31 WINTER 2021 ISSUE 02 / VOL . 02
SNOWGOER . COM 32
Five hundred million years ago , Minnesota was an entirely different place than the snowmobiling haven it is today . It straddled the equator and was partially covered by a vast , shallow sea , and the exposed landscape was barren because most plants hadn ’ t evolved .
Seas eventually receded and the continent drifted north during the
A lot of riding on the low areas of Zumbrowatha is through narrow , winding trails , but the one that runs through Whitewater State Park was wide as it followed the contour of the valley .
past 300 million years ; Minnesota was subjected to several periods of glaciation . Huge , powerful ice sheets slowly advanced and flattened the western and southern parts of the state , except for one small
part of the southeast : the Driftless Area .
That last plodding glacier missed southeast Minnesota 20,000 years ago , so now deep valleys and vast bluffs , with winding rivers and streams and swaying hardwoods , characterize the area . This dramatic landscape represents a long period of erosional history . And just like history lessons slip the minds of most people after high school , Upper Midwestern snowmobilers often forget that this interesting range of topography exists , and that it ’ s a wonderful place to ride .