HIKING

Theodore Wirth Park hike

Mon, Apr 6, 2026, 9:30am

Location
Meet at the Wirth Beach Club (not the Theodore Wirth Trailhead Building)
 

Meet at the Wirth Beach Club (not the Theodore Wirth Trailhead Building)

The April 6 hike returns to Theodore Wirth Park for an encore to our February hike. Join hike leader Michael Luxenberg and fellow UMRA members to celebrate the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace.

We will hike about four miles in about two hours. We will hike along the Rose Garden Trail(but not in the garden which won’t be open until April 15) then around the Quaking Bog Trail Loop, and finally around the Wirth Lake Loop which will take us right back to the Wirth Beach Club.

Although some of the trails are multi-use, including bikes, on a Monday morning we should have the trails mostly to ourselves. Most of the trails are considered easy, some are on paved trails and others are unpaved but very little up and downs.

Theodore Wirth Park is on the western edge of Minneapolis, bordering Golden Valley. We will meet at The Wirth Beach Club free parking lot at 9:20 a.m. to start the hike at 9:30. After the hike, if it is warm enough we can have some snacks at the benches outside.

Please register for this hike by April 5. Your registration information will be used to be sure everyone has arrived before we start the hike.

—Michael Luxenberg, UMRA Hiking Club co-leader



Upcoming Events

Event Date: August 17, 2026, at 9:30am

Nanette leads a trail of two cities hike.


Event Date: August 18, 2026, at 11am - 1:30pm

10:30 a.m. check in; 10:45 boarding; cruise from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Join UMRA friends and colleagues for a summer cruise and lunch aboard the Paradise Destiny II on beautiful Lake Minnetonka. Paul Maravelas, sailor, historian, and author of The History of Big Island, Lake Minnetonka will join us to share stories from 200+ years of lake-dwellers. Come early or stay after the cruise to explore Excelsior, a charming small town on the big lake.

Ticket price includes lunch: chef's sandwich, garden salad, fruit, chips, and cookies. Coffee, iced tea, and lemonade are complimentary and there will be a cash bar for other beverages. A vegetarian sandwich can be selected during registration.


Event Date: August 21, 2026, at 2pm

UMRA’s Book Club I will discuss the debut novel Buckeye by Patrick Ryan when it meets via Zoom at 2 pm. on Friday, August 21. 


Event Date: August 28, 2026, at 2pm

You are invited to join the discussion of The Cause: The American Revolution and Its Discontents 1773-1783 by Joseph J. Ellis.


Event Date: September 8, 2026, at 12:30pm

"Monuments" is the theme for September.


Event Date: September 9, 2026, at 10am

UMRA member Mike Amidon, president of the Minnesota Genealogical Society in Mendota Heights, will provide a brief overview of the society, the library, and the many volunteers who help maintain it, when UMRA’s Family History Interest Group meets on Wednesday, September 9.


Event Date: September 15, 2026, at 9:30am

Bev Moe leads a hike around Lake of the Isles in Minneapolis with a social gathering afterwards at Isles Bun & Coffee.


Event Date: September 18, 2026, at 2pm

UMRA Book Club I will discuss The Secret Book of Flora Lea by Patti Callahan Henry when it meets via Zoom at 2 p.m. on Friday, September 18. The day’s discussion leader will be Judy Helgen. 


Event Date: September 21, 2026, at 10am

Critical issues facing detained immigrants and their families will be discussed.


Event Date: September 22, 2026, at 11am

UMRA’s September Living Well Workshop will feature Carol Bradford, MD, MS, FACS, interim dean of the University of Minnesota Medical School and interim executive vice president for Health Affairs. She is an internationally recognized cancer surgeon-scientist who also brings considerable leadership and administrative experience. 


Event Date: September 25, 2026, at 2pm

A 1978 short story collection by American author John Cheever. 


Event Date: September 29, 2026, at 11am

Professor Arun Saldanha, the featured speaker for the first luncheon forum of UMRA’s 2026–27 program year, will examine how tourism has evolved in an era shaped by pandemics, climate concerns, and changing global realities; and encourage us to think about what it means to be thoughtful, responsible, and curious travelers. 


Event Date: September 30, 2026, at 10am

 The architecture in Iceland is as spare as the culture -- honest and simple.


Event Date: October 5, 2026, at 9:30am

Michelle Trudeau-Spanjers leads the hike at William O'Brien State Park.


Event Date: October 5, 2026, at 10am

Topics include longevity, distributions, long term care, Social Security, and comprehensive planning.


Event Date: October 13, 2026, at 12:30pm

The theme for October is "Hands."


Event Date: October 15, 2026, at 3pm

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Event Date: October 19, 2026, at 9:30am

Jon C leads the hike at Nerstrand Big Woods with lunch afterwards.


Event Date: October 20, 2026, at 11am

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Event Date: October 26, 2026, at 10am

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Event Date: October 27, 2026, at 11am

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Event Date: November 2, 2026, at 10am

Bob & Jean Hall and Andy Whitman, participants.