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| Limestone blocks cross the Middle Branch Whitewater River on the Dakota Trail. Photo by MNDNR. |
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| Dakota Trail topo map. Click for larger version. |
The 4.2-miles round trip hike goes up and down a small bluff overlooking a fast-moving river and even crosses it. And the best part of the hike is that thanks to the lack of stagnant water in the 2700-acre park, you rarely have to deal with a pesky mosquito.
To reach the trail, from either Weaver or St. Charles take Minn. Hwy 74 to the state park. Leave your vehicle in the lot at the nature store then cross Hwy. 74 to the trailhead.
The trail begins with a hearty aerobic workout. It climbs 238 wooden steps to a landing at the base of a limestone bluff then takes another 109 steps up to the summit. At times, the stairs are so steep that they are almost as vertical as a ladder.
To the right of the last stair is the Coyote Point overlook, which gives a good view of your ascent route and the river valley below. After taking in the scene, go left/northwest onto the main trail, which thankfully becomes fairly level and is made of packed dirt – but also narrows as skirting the bluff edge.
There are plenty of vistas to enjoy of the Whitewater River Valley from atop the bluff. Among the best of them after Coyote Point is Ice Cave Point at 0.4 miles from the trailhead.
Loess
At 0.55 miles, the trail junctions with the Coyote Point Trail. Continue left on the main trail. This places you at the edge of the bluff as the trail gently rolls, so be careful of the long drop-offs. The trail also narrows after passing through several large boulders but comes to a stone ledge with a great vista.
The trail reaches a junction with an unnamed and unmarked trail at 0.9 miles. Continue left.
At the 1-mile mark, the trail turns rocky and steep as it descends to Middle Branch Whitewater River. Despite the river’s appellation, there are no roiling rapids; the river so named because the water appears white when spring runoff carries light-colored clay into it. This clay is fine-textured loess left by glaciers during an ice age preceding the most recent one; once the ice retreated, wind blew the loess into this area of Minnesota.
Prone to erosion, deep gullies through the loess often formed on hillsides after mud slides filled ravines and streams. Farmers who settled in the Whitewater River Valley during the 1800s quickly discovered their efforts would be for naught as the loess in which they planted their crops quickly blew and slid away. Some towns from that era – like Beaver and Whitewater Falls – even are buried under mud.
Forest and wildlife
Next you’ll pass the junction with the Valley Trail, which weaves about the river bottoms. Go right and remain on the main trail.
The trail then crosses the shallow Middle Branch Whitewater River on large limestone blocks laid out across the water. The river moves fast here; the gradient averages about 25 feet per mile, and because of that flooding is common, sometimes closing Hwy. 74 downstream between Weaver and Elba.
Next, the trail heads up the limestone bluff through an open forest. Basswood, maple, oak and shagbark hickory dominate the river valley and hillsides with pine prevailing atop the bluffs.
All of this makes an ideal home for a variety of wildlife, including white-tailed deer, rabbits, ruffed grouse, squirrels, and wild turkey. The rare timber rattlesnake also makes the valley and bluffs its abode, but sightings are rare. Trout flourish in the river, and sometimes you’ll see more anglers than hikers in the park.
Back to bluff's bottom
Once back on the bluff top, take a short spur trail to Signal Point overlook, which offers a view of bluffs lining the river’s opposite shore. The limestone bluffs here were formed around 450 million years ago when rivers deposited layer after layer of sediment in a warm, tropical sea. After taking in the sights, return to the main trail and go left.
The trail here follows the bluff’s edge with the river and a modern group camp on your left. Look for Jack-in-the-pulpit, wild ginger, and ferns growing in the forest understory. Eventually the trail arrives at Eagle Point overlook, a rock ledge.
Continue left along the blufftop and go down a few steps. The trail narrows and turns rocky and steep as descending to Hwy. 74.
After crossing the highway, the trail rolls through ravines past ferns, oak, shrubs, and rocks covered in moss. It soon reaches the grassy south picnic area. From there, follow the park road around a small (albeit high) bluff to your parking lot, which is about 0.5 miles away.
Learn about trail guidebooks available in the Hittin’ the Trail series.
