Candlelit walk
Gateway State Trail
5-8 p.m. Saturday
Enjoy a beautiful walk on trails lit by candles. Start at the Ramsey County Court parking lot on White Bear Avenue, near the Maplewood Community Center. (651-259-5875, mndnr.gov)
Candlelit by any mode
Wild River State Park
6-9 p.m. Saturday
Six miles of trails will be lit by candles for this once-in-a-winter opportunity at Wild River State Park. Come explore on snowshoes or skis, or just go for a walk this Valentine's weekend. (651-583-2125, ext. 227, friendsofwildriver.org)
Snowshoe
William O'Brien State Park
10 a.m.-noon Saturday
Meet at the visitor center and go through a short introduction to snowshoeing. Then you can check out some snowshoes, explore the park, look for tracks and wildlife, and get a feel for snowshoeing. Return the snowshoes to the visitor center by 3 p.m. Call to reserve snowshoes (651-433-0500, mndnr.gov)
Classic ski lessons
Cleary Lake Regional Park
9:30-11 a.m. Saturday
Learn the basics, from proper equipment fitting to diagonal strides and stopping. This lesson is for novices and those who want a review. Call 763-694-7777 and reference 124550-03 to register. (threeriversparks.org)
Hike, photo, postcard
Nerstrand Big Woods State Park
1-3:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday
Send a postcard to someone special and log some miles toward fitness. Every weekend in February, visitors can send their photo on a postcard. Check out a camera at the park office, or use your own. Hike to Hidden Falls and take a picture (keep going for a longer hike if you like). When you return, staff will take your picture or use one from your hike, print it and attach it to a postcard backing. Address the postcard with a brief note. We will drop it in Monday's mail. Your picture postcard can be printed between 1 and 3:30 p.m. in the visitor center. (507-333-4840)
Leafless trees
Fort Snelling State Park
1-2 p.m. Sunday
It is easy to associate trees with their leaves during the summer season. Now, after all the leaves have fallen, it gets trickier to identify these bare plants. Join the naturalist for a hike on the park's trails and learn how to identify the many different species of trees native to the area. Meet at the visitor center. (612-279-3550, mndnr.gov)
Wednesday walks
Brown's Creek State Trail
1-2:30 p.m. Wednesday
Discover whatever natural happenings occur on the new trail. Meet at the trailhead in Stillwater. (651-231-6968, mndnr.gov)