Skip to content

Hike With a Naturalist


Classes - Youth / Recreation -
Youth Classes Fall 2025

Introducing our Hike with a Naturalist fall series!

Join the Hike with a Naturalist fall series, led by Bennett Myhran, the City Forester for Wayzata, as you explore the Big Woods Preserve and Woodrill SNA with your family. These all-ages hikes offer a chance to learn about local wildlife, conservation challenges, and how humans connect with the natural world. Each class in this fall series will also include some appreciation for the mysterious science of autumn leaf color.

**Parent participation required

October 16: Welcome to the Big Woods (all ages)

On this hike we’ll learn about the ins and outs of this unique woodland preserve. First-time visitors and lifelong enthusiasts are welcome! We’ll be stopping at a number of notable sites along the way to talk about trees, soils, wildlife, and how we humans fit into the equation.

October 19: Get to Know Your Trees (all ages) 

If you live nearby, you probably spend most of your days surrounded by trees – but how well do you really know them? On this hike, we’ll talk about what makes these giants so impressive and what we can do to show them our appreciation.


October 25: Conservation 101 (all ages)

Woodrill SNA is home to an increasingly rare woodland ecosystem that once defined what is now the Twin Cities west metro area. On this hike, we’ll learn what makes an “old-growth” forest like this so special. We’ll discuss the opportunities and challenges faced by modern conservation managers in our area, and consider how we might borrow their insights. 

 October 2025 
SuMTuWThFSa
 
 
 
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Instructor

Bennett Myhran


Bennett Myhran is a City Forester with a passion for conservation, public policy, and our neighborhoods' forests. With over 15 years of experience in public and private sector arboriculture and horticulture, he has dedicated his career to cultivating greener communities through collaborative efforts and diverse stakeholders. We sometimes forget that even our developed environments are home to an incredible, interconnected network of plant and animal species. Bennett believes that this network can thrive when we choose collective, thoughtful, progressive management strategies.

HIKE-BIGWOODS-F-25

  Bennett Myhran


City of Wayzata - Wayzata Big Woods Preserve
Thursday, Oct 16
5:00 - 6:00 PM

Su
M
Tu
W
Th
F
Sa


$ 5.00
per person
HIKE-CONSERVE-F-25

  Bennett Myhran


City of Wayzata - Wayzata Wood-Rill SNA
Saturday, Oct 25
9:00 - 10:00 AM

Su
M
Tu
W
Th
F
Sa


$ 5.00
per person
HIKE-TREES-F-25

  Bennett Myhran


City of Wayzata - Wayzata Wood-Rill SNA
Sunday, Oct 19
1:00 - 2:00 PM

Su
M
Tu
W
Th
F
Sa


$ 5.00
per person