Your Virtual Guide to Adventure Outdoors!
Your Virtual Guide to Adventure Outdoors!
Minnesota
Hiking Maps & Trails
St. Croix National Scenic Riverway
Minnesota's North Country Trail Condensed!
Minnesota's North Country Trail Condensed!
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Lake Itasca, Mn. source of the Mississippi River
Minnesota: 375 Miles
Rivers, lakes, and forests characterize the North Country Trail for much of its route through Minnesota. From Breckenridge, it extends eastward to Fergus Falls before turning northeast toward Itasca State Park. Along the way, the trail passes through Maplewood State Park, Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge, and White Earth State Forest. At Itasca State Park, trail users will confront the mighty Mississippi River at its origin as it flows from the forested shore of beautiful Lake Itasca. East of the park, the trail passes through Paul Bunyan State Forest and then follows the 68-mile segment in Chippewa National Forest that skirts south of Leech Lake. At Savanna Portage State Park, the trail follows a historic route of the voyageurs between the Mississippi and Great Lakes watersheds. At Jay Cooke State Park near Duluth, the trail turns southward, eventually encountering the St. Croix River and Wisconsin State line near St. Croix State Park.
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Our northern tier of States offers some of the most outstanding scenic beauty to be found anywhere in America. The "North Country" is a land of diversity whose beauty is accentuated by its distinctly. changing seasons. As you travel the North Country, the hills and valleys, lakes and streams, show how the glaciers molded the landscape. Historic sites along the way tell the story of how America was settled and grew as a nation.
A Trail to Great Adventure
Threading its way across our landscape, the North Country National Scenic Trail (NST) links outstanding scenic, natural, recreational, historic, and cultural areas in seven of our northern States. Some of its 3,200 miles invite easy walking, other portions provide challenge, but everywhere the trail offers adventure.
Unlike the Appalachian, Pacific Crest, and Continental Divide NSTS, which follow mountain ranges, the North Country NST journeys through a variety of environments in the northeastern and north central United States. From the grandeur of the Adirondack Mountains in New York, it meanders westward through the hardwood forests of Pennsylvania, through the countryside of Ohio and southern Michigan, along the shores of the Great Lakes, and through the glacier-carved forests, lakes, and streams of northern Wisconsin and Minnesota. Its western terminus lies in the vast plains of North Dakota.
The North Country NST answers the call of hikers and other trail users for pathways on which to escape from hectic lives-for a chance to explore America at a walking pace, rather than at freeway speeds. North Country Trail users are discovering places where they can look out over forested hills and valleys, places where the beautiful work of nature's hand appears undiminished, and places where our rich and diverse cultural heritage can be understood, enjoyed, and relived.
The North Country Trail exists as much for the enjoyment of the casual walker as it does for the challenge of those who will travel its entire length. Whether you use it for an afternoon of walking or bicycling, a day of cross-country skiing or horseback riding, or a week or month of backpacking, you will find adventure as you encounter and explore forested pathways, marshes and bogs, waterfalls, sand dunes, tallgrass prairies, old logging railroad grades, lighthouses, Revolutionary War forts, and small rural communities. From the Missouri River in North Dakota to the shore of Lake Champlain in New York, the diverse features along the trail will help users understand how the land was formed, how it has been settled, and how it has been used and altered by man.
This diversity of landscapes and scenic and historic features along the North Country NST is perhaps its most appealing quality. Large areas of publicly owned lands, such as national forests, major State parks and forests, and Adirondack Park in New York, offer wilderness and near-wilderness experiences, These remote sections of the trail will be especially enjoyable to those who value the solitude of such areas. A journey through these remote areas also rewards trail users with outstanding scenery, such as in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Michigan, where 42 miles of the trail follow the Lake Superior shoreline with its Grand Sable Dunes, Twelvemile Beach, and Pictured Rocks cliffs.
Somewhat in contrast to the remote sections are the portions of the trail which pass through or near many small villages and towns and a few large cities. These communities offer access to the trail, lodging and other accommodations, opportunities for resupply for long-distance users, and interesting cultural features associated with their history.
Water has left a spectacular imprint on the North Country. Glacial ice sculpted the basins of our Great Lakes, cut valleys, and left behind numerous rivers and lakes. Today, water is still at work carving our landscape. The North Country Trail takes hikers to scenic gorges such as Watkins Glen in New York, Slippery Rock Creek in Pennsylvania, Old Man's Cave in Ohio, and the St. Louis River in Minnesota. The sight and sound of waterfalls will be a frequent greeting to trail users, particularly in Upper Michigan and Wisconsin. The North Country's rivers and lakes will become favorite companions, especially at the end of a day when camp is made.
The scenic beauty of the natural resources along the trail is complemented by the many cultural features. Trail users can pause and marvel at the prehistoric Indian earthworks along the trail in Ohio. All along the trail, North Country NST travelers are reminded of the original inhabitants of this region by the many locations that still carry names given to them by American Indians and recorded by European explorers and traders.
No less marvelous than the ancient Indian earthworks are marvels of modern engineering to be encountered along the trail, such as Michigan's 5-mile-long Mackinac Bridge, spanning the waters between its two peninsulas, or North Dakota's Garrison Dam near the western terminus of the North Country NST. In between our ancient yesterdays and the present is a spectrum of history that can be enjoyed along the North Country Trail through visible remnants and interpretive facilities-historic forts, canals, lighthouses, and grist mills; sites of logging and mining camps; portage routes of the voyageurs; and much more. All are waiting to be explored and to tell their story to trail users.
The North Country NST is becoming one of our country's major trails, offering unparalleled opportunities to enjoy a cross-section of America's rich natural and cultural heritage. Come visit the North Country ... by trail. Whether on foot, horseback, bicycle, snowshoes, or skis, great adventure lies just ahead.
St. Croix National Scenic Riverway
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The St. Croix National Scenic Riverway,which includes the Namekagon River, was established in 1968 as one of the original eight rivers under the National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. Free flowing and unpolluted, the rivers flow through some of the most scenic and least developed country in the Upper Midwest. The tea-colored Namekagon begins as a trout stream surrounded by both hardwood and pine and flows 98 miles through a wide valley with occasional marshes. It lies entirely in Wisconsin. Along a considerable part of its distance, the St. Croix straddles the boundary between Wisconsin and Minnesota, eventually emptying into the Mississippi River about 25 miles southeast of Minneapolis/St. Paul. The 102-mile upper section of the St. Croix is generally remote and wild, protected within a mostly unbroken corridor of national parkland. Though there are some rapids, the riverway is not considered whitewater. It is more suitable for passing quietly through the forest, waiting for a glimpse of northwoods wildlife, including deer, black bear, coyote, raccoon, otter, beaver, and mink. The 52-mile lower St. Croix is more developed, but in its shallower stretches, where powerboats are less frequent, it provides a quiet and easy setting for novice canoeists or families
Getting Away:
The 30 miles of the Namekagon below the Trego Dam are perhaps the finest section of the entire riverway. Here the canoeist can float along deep-cut banks and negotiate mild rapids that offer spice to an already fascinating place. This section of the river has adequate water levels for canoeing in spring, summer, and fall.
Camping:
There are many primitive canoe-access campsites on the riverway, most containing a fire ring, pit toilet, and picnic table. Camping is permitted in designated sites north of St. Croix Falls. You may camp on islands and sandbars below St. Croix Falls unless closed for administrative purposes or private property. There is no permit system or fee for floating or camping on federally owned land or facilities. State parks along the way, however, do charge entrance and camp fees. All water in the backcountry should be treated before drinking, making it more convenient to carry your own. Fires are permitted in steel fire rings at designated sites above Nevers Dam. Mid-April through July are prime times for a canoe float.
Worth Mentioning:
The character of the river changes with the water level. Rapids that are normally a Class I can become a 11 or III during high water. During low water the playful and fast-flowing upper sections will require you to hike and drag your boat; these stretches offer the best canoeing in April and May. Bass, muskie, and walleye can be caught in the St. Croix. The Namekagon is known for trout. Either a Minnesota or Wisconsin fishing license is required, depending on where you drop your line.
Access:
Park headquarters is at St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin, about 40 miles north of Minneapolis on U.S. Route 8 east of I-35.
For More Information:
St. Croix National Scenic Riverway, P.O. Box 708, St. Croix Falls, WI 54024; (715) 483-3284. Ask the park for a list of outfitters on the river who rent equipment or provide shuttle service if you bring your own canoe.
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