Wild River SP trails cross oak forest, prairie

Windfall Trail. Photo courtesy Minnesota DNR.

A diverse array of trails await day hikers at Minnesota's Wild River State Park.

The state park is located along the St. Croix River. Originally called St. Croix Wild River State Park – and it still appears on various maps that way – it’s now just Wild River State Park.

To reach the trail, from North Branch, Minn., take Minn. Hwy. 95 to County Road 12. Drive it to the park entrance, and follow the main park road to your trailhead’s parking lot.

Among the best day hiking trails at the state park are:
g Amador Prairie Loops – Day hikers can choose between a 1-mile or a 2-mile loop that heads through an open area of tall prairie grasses. The loops begin at the park’s Trail Center.
g Amik’s Pond Trail – Brochures for the nature trail can be picked up at its trailhead next to the visitor center. It runs one mile.
g Deer Creek Loop – Part of the pretty trail runs along the historic Old Military Road that once connected what is now the south end of the scenic riverway with Lake Superior. Including the stem trail from either the visitor center or the River Access, the trail runs 4-miles round trip.
g Mitigwaki Loop – The 1-mile loop heads through an oak woods overlooking Dry Creek. The trailhead is at the visitor center.
g Pioneer Trail – Day hikers can experience three ecosystems – on oak woods, a savanna, and a prairie – on this loop that leaves from the Trail Center. Including an access trial, the walk is 3.1-miles round trip.
g River Terrace Loop – The 1.5-mile loop and its stem trail circles through a bottomland forest. It offers views of the Old Nevers Dam site on the river.
g Windfall Trail – Like the Amik's Pond Trail, a brochure for the nature trail is located at its visitor center trailhead. It is 1-mile long.

Read more about day hiking the scenic riverway in my guidebook Hittin’ the Trail: Day Hiking the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway.

Day hike prairie grasslands at Wild River

Big bluestem grows in the Amador Prairie.

Trail loops in restored meadow

The Northwoods is far more diverse than fragrant pine trees and picturesque lakes. At Wild River State Park, hikers can enjoy some of that variety by taking one of two loops through a restored prairie.

Wild River State Park rests upon the St. Croix River in Chisago County and features an all-season trail center. The Amador Prairie Loops start at the trail center.

Autumn wildflowers
A mild summer day is best for the hike because the trail is open to sun. A warm fall afternoon also is pleasant; in mid-September, asters and goldenrods usually peak, a pretty sight against the tall grasses’ reds.

To reach Wild River, from Amelund take Minn. Hwy. 12 (aka Park Road) east into the park. Past the service road, turn at the first left to the trail center.

Park at the center. At the trailhead, go clockwise, or left/north.

Either loop ranks easy on the difficulty level as they meander through open grassland of big bluestem and Indian grasses with islands of oak savannah. The smaller of the two loops runs for a mile and forms part of the longer trail, which is 2.1 miles long.

Almost extinct
From the trailhead, the path curves northwest for 0.2 miles, where it joins the route to the equestrian trailhead. At that intersection, turn right/north.

A few decades ago, this prairie area almost ceased to exist as farmer-introduced trees and thatch threatened to wipe out the grasses. Controlled burning and annual seed sowing, however, has helped rehabilitate the grassland.

After traveling north for 0.2 miles, hikers have the option of taking a short or a long trail. If you want to make small loop, turn right at the trail intersection and go 0.2 miles across the prairie restoration. At the next trail intersection, you’ll rejoin the larger loop; from there, go right/south for 0.7 miles and back to the trail center.

Along the way, there’s a very good chance that you’ll spot wildlife. Songbirds are prevalent on both prairie loops; May is an opportune time to witness the warbler migration. But white-tailed deer, coyotes, raccoons, squirrels and even black bears sometimes can be seen here as well.

Ancient river's edge
If taking the longer loop, don’t cut across prairie but continue north for another 0.7 miles to the next trail intersection and curve east. Even in a gentle breeze, prairie grass moves and sounds like sea waves as you walk.

The restored prairie, as with the rest of the park, sits upon basalt from 1.1 billion-year-old lava flows. Floodwaters from glacial lakes carved out what is now the St. Croix River Valley and much of the parkland. Look for the bluffs, now sitting far inland, that mark what was the river’s edge some 10,000 years ago.

The longer loop goes 0.5 miles southeast before connecting with Nevers Dam Trail. Continue heading south another 0.2 miles where the path meets the shorter loop’s cut across the prairie. From there, walk 0.7 miles back to trail center.

Dogs are allowed to use the trails if on leashes of no more than six feet. Hikers share the loops with riders and as a courtesy should yield and let horses pass.

Read more about day hiking Northeast Minnesota in my Headin’ to the Cabin: Day Hiking Trails of Northeast Minnesota guidebook.