 |
| Glen Park Trail waterfall beneath the swinging bridge in River Falls, Wis. |
Kinnickinnic State Park
Among the trails at the state park (going from east to west):
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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).
• Purple Trail – The 1.2-mile loop features a vista overlooking the Kinnickinnic’s confluence with the St. Croix River. The Kinnickinnic dumps much sediment in the St. Croix that the latter’s riverway narrows, forming a lake to the north.
River Falls
• Glen Park Trail – A swinging bridge and a cascades cuts through 500-million-year-old rock await day hikers in River Falls. The 0.25-mile round trip set of trails – christened here after the park they run through – sits close to the University of Wisconsin-River Falls campus.
• Manion Wildlife Area walkabout – If you enjoy bushwhacking or primitive trails, try this 158-acre property that includes restored grasslands. A parking lot sits on the south side of County Road FF east of 1130th Street.
• Jackson Preserve walkabout – Ditto for the adjacent Jackson Preserve, a 46-acre Kinnickinnic River Land Trust property on the north side of County FF. Use the wildlife area’s parking lot.
Spring Valley
• Crystal Cave Tour – Day hikers can explore Wisconsin’s longest cave just west of the village. The tour runs about 0.5-miles round trip through 1,300 feet of passageways, heading seven stories underground. Several deeper passages are closed to the public. The cave is a commercial venture, so a fee is charged to be part of a tour.
• Sinkhole Nature Trail – The free trail half-mile path on the Crystal Cave property passes two sinkholes, gooseberry brambles, and mossy banks. Trailhead is immediately north of the parking lot.
• Wildwood Trail – Among the most accessible and pleasurable parts of the trail runs 1.7 miles round-trip from near downtown alongside a small stream through a pleasant woods. The trailhead is off of Herb Avenue, north of County Road B (N. Second St.).
Learn about trail guidebooks available in the Hittin’ the Trail series.
