Scenic St. Croix National Riverway
Midwest U. S. Beauty Spot offers Water Sports and Nature Galore
History
One of eight scenic waterways in the United States, the St. Croix, which includes a corridor of land on both the Minnesota and Wisconsin sides of the river, was established by the U. S. Congress under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968. The upper portion is managed by the National Park Service (NPS), while the lower portion is managed jointly by the NPS along with the Minnesota and Wisconsin Departments of Natural Resources. It’s the lower portion – the area from Hastings to Taylor’s Falls, that most people visit.
Sightseeing Options
How much of the area you explore and what you see depend largely on the time you have to spend, your travel budget and mode of transportation. Driving a car or recreational vehicle means that you will travel along Highway 95, lined with second growth forests of aspen, basswood, birch, maple and oak and which parallels the river that’s usually out of sight. To see the water, you must turn off the highway and take secondary roads to population centers like Marine on St. Croix or to the three state parks along the route.
The State Parks
For people traveling with their boats, launching ramps at Interstate State Park near Taylor’s Falls and William O’Brien Park about 12 miles north of Stillwater offer solutions to easy boat launching. At Interstate, O’Brien and Afton State Park (three miles east of junction of Highways 95 on County Road Highway 20) are hiking and horseback trails as well as visitors centers containing maps and other important information. Hiking trails range from 1/2 to 12 miles in length.
The area’s major trail for bicyclists is the Gateway Bike Trail, with a trailhead four miles northwest of Stillwater. The 18-mile-long Gateway connects with bicycle trails in the Twin Cities metropolitan area.Whether you’re following hiking, biking or horseback trails, be on the lookout for wildlife. A number of endangered species (including two species of mussels in the river; American peregrine falcons and bald eagles) live in the area. There are muskrat, mink, otter, beaver, bear, raccoon, fox and almost 200 bird species, too. The best source of information on the state parks is the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.
Sightseeing from a Variety of Perspectives
Although the upper St. Croix, a rugged, semi-wilderness area is a favorite with canoeists, you can also rent canoes at any of the three state parks in the lower section. Pontoon rentals at Stillwater Boat Rentals (525 S. Main, Stillwater) start at $205 for four hours, $305 for eight on Monday-Thursday; $50 additional on weekends.
Narrated scenic boat tours, which leave from the Taylor Falls marina, take passengers through the Dalles of the St. Croix. The 30-minute tour costs $10.50 for adults, the 80-minute tour costs $14.50 (St. Croix Boat & Packet Co.. 651-430-1234). Dinner cruise are also offered. The St. Croix Boat & Packet Co., which operates out of Stillwater, offers lunch cruises with prices that range from $17.65 to $28.95, depending upon the day (they’re most expensive on Saturday; Andiamo Enterprises, 651-430-1234).
Splurge Excursions
To see the river at it’s most romantic, you might opt for a gondola cruise. The 30-minute ride, which crosses the river and returns under the bridge, is $95 per couple. (Gondola Romantica; 651-439-1783).Balloon rides will give you a bird’s-eye view of the valley, but will cost a bundle-- $290 for one couple and the pilot. The flight lasts from one to one and a half hours and is followed by a champagne toast upon landing (Aamodt’s Balloon Rides, 651-351-0101).
