. When we finished, we expected to finally be able to sit down and relax and just take a deep breath. We took it, but one was just about all we had time for as we were about to be introduced to another exciting challenge that we simply couldn’t resist.
Jason DeMoe
It was during a scroll through Facebook on Dec. 10 that a news story popped up referring to a statewide scavenger hunt known as Checkpoint MN. A few clicks of the mouse revealed that there are 12 checkpoint sign posts in 12 iconic spots all over the state. If you travel to one of the places and take a photo of yourself standing by the sign, you will receive one point that can be exchanged for a variety of prizes. The more places you travel to, the more points you earn, and having more points means better prizes. The prizes include vacation packages, hotel stays, gas station gift cards, hiking boots, jackets, sleeping bags, binoculars, backpacks, and much more. Many of the prizes are worth several hundreds of dollars.
The scavenger hunt runs from midnight on Dec. 11 to March 5. However, some of the really good prizes that are worth eight and 10 points are limited. Oftentimes, there is only one available, and once someone claims it, it is gone. Therefore, finishing early will give you a much better chance at claiming a top prize.
I was lying in bed at 10 p.m. on Dec. 10, fully planning on a good night’s rest. I had not yet started snoring as thoughts of the hunt and the available prizes were occupying my mind. We had decided that we were unwilling to allow others to claim all of the good prizes and that we were going to do all we could to finish as soon as possible. The hunt officially opened at midnight, and even though work came early the next morning, we were determined. I was soon up, out of bed and dressed, and we were on the road headed to Rice Park in St. Paul.
We arrived and did a bit of searching, only to eventually discover that the sign was near where we parked. Photos were taken and uploaded to the Checkpoint MN website shortly after midnight. We were the first to check in at that location. It was exhilarating, and we wanted more. Although the original plan was to head home after Rice Park, adrenaline was flowing freely, and we drove on to the Aerial Lift Bridge in Duluth for check-in No. 2. As the sun began rising, we checked Franconia Sculpture Park in Shafer off the list.
Not much sleep was had before work on Thursday, but we pushed through the deprivation and were back on the hunt that evening. We drove all night and checked in at Lake Lodge Recreation Center in Winona, Minneopa Falls at Minneopa State Park in Mankato, and Elm Creek Park Reserve in Maple Grove. We took a short break to rest after work on Friday and took to the road once again on Saturday. We finished off the hunt with check-ins at Stick Works at St. Johns University in Collegeville, Big Stone National Wildlife Refuge in Odessa, Detroit Lakes City Beach, Mississippi Headwaters at Itasca State Park in Park Rapids, Giant’s Ridge Golf and Ski Resort in Biwabik, and the International Wolf Center in Ely.
We finished the hunt 71 hours after it had officially started. We estimated that with Forest Lake as a home base, the entire trek used up approximately $175 to $200 worth of gasoline. We also spent some cash on filling up our cooler with lunch, drinks and snacks. We cashed in our points six at a time for four total prizes. In all, we earned a heavy duty hiking backpack, a one-night stay at one of five participating Minneapolis Northwest hotels, a $100 Shoppes at Arbor Lakes gift card, a one night’s stay for two at the Mitchell-Tappan Bed & Breakfast Inn, a family membership to the Minnesota Discovery Center, $50 at Grandma’s in the Park Restaurant, a one night stay at the Chisholm Inn, and four tubing park passes for Giant’s Ridge. All in all, I would say that we got way more than our money’s worth. Also, and perhaps most importantly, the hunt gave us yet another incentive-based opportunity to explore the great state of Minnesota.
As I mentioned earlier, the hunt is on until March 5. If you go to www.checkpointmn.com, you will realize that there are still many great prizes to be had. My request is that you hit the road, make some lasting memories, explore this great state of ours, and earn some pretty cool prizes in the process.