Trail heads 400 feet above Mississippi River

Great River Road Visitor Center  and the paved Interpretive Trail.

Great River Road Visitor Center Interpretive Trail map.

Day hikers can learn about the Mississippi River on the Great River Road Visitor Center Interpretive Trail in Prescott.

For those traveling south along ‘Ol Man River, the visitor center marks a good first stop. Prescott sits at the confluence of the St. Croix and Mississippi rivers, with the Great River Road – Wis. Hwy. 35 – paralleling the latter waterway south to the Illinois border.

To reach the visitor center and trail, drive southeast of downtown Prescott on Hwy. 35. Turn right/south on Monroe Street. The center is in one block at Freedom Park.

The paved interpretive trail overlooking the river and the visitor center sit atop a bluff rising 400 feet above the Mississippi River. The trail offers fantastic views of the riverway, Prescott Island to the north, and raptors flying overhead. Elsewhere in the small park, century-old burr oak trees grow amid picnic tables and a playground.

Inside the center are several exhibits on bald eagles and river life. Presentations are offered throughout the year.

Starting as a creek flowing out of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, the Mississippi River flows 2,320 miles south to the Gulf of Mexico. It is North America’s second longest river, though arguably its most important.

The Mississippi is a muddy brown compared to the St. Croix’s brilliant blue, readily apparent if crossing the U.S. Hwy. 10 bridge into Prescott or if gazing north from the interpretive trail. Though the Mississippi was heavily polluted for much of the last century, today the brown is due to the large amount of sediment from the Minnesota River. In addition, the Mississippi’s riverbed is quite steep in Minnesota, dropping half of its entire elevation to sea level just between its headwaters and St. Paul, Minn.

The Upper Mississippi is much different than that of the South, whose gambling steamboats and rafts of Mark Twain fame fire the imagination. Through Minnesota and Wisconsin, the river is largely trapped between high, steep bluffs and often splits into back channels. By the time the river reaches central Illinois, it becomes a broad, meandering waterway with few bluffs or hills nearby.

Much of the Mississippi north of St. Louis has been reduced to a series of lakes thanks to an extensive lock and dam system. Largely constructed during the Great Depression, the locks and dams make the river more navigable while preventing major flooding. Lock and Dam No. 3 in Red Wing, Minn., forms the pool before the interpretive trail, which backs up to Lock and Dam No. 2 north of Hastings, Minn.

Among the center’s current projects is restoration of a goat prairie. These uphill meadows were common along this part of the Mississippi River until agriculture and urban development wiped them out during the 20th century. Among the plants in these prairies were the blazing star, Indiangrass, pasque flowers, and the prairie smoke flower.

The visitor center is closed on Mondays in fall and spring and Monday through Friday during winter.

Learn about trail guidebooks available in the Hittin’ the Trail series.

Great trails abound at Kinnickinnic S.P.

Kinnickinnic River Delta, from the Purple Trail. Photo courtesy Wis. DNR.

For residents of the eastern Twin Cities and west-central Wisconsin, Kinnickinnic State Park offers a convenient central location to escape back to nature for a day.

The park is located on the St. Croix and Kinnickinnic rivers, almost equidistant from River Falls, Hudson, and Prescott, Wis. The latter two communities offer bridge access into Minnesota.

Among the trails at the state park (going from east to west):
g Red Trail – The 1.6-mile hike heads through prairie alongside a forest’s edge. Among the highlights is the Vulture’s Peak area. Near the park entrance, the set of two loops can be accessed from the park’s first two parking lot.
g Blue Trail – The 0.7-mile out-and-back trail (1.4-miles round trip) gives hikers the opportunity to explore gorges and coulees into the Kinnickinnic River Valley. Access the wooded trail from the second parking area past the park entrance. Add the 0.1-mile (0.2-miles round trip) Brown Trail, which serves as a sledding hill in winter, to extend the hike.
g Yellow Trail – The 1.2-mile loop edges a forest and prairie area. Watch for deer, pheasants and turkeys along the trail. The Kinni Overlook Lot is a good place to start; the trail can be extended by adding the Green, Orange or Purple trails.
g Orange Trail – A wooded out-and-back trail atop the Kinnickinnic River bluffs, it runs for 0.5 miles (1-mile round trip). Park at the Kinni Overlook Lot and access it via the Yellow Trail; add the Purple and Yellow trails for a longer walk.
g Green Trail – The trail loops about the outside of a prairie area under restoration and is an excellent place to spot partridge, pheasants and other birds. Access it via the Yellow Trail; from the Kinnic Overlook Lot, go left/north on the Yellow for a 1.6-mile round trip (The Green Trail itself is 1.1-miles long).
g Purple Trail – The 1.2-mile loop (when combined with a segment of the Yellow Trail), offers great views of the Kinnickinnic River Delta and the St. Croix River, as well as access to a swimming beach along the St. Croix. Park in the St. Croix Picnic Area Lot.

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

Hike offers great view of river delta, valley

Kinnickinnic River Delta. Photo courtesy Wisconsin DNR.

Purple Trail

Day hikers are certain to spot wildlife on the Purple Trail at the southernmost state park along the St. Croix River.

The 1.2-mile loop, which includes a segment of the Yellow Trail, takes hikers along a first-class trout stream at Kinnickinnic State Park in Pierce County, Wis. Though a compact park at a little more than 1200 acres, it contains an old-growth oak forest, restored prairies, and a river delta.

To reach the park, from Wis. Hwy. 29 northeast of Prescott, Wis., take County Road F north for about 5.5 miles. Turn left/west onto 820th Avenue then left/south into the park; follow the entry road west all of the way to its end and park in the St. Croix Picnic Area Lot.

An access trail to the main course begins in the lot’s western corner. Upon reaching the Purple Trail, turn right/north. Most of the trees in this area of Wisconsin were cut by pioneers and 19th century logging companies, but the trail here passes through one of the few woodlands to escape the ax.

Wildlife abounds as well in this area. Watch for whitetail deer, raccoon, rabbits and squirrels. Hikers have spotted weasels, gray fox, red fox and even beaver nearby.

Restored prairie
In about 600 feet from the access trail, you’ll pass a path to the swim area. Continuing on the main trail, the woods soon gives way to a restored prairie.

This region was plowed under by the area’s first white settlers but since 1972 (when the state park was established) have been among 50 acres of land at the park restored to original prairie. Watch for partridge, ringneck pheasants and other birds that prefer grasslands.

You’ll soon reach a junction with the Yellow Trail; go right/south on it through more prairie. In about 600 feet, you’ll cross the park entry road, so make sure any little ones with you watch for traffic.

Rivers below
The Yellow Trail then rejoins the Purple Trail; go right/south onto the latter. After a junction with the Orange Trail, the Kinnickinnic River should come in view to the left/south. You’re on a bluff overlooking the river; don’t get too close to the edge, though, as the limestone cliff is a straight drop down.

White pines line the river, which is popular with anglers for its brown trout. Watch for mink slinking along the banks looking for food.

Rounding the picnic area, head into the overlook on the left/west to see the Kinnickinnic River Delta with the St. Croix River. Sediment from the Kinnickinnic reduces the St. Croix’s width here by about 75 percent.

The result is a faster current, which during winter leaves the St. Croix ice-free. Because of that, bald eagles enjoy a year-round fishing area, so keep your eyes to the sky for the bird of prey.

The access trail to the parking lot is directly across from the overlook.

Good options
If time and energy allows, consider extending the hike by adding the rest of the Yellow Trail; to do that, at the first junction of the Purple/Yellow trails, go left/north onto the latter. The 1.2-mile Yellow Trail (You’ll only do about a mile of it for a 1.8-mile hike total.) loops along the forest and prairie edge. A flat trail, it offers the opportunity to spot wild turkeys. When the Yellow rejoins the Purple, go left/south onto the latter.

Alternately, enjoy a dip into the St. Croix River at its swim area that the Purple Trail passed at its start. There’s a small sand beach at the swim area, and the St. Croix is one of the Midwest’s cleanest waterways.

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

Hike to river shore, through apple orchard

An apple orchard makes Carpenter Nature Center a major
autumn destination.

Day hikers can enjoy a walk down a bluff to the St. Croix River and then through an apple orchard at the Carpenter St. Croix Valley Nature Center in the southeast Twin Cities.

A nonprofit aimed at preserving wildlife habitat and providing educational opportunities about nature, Carpenter St. Croix Valley is free and offers a number of quality programs through the year. The facility is open every day from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. except on Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day.

The South River Bluff Trail and a paved trail connecting it to the visitor center runs about 0.95-miles round trip to the shores of the St. Croix. This trail heads through the heart of the center’s 425-acre main property in Minnesota; a separate 300-acre restored prairie and wooded bluffs are on a nature preserve in Wisconsin.

To reach the nature center, from U.S. Hwy. 10 take Minn. Hwy. 21 (aka as St. Croix Trail) north and watch for the signs; the center is on the right/east in about two miles. Once on the center entry road, park in the northern lot.

Check out the interpretive center northeast of the parking lot for several exhibits and displays about the Lower St. Croix Valley. A paved trail departs from the center's north side.

River shore
Follow the trail east, avoiding the turnoffs onto other trails (Save them for a later visit!). Most of this area is open, so be sure to don suntan lotion or wear a sunhat during summer.

The trail soon curves south; at each of the next three trail junctions, continue heading south. A wetlands is to the east/left with a tree line in the distance that turns an array of reds, yellows and browns each autumn.

Soon the pathway makes a hairpin turn north and reaches the unpaved South River Bluff Trail. Take this down the ridge to the river’s edge, which is on the other side of the Railroad Bed Trail. Upon reaching the river, you’re about halfway through the hike. The far shoreline is Wisconsin.

The St. Croix River there is close to its widest before flowing into the Mississippi River just a couple of miles south in Prescott, Wis. For the next 123 miles to the north, the river forms the Wisconsin-Minnesota border before meandering into the Badger State for its last 44 miles.

Apple orchard
Upon taking in the great views, turn back, going the way you came. However, if it's autumn, at the next junction after making the hairpin turn north, go left/west. The trail passes through a small wooded area, then heads south into the apple orchard.

The orchard was started by the center's namesakes, Thomas and Edna Carpenter, in the 1940s. Thirteen types of apples grow at the center; you'll be able to purchase most of them in mid-September.

Staying on the orchard's west side, the trail exits into the Apple Shack, which sells apples and honey grown at the center, as well as food ranging from pumpkins and squash to jams and syrups.

Leave through the Apple Shack’s other side into the southern parking lot. Follow this back to the northern parking lot where your vehicle is.

Click map for larger version.

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