50 Hikes on Michigan & Wisconsin's North Country Trail (Explorer's 50 Hikes) by Thomas Funke

Author:Thomas Funke
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Countryman Press
Published: 2016-05-30T16:00:00+00:00

25

St. Croix River and Solon Springs

START: South Mail Road at entrance to Scott Rapids Campsite

END: CR A Trailhead

APPROXIMATE HIKING TIME: 10–15 hours

LENGTH OF SECTION: 20.3 miles

The St. Croix River is a designated National Wild and Scenic River, one of the original eight designated when the corresponding legislation was passed in 1968. Downstream, the river becomes the common border between Minnesota and Wisconsin before it empties into the Mississippi River. Although the national park is over 250 miles in length, your hike in this national park is a short one of about 2.5 miles before it enters the Douglas County Forest.

Although you may only be hiking a few miles in the park, you’ll hike plenty along and in the vicinity of this historic river upstream, and this segment will end near its headwaters. After a mostly wooded walk in the national park and county forest, you’ll notice a drastic change in scenery when you cross East Prairie Lane. You’ll leave the county forest and enter the Douglas County Wildlife Area. Except for a couple of patches of forest, it will be an open savanna hike through pine barrens, an area managed for a prairie/shrub ecosystem, with scattered trees and open fields until Solon Springs.

After crossing US 53, follow an off-road trail to South US Business 53, then surface streets to Lucius Woods County Park, where there is ample shade and camping along the scenic Upper St. Croix Lake. The trail continues to parallel the lake, which is really a wide spot in the St. Croix River, north of town, as it meanders through forests while utilizing some surface streets. The trail descends into the wet footing of the river valley to cross the St. Croix Creek, utilizing about 0.75 mile worth of boardwalk to negotiate the boggy and swampy footing. After leaving the forested wetland, the trail follows the contour to the parking lot at County Route A (CR A).

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