Great day hikes await in St. Croix County

Willow Falls at Willow River State Park

Imagine a place where a river plunges 45 feet at the bottom of a 20-story canyon, where premier trout streams run through picturesque fields and charming woodlands, where bald eagles grace the skies and white-tailed deer graze at twilight, where restored prairies look just as the pioneers saw them, and where the Midwest’s largest earthen dam holds back a mighty waterway. The place is real: It’s called St. Croix County, Wisconsin.

Serving as the main gateway for Twin Cities residents entering Wisconsin, St. Croix County is an outdoor recreational mecca. During summers, bicyclists and off-road vehicle enthusiasts ply a number of forested trails while fishermen and canoeists play on waterways and a nationally protected riverway. Come autumn, the roads turn busy with drivers out to enjoy the colorful blaze of autumn leaves. Throughout winter, cross-country skiers, snowshoers and snowmobilists sail across white paths while ice fishing shacks pop up on frozen lakes. And, of course, day and backcountry hikers alike enjoy the county’s dozens of miles of trails rambling through verdant scenery.

Three must-do St. Croix County trails include:
• Willow Falls Hill (Gray) Trail – The quickest way to reach beautiful 45-foot Willow Falls at Willow River State Park is this 0.4-mile trail. An initial hill to the waterfalls is steep but paved before turning flat and to dirt while heading alongside the river.
• Parnell Prairie Preserve trails – Hikers at the Parnell Prairie Preserve west of Somerset can see an ecosystem in the making as a long-abandoned dump is reclaimed. In fact, you might consider repeated trips here during the years ahead to watch the prairie spring alive.
• Eau Galle Dam Trail – Day hikers can walk across the largest earthen dam in the Midwest on this trail near Spring Valley. The 0.8-mile round trip hike sits in the popular Eau Galle Recreation Area, nestled on the borders of St. Croix and Pierce counties.

Learn more about nearby day hiking trails in my Day Hiking Trails of St. Croix County series.