Just an hour north of the Twin Cities is the small town of Taylor’s Falls. Taylors Falls is a city of about 1000 people located on the banks of the scenic St. Croix River, opposite the Wisconsin city of St. Croix Falls. There are a lot of great outdoor activities in this area and on a beautiful sunny day, it makes for an excellent day trip. Or better yet, spend several days and experience all this area has to offer.
BY THE RIVER
On the Minnesota side, Interstate State Park might be the only state park where the entrance is right in the city. The park entrance is at the intersection of highway 95 and 8. The entrance is also shared with Taylors Falls Scenic Boat Tours, which is another way to experience the river.
Interstate Park is also on the Wisconsin side of the river. Minnesota and Wisconsin cooperatively established the part around the turn of the century.
This area of the river is called the Dalles of the St. Croix. Lava flows created basalt rock cliffs, pinnacle forms, and rocky slopes. This area is well-known for the unique cylindrical potholes, formed by the grinding actions of sand and small stones swirling in strong currents. The pothole area is adjacent to the main parking, so exploring this area is can be quick or you can linger along the banks of the river. Look for the climbers on the opposite side of the river. This is a popular place for rock climbing.
The main walking trail is the Walter F. Mondale River Trail, which features scenic overlooks of the St. Croix and at times, sneaks right adjacent to Highway 8. AS you get closer to the campgrounds to the south, the trail dips down closer to the river. We have never stayed at this campground, but it has 37 non-electric sites at the river, 22 electric sites, and 4 group campsites.
IN THE RIVER
Another fantastic way to experience the river is by canoeing and kayaking the St. Croix. In July, together with our friends Curt and Jordan, we rented kayaks through Riverwood Canoe and Kayak Rental in Osceola WI. A bus took us up to Interstate park on the Wisconsin side to put in the kayaks.
With the mild current and shallow river, this kayak trip is perfect for beginners. We got 2 double kayaks and a single. We started out with Cormac and I sharing a double kayak, but he complained I wasn’t paddling enough. In my defense, if one paddles too hard, you will finish too soon! The trip took us about 2.5 hours and we stopped for a good 30 minutes for a beer and snacks and didn’t paddle hard.
The river was incredibly crowded the day we went. In contrast, Kevin and I were remembering our canoe trip about 25 years ago and we were the only ones on the river. The joy of spending time on the river is no longer a secret…
WHILE YOU ARE UP THAT WAY…..
Franonia Sculpture Park is a free, 43-acre outdoor sculpture park located just west of Taylor’s Falls. From their website:
Franconia was founded in 1996 by a small group of professional artists who envisioned a supportive artist residency community and outdoor museum. Today, this vision has been achieved through an active artist residency program that serves over 40 artists each year and arts learning programming that serves over 150,000 annual visitors
They continue to grow and recently add Franconia Commons- which contains a gallery, gift shop, restrooms, and a visitor center. We spent about an hour but didn’t see all the sculptures. The paths are carved in fields of wildflowers with outdoor “rooms” for the sculptures. The current exhibitions are shown here.
Other options for Things to Do in that area:
Fawn-Doe-Rosa: Get up close and personal with animals, including deer and farm animals. I haven’t been here, but a neighbor with younger children was raving about it.
Wild Mountain: Summer attractions include waterpark and slides, alpine slide, go-karts. Winter activities are about skiing, snowboarding or tubing.
Wild River State Park: Just 15 minutes north of Taylors Falls.
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