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| The Two Rivers Trail runs alongside the Kettle and St. Croix rivers. |
The 4.9-mile loop Two Rivers Trail suns alongside the Kettle River and a backchannel of the St. Croix River.
To reach the trailhead, from Hinckley take Minn. Hwy. 48 east. Turn right/south onto County road 22 and enter the park. At the park office, turn right/southwest. Don’t turn off this road and drive about 5 miles to Gate 23, or the Kettle River Overlook. Park there. The trail heads south from past Gate 23.
Kettle River
The trail descends through a mixed hardwood forest then at 0.3 miles reaches the Kettle River. The 83.6-mile long river is so named for the rounded holes – called kettles – in the sandstone near and in the river, ground out by swirling stones at the end of the last ice age.
Depending on when you hike the trail, the Kettle can look very different. During dry spells in summer and autumn, it’s a shallow river, barely seeming to move at all. Following the snowmelt or after a good rain, however, and it’s a deep raging torrent.
At 1.1 miles, the trail passes through a grove of large red pines. The fragrant evergreen can reach heights of 60-80 feet and if given enough time sometimes hit 10 stories tall. Their trunk diameter can reach 30-40 inches. It’s also known as Norway pine, though it’s native North America.
A junction for a trail that heads right/northeast to other side of the loop is at 1.2 miles. Continue left-straight/south, remaining alongside the Kettle River.
St. Croix River
The pines soon thin as the trail enters a floodplain ecosystem. At 1.4 miles, the trail reaches the confluence of Kettle River and a backchannel of the slower moving St. Croix River. Then the trail hairpins northeast to run alongside the backchannel.
Running 169 miles, the St. Croix River is slow moving this far north and often separates into braids, unlike its lower section where basalt and tall sandstone cliffs keep it hemmed in to a narrow channel. From the trail, islands with large trees between the St. Croix’s channels can be seen throughout the year.
At 2.2 miles, the trail crosses a stream draining into the backchannel.
The trail arrives at Pine Ridge campsite for canoers, located near a gentle rapids, at 2.8 miles. Those in search of fall color will love this next section of the trail, which passes through an older hardwood forest of maple, basswood, elm and oak.
The sugar maple is popular first for its seasonal leaf color – which changes from summer’s deep green to fall’s yellow, orange, red and then a dark burgundy – and of course, for its sweet maple syrup that tastes perfect on pancakes, waffles and French toast. It usually grows between 80-115 feet high. The younger trees have smooth bark, but as the trunk ages, it turns shaggy. Sugar maples can live up to 400 years.
Basswood, whose leaves turn olive in fall, usually are mixed in the canopy with sugar maple. The tree likes the same rich soils as sugar maples so often are found together in Minnesota and Wisconsin forests. Usually basswood rises between 60 to 120 feet high with a trunk diameter of 3 to 5 feet. Also known as the American linden, it’s easy to spot; the domed crown consists of spreading branches, the bark ranges from gray to light brown with narrow fissures, and the 4-6 inch long heart-shaped leaves alternate with the larger ones on the side nearest the branch. Depending on the the temperature and sunlight received, sometimes in autumn the leaves will turn a deep yellow with hints of orange. The edges usually brown before the leaves drop.
Elm, red oak
Graceful and stately, the American elm’s branches fall like fountain water. A hardy tree, it can withstand cold temperatures and is insensitive to daylight length. Its leaves turn yellow in autumn. Unfortunately, Dutch elm disease devastated the tree across North America during the 1950s, so they are rare find despite that at one time they lined many American streets.
Red oaks grows straight and up to 92 feet high; its trunk diameter can be up to 39 inches. Red oak often appears in soils created by glacial drift and in well-drained ground along streams. Their leaves turn brown in fall, a nice accent to the oranges, reds and yellows of this forest’s other trees. The tree is easy to differentiate from other oaks; its stout branches grow at right angles to its stem branch, resulting in a narrow, round head. Younger red oaks also can be quite tall, as they grow rapidly; a 10-year-old tree can be up to 20 feet high. Red oaks live up to 400 years.
At 4 miles in, the trail reaches Gate 25. Continue left/west by walking alongside the park road. The trail arrives at your parking lot in 0.9 miles.
Be sure to carry insect repellent with you, as you are close to two rivers the entire way and in a floodplain part of the hike. Usually during late autumn and certainly after a freeze, the insects will be nil, though.
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| Two Rivers Trail topo map. Click for larger version. |
