Interstate State Park

Hiking Club Trail #2

​HIKE DETAILS
Date: September 13, 2017
Location: Taylors Falls, MN
Length: 3 Miles (Hiking Club Trail) + a few Extra miles on the Railroad Trail and Pot Hole Park
Difficulty: River Trail (HCT) is moderate with bare rock and gravel - Railroad Trail has a lot of stairs
Cumulative Hiking Club Miles: 4 of 197

I've been to this park many times, it's small and in the summer it can be really busy - but it has some spectacular views.

The parks main attraction besides the great views of the St. Croix river are the glacial potholes. Created 10 thousand years ago when water from melting glaciers carved the river valley. Within that water were fast moving whirlpools of swirling sand and water that wore deep holes into the rock - there are more than 400 examples of these in this park.

​But alas this trip I wasn't there to see the potholes, I was there to hike the River Trail (HCT). This trail runs along the river between both parking lots. At points you are up high on the bluff at other points you are at river level. There are lookout points along the way where you can sit on a bench and watch the birds or the boats coming up and down the river. This trip we saw one snake, which really confused the dog. 

We continued under the bridge from the visitor center to the Railroad trail. There were a lot of stairs to start out but it end up pretty flat running along the old Northern Pacific Railroad. You have great views of the Sandstone cliffs and there was a dry waterfall that was pretty interesting.

All and all I will be back to this park mainly because it is within an hour distance of my house...