Eau Claire is filled with places to get away, and one of my favorite places is Lowes Creek Park. It is just a couple minutes outside of the city and the perfect place to go if you are looking for a couple of minutes by yourself.

Whether you want to hike some trails, sit on a rock by the river or take your dog (if you are lucky enough to have one) this is the place to be. As we all know, there is still a ton of snow on the ground so if you do decide to go, make sure to dress warmly and put on some waterproof hiking boots.

Or what I did a couple of weeks ago. Borrow a pair of snowshoes from someone. That way, if you don’t have anything other than TOMS or tennis shoes, you can still enjoy the trails and get good workout.

The unfortunate part is you have to pay for your car to be in the lot, but don’t worry, it’s only $3 for the day and totally worth it. That’s a coffee at Starbucks that you buy without even thinking about it, so ditch the overpriced coffee and head for the trails.

Better yet, pack a lunch and take a friend. I don’t know how many times I have gone out there with a backpack filled with extra pairs of gloves, a sandwich and water ready to spend a couple of hours just wandering around. One of the best parts is it’s hardly ever crowded and if it is, it’s really easy to get away from other people.

The trails go deep enough into the woods where all you hear are birds and your own footsteps and let me tell you, after a rough week of classes and multiple jobs, this is exactly what you need.

Sometimes with parks, you don’t know what you are in for. Many times there are beer bottles thrown everywhere and other garbage people have left behind, but not in this park.

There are also signs along the way that give you fitness challenges, like push-up bars. When the weather gets better, you can even mountain bike, which is really fun and a great way to see more of the 250 acres available to you.

I know we don’t want to think about more snow, but if there were, that would be the perfect time to head on out there. It gets so quiet, and the trees are covered with freshly fallen snow. It’s kind of like your own little paradise, and as we start thinking about finals coming up in the next month or so, a little paradise is what we are going to need.