We left Little Potato River Falls Campground and headed towards the other side of Wisconsin to the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway, which is a park in two separate locations. We were originally only going to go to the unit which is actually on the St. Croix River, but as we were crossing the state we found ourselves in Trugo, near the Namekagon District. And, just past the visitor center, we found a trailhead for a wide open all purpose trail. The trail was gravel, and wide enough for two ATVs to pass going opposite directions, so it was perfect for being out of the thick woods where the mosquitoes were, and for keeping the dogs out of the leaves and grass and away from the ticks. We didn’t see much of the river besides crossing over it on a bridge, but it gave us a chance to get a nice long walk without any major discomfort.
When we finished walking, we headed towards St. Croix Falls, where the main visitor center for the park is located. We didn’t find much to see or do because the park is focused on water activities, but we followed the riverside trail to see the dam, and discovered that the trail runs into an adjacent state park campground. We wandered around the campground and looked at the river from all angles, before heading back to the truck. The very nice ranger in the visitor center told us it would be okay to camp in the visitor center parking lot, but because we know that most national parks frown on boondocking outside of campgrounds, we went to a nearby Walmart and had a very quiet evening. In the morning, we crossed the river into Minnesota and headed for St. Paul, Minnesota’s capital.
A fish hatchery is adjacent to the park. It is now the type of pools you’d expect, but it used to be a series of tanks that were filled by a creek running down the hill to the river.
