Interstate State Park MN

In the continued saga to do more day hikes in the area over the weekends that we can’t go camping, since imagine that you can’t camp EVERY weekend, we ventured out to a park that is fairly close to the Twin Cities.

Interstate State Park

Part of the Minnesota State Parks System

Located ~ 1 hour from the Twin Cities

Map of the park, specifically the river trail, courtesy of the MN DNR

The warmth of spring was definitely in the air as we ventured out on a Saturday morning to Taylors Falls, where the park is located. Considering the proximity of this park to the Twin Cities, we have never been and were looking forward to exploring the park. We have been the Wisconsin side of this inter-state park, but never to the Minnesota side. There aren’t many miles of trail, maybe five in total, in the park, which also why we’d never been there before. What the park lacks in mileage it makes up for in views and interesting geological formations. There is a small campground in the park and if you like water activities or camping where you have options to eat at restaurants, this would be a good park for a low key weekend trip.

First part of the River trail near the campground was wide

I had scoped out the map before heading over to the park and we had planned to do all of the miles of trail at the park, which is mainly the River Trail that goes along the St Croix River from the campground up to the geological formations. There is another trail that run parallel to the River Trail called the Railroad Trail that we had planned to take back to our parking spot near the campground. As we headed out on the River Trail we noticed a sign that said the connection to the Railroad Trail was closed due to ice thaw, so we quickly decided that we would just do the River Trail as an out and back. It would give us an excuse to come back another time!

One of the bridges along the trail, can see the up and down nature of the trail

The River Trail starts somewhat close to the level of the river and gradually gains in elevation as it goes up river. The trail is almost all shaded except for the portion that goes along the road. Although only a mile and a half one way, it was a great way to stretch our spring legs and get some ups and downs in. There were views of the river with benches where you could sit and relax and interesting rock formations along the trail, which make this more than just a simple walk through the woods.

Views of the St Croix River along the River trail

As the trail nears the Visitor Center, you can pick up on the Glacial Potholes trail. This trail is probably why many people come to the park itself. There are many glacial formations, or lack of formations (?), called glacial potholes where rocks or debris got caught or encountered softer rock and created some pretty big circular holes in the rock. This trail is guided and has signs explaining more of the geology of how these were formed and some of the unique characteristics of the different types that are present in the park. This portion of the trail alone is worth a stop if you’re in the area and have never been because some of these holes are massive!

On the Glacial Potholes trail

After exploring the potholes area for a while, we decided to head back to the car along the River trail. There are a few short trails on the other side of the Visitor’s Center that go closer to Taylor’s Falls, but we were getting hungry and out to see nature and walk, not see a town. The walk back was just as pleasant as the walk there and we enjoyed our time in this park a lot. It is a quick drive from the Cities and there are enough trails that coming back and exploring new parts of the park would not be a problem. This would be a great place to camp over a weekend when looking for a short drive, to just relax, and be close to town if you’ve forgotten any supplies or maybe want to go out to eat.

More of the River trail on the way back to the car

All in all a great day hike!

‘Til next time!