Hittin’ the Trail: Day Hiking Wisconsin and Minnesota Interstate State Parks: Hittin' the Trail, #1

By Rob Bignell

Few locales in the Upper Midwest match Wisconsin and Minnesota's Interstate State Parks' scenic beauty: a pristine blue river running through a gorge sided by black lava rock; fascinating multi-story sandstone formations; an utterly clear lake; extinct ancient riverbeds covered in ferns and wildflowers; glacial potholes that run dozens of feet deep.

Now comes the only complete guide to the parks' great day hiking trails: "Hittin' the Trail: Day Hiking Wisconsin and Minnesota Interstate State Parks." With one tap of the screen, you can:
>>Plan a day of fun family-friendly activities
>>Reserve a campsite
>>Receive a list of the parks' current programs
>>Learn about special kid programs
>>Find directions, entrance fees, parking lots and more!

With the "Hittin' the Trail" ebooks, you'll never need another hiking guide to any of your favorite parks. We'll see you on the trail!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Rob Bignell
• Release date: Apr 27, 2013
• ISBN: 9780985873974

Rob Bignell

Rob Bignell is the owner and sole editor at Inventing Reality Editing Service, which meets the editing and proofreading needs of writers both new and published. During the past five years, he's helped more than a hundred novelists, poets and nonfiction authors obtain their publishing dreams. Several of his short stories in the literary and science fiction genres have been published, and he is the author of the popular and highly acclaimed nonfiction "Hikes with Tykes," "Headin' to the Cabin," and "Hittin' the Trail" book series, the novel "Windmill", and the poetry collection "Love Letters to Sophie's Mom". For more than two decades, he worked as an award-winning journalist, with half of those years spent as an editor. In addition, for seven years he served as an English teacher or a community college journalism instructor. He holds a Master's degree in English and a Bachelor's degree in journalism and English. He and his son live in west-central Wisconsin and are active in boys basketball and Cub Scouts.

Book preview

Hittin’ the Trail: Day Hiking Wisconsin and Minnesota Interstate State Parks

By Rob Bignell

***************************

HITTIN’ THE TRAIL: DAY HIKING WISCONSIN AND MINNESOTA INTERSTATE STATE PARKS

Copyright Rob Bignell, 2013

All rights reserved. Except for brief passages quoted in newspaper, magazine, radio, television or online reviews, no portion of this book may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or information storage or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the author.

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

Thank you for downloading this free ebook. Although this is a free book, it remains the copyrighted property of the author, and may not be reproduced, copied and distributed for commercial or non-commercial purposes. If you enjoyed this book, please encourage your friends to download their own copy at Smashwords.com, where they can also discover other works by this author. Thank you for your support.

Atiswinic Press

Ojai, Calif. 93023

hikeswithtykes.com/hittinthetrail_home.html

ISBN 978-0-9858739-7-4

Cover design by Rob Bignell

Cover photo of Lily Pond Pothole, Minnesota Interstate State Park

Manufactured in the United States of America

First printing April 2013

***************************

Dedication

For Kieran

***************************

Table of Contents

Introduction

How to Reach the Parks

Hours and Admission

Parking

Facilities

Kid-friendly Programs

Dogs

Park Maps

Featured Trails

Wisconsin Interstate State Park

Ice Age Visitation Center Trails

Lakes O' the Dalles Beach Parking Lot Trails

Pines Group Camp Trails

Downtown St. Croix Falls Trails

Minnesota Interstate State Park

Milltown Road Trails

Pothole Area Trails

Nearby Trails

St. Croix Falls

Taylors Falls

Osceola

Bonus Section: Day Hiking Primer

Selecting a Trail

Clothing

Equipment

Navigational Tools

Food and Water

First-aid Kit

Hiking with Children: Attitude Adjustment

Family Dog

Rules of the Trail

Trail Dangers

***************************

Introduction

At Wisconsin and Minnesota’s Interstate State Park, you can experience the results of the three most significant geological events to affect these pair of states: billion-year-old lava flows, the sands of a 500-million-year-old tropical sea, and a massive glacial flood from 10,000 years ago.

The twin parks mark a unique arrangement – they run in two states along both sides of the ancient gorge known as the Dalles of the St. Croix. The two sides are run independently of one another by each state’s Department of Natural Resources. In addition, they border two entities operated by the National Park Service – the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway and the Ice Age National Scenic Trail, the latter of which actually enters the Wisconsin park.

That so many parks and trails populate this area is no surprise. Few locales in the Upper Midwest match the Dalles of the St. Croix’s scenic beauty: a pristine blue river running through a gorge sided by black lava; fascinating multi-story sandstone formations; an utterly clear lake; extinct ancient riverbeds covered in ferns and wildflowers; glacial potholes that run dozens of feet deep.

The two parks rank among the most visited in either state. Their nearly 330,000 annual visitors exceeds that of several national parks.

Not surprisingly, the Wisconsin side is that state’s oldest park and Minnesota’s second oldest. During the 1890s, Harry D. Baker of St. Croix Falls, Wis., and George H. Hazard of Taylors Falls, Minn., spearheaded groups to preserve the area as parks. Minnesota established its park in 1895, and Wisconsin followed in 1900.

The