Trails explore St. Croix County WI geology

Rocks forming the cliffs that Willow River cuts through were formed about
half-a-billion years ago.

Hikers can explore the geology of Wisconsin’s St. Croix County via a number of great day trails. Located just east of Minneapolis-St. Paul, the county is easy to reach via Interstate 94.

Underlying the entire county is 1.1 billion year old bedrock, formed when the North American continent began to split in two. From this rift flowed thousands of feet of lava. In the county, these flaws included the area northwest of where the Willow River runs today while the rest of the county mainly contains clastic rock, which is weathered rock that rivers dumped into the rift’s depression.

Fast forward a half-billion years. At that time – the Cambrian and Ordovician periods – the county sat in a sea off the edge of North America. Northern Wisconsin was a high coastal area. As rivers carried sediment off these eroding mountains, the sand and silt settled in the sea for more than 100 million years. As sea life grew more complex near the end of that period, their falling shells settled in the sediment, creating the marine limestone underlying much of the county’s topsoil. Cliffsides of this rock can be seen today at Willow Falls where the Willow River has cut through it; it can be reached via the Willow Falls Hill (Gray) Trail at Willow River State Park.

Two ancient faults during that time offset the rocks layers by as much as 400 feet in the county. One fault runs north of Hudson. The other one, known as the Hudson Fault, sits in the state park on the eastern side of Little Falls Lake. You can walk over the latter fault on the Willow Falls (Blue) Trail at Willow River State Park.

Fast forward nearly another half-billion years. About 2.5 million years ago, the Earth entered a series of ice ages. Much of the landscape seen today in St. Croix County exists as it does because of those glaciers. During one of those glacial periods more than 100,000 years ago, an ice sheet engulfed the entire county.

In the last ice age, which began about 100,000 years ago and ended a mere 8000 years ago, the leading edge of the Superior Lobe of the Laurentide Ice Sheet covered the county’s northwestern corner. It formed moraines – ridges of rock and sediment carried by glaciers – and kettle lakes, where melting ice broken from retreating glacier formed a depression, with the trapped meltwater forming a waterbody. Moraines are visible on the Mound (White) Trail at Willow River State Park and a kettle lake on the Siem Trail, located in the Homestead Parklands on Perch Lake.

Most noticeably, the St. Croix River served as a major drainage for meltwater from retreating glaciers with flashfloods scouring out the St. Croix River Valley. The Hudson Pier, at Lakefront Park in downtown Hudson, runs to the center of the river valley. During the height of the glacial drainage, the pier would have been a few hundred feet under the river.

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

Day hikes explore St. Croix County history

The Wildwood Trail takes a walk into St. Croix County's history.

Several excellent trails provide hikers the opportunity to explore the rich history of Wisconsin’s St. Croix County.

For centuries, Dakota Indians lived in what is now St. Croix County. Shortly before Europeans arrived in the area, the Ojibwe gained control of the area. Trading between Frenchmen seeking furs and the Ojibwe occurred throughout the 1700s, with France claiming the region as part of its empire. The British pushed out the French in 1763, and following the Revolutionary War 20 years later, the United States took possession of what is now Wisconsin.

Euro-American settlement of St. Croix County began during the 1830s as homesteaders began claiming land. By 1839, steamers began plying the St. Croix River, and a year later the county’s first town – Buena Vista – was laid out. Buena Vista changed its named to Hudson 12 years later.

For the next four decades, the St. Croix River served as a major route for ferrying cut pine from northern Wisconsin to sawmills in Hudson and neighboring Stillwater, Minn. Wheat farming dominated the interior. The county's population doubled between 1860 and 1870. New Richmond’s Paperjack Creek and Heritage Center trails gives a sense of what life was like in the county during that era.

As the 1800s came to a close, the sawmills shut down for the great pineries of the north had been logged off. Railroads crisscrossed the county. Dairying replaced wheat farming; by 1895, the county boasted 14 creameries and seven cheese factories. The Wildwood Trail runs on a former rail line past dairy farms that have been in operation since that period.

During the 20th century, roads and motor vehicles gradually surpassed the railroad as the main form of transportation. The new Interstate highway system of the 1950s ran straight through the county, connecting Minneapolis-St. Paul with Madison and Milwaukee to the south. This opened the way for the county's western portion to become bedroom communities for the Twin Cities. In part to ward off potential overdevelopment of the predominantly rural area, the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway was established in 1968. The Hudson Pier takes day hikers into the middle of the scenic riverway's Lake St. Croix to an island.

As the number of family dairy farms declined at the beginning of the 21st century, the role of commuting – and of tourism – grew in the county. Today, several public areas aimed at preserving natural habitats while offering recreational activities exist throughout the county. Prime examples of this are the Willow Falls Hill (Gray) Trail at Willow River State Park and the Glen Hills West Trail at Glen Hills County Park.

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

St. Croix County attractions for hikers

Overlook Trail, Eau Galle Recreation Area.

Four major attractions in Wisconsin’s St. Croix County offer great opportunities for hiking.

The St. Croix National Scenic Riverway – whose 252 miles includes the entire length of the county’s eastern border – is largely urbanized in this region. A pier and riverwalk in downtown Hudson, however, provide for some fun day walks.

To get back to nature, you’ll want to hit any of the three parks centered on reservoirs.

In Hudson, Willow River State Park features a 45-foot waterfall that’s at the bottom of a 20-story canyon. Upstream, the Willow River is dammed to form Little Falls Lake. A dozen trails can be found in the park.

On the county’s east side, Glen Hills County Park sits southeast of Glenwood City. Several trails ramble around 78-acre Glen Lake, a flowage that keeps Beaver Creek from flooding. To the south near Spring Valley, the Eau Galle Recreation Area dams up its namesake river to form Lake George. A number of trails, including an overlook of the dam and reservoir, are located there.

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

Great hikes near major St. Croix Co. roads

Wildwood Trail

Several major highways offer access to Wisconsin’s St. Croix County, which is chock full of great hiking trails.

From the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, take Interstate 94 east across the St. Croix River. Visitors from southern Minnesota and Iowa can drive Interstate 35 north to I-94 while those in northern Minnesota can take I-35 south to I-94. Once in St. Croix County, most of the hiking trails are only a few miles north or south of the freeway. One easy hiking area to reach is Willow River State Park and its 45-foot waterfall, which is just a couple of miles off I-94.

From western Wisconsin take either Wis. Hwy. 35 or U.S. Hwy. 63 to I-94. Hwy. 35 runs through River Falls, past Hudson’s downtown pier and riverway, and to Somerset. Hwy. 63 meets I-94 in Baldwin, which boasts the Casey Lake Wildlife Management Area.

From eastern Wisconsin and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, head west on Wis. Hwy. 64, Wis. Hwy. 29 or I-94. Hwy. 64 runs through New Richmond and Somerset, passing the latter’s La Grandeur Natural Area. Hwy. 29 links to I-94 in Eau Claire or can be taken directly to Spring Valley with its Eau Galle Recreation Area and Crystal Cave. I-94 passes Woodville and offers access to the Glen Hills.

From southern Wisconsin, take I-94 north into the county. The freeway offers access to each St. Croix County community.

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