Hearts in Hawai'i
State Parks #25 & #26--Interstate and Wild River State Parks
8/10/2024
As recently as a few days ago, a recurrence of Achilles Tendonitis had put this (and basically other 2024 State Parks) trip in jeopardy. It's an old affliction which had affected me three times since 2005, primary cause being a sudden spike in frequency and duration of specific exercises. In my case, those exercises were cycling and walking. This is especially true after a period of relative inactivity. Recently, my inactivity of nearly two years had been followed by a lot of walking starting with our June vacation in Rochester. Physical Therapy had always alleviated the symptoms but I wanted to see if I could resolve this issue myself by using RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation). I had been doing the RE part of the acronym over the past few weeks but this week added IC to the treatment.
The results were nearly immediately and surprisingly positive and so, with a compression bandage wrapped around the affected ankle, Patty and I headed south this morning with the goal of doing some hiking at Interstate State Park. This is a popular park (as we soon found out!) located in and near the town of Taylors Falls just northeast of the Twin Cities, along the St. Croix River which separates Minnesota and Wisconsin. While only 1,000 or so people live here, the population swells quite a bit on summer weekends, due in large part to its proximity to Interstate State Park. This park unusual in that it lies within two seperate states. Both sides have their advantages but we were only interested in the Minnesota side.
There are two entrances to this park on the Gopher State side, one accessible within Taylors Falls, one from State Highway 95 just south of town. The parking lots located just within both entrances were packed on this mostly sunny Saturday, so much so that we couldn't find a parking spot in the north lot, eventually giving up and driving to the south entrance where, while also quite busy, afforded plenty of parking.
What surprised me about this park was its relative small size. At only 300 acres (the Wisconsin side boasts a much larger 1,330 acres) you can hike from one side to the other side in a short time (I'm speaking, of course, of each half as the Minnesota side is seperated into two halves with about a mile or two in between). We chose the Walter F. Mondale Trail, which does connect the two park sections, on this day. Skies were mostly sunny and clear with temperatures in the upper 60's--a perfect day for a hike!
This trail did feel like an urban one despite it being in a wooded area. We had tons of company along the way which did detract from our enjoyment a bit. Nonetheless, it was an enjoyable hike with a couple very nice overlooks of the St. Croix River. My ankle held up well throughout this hike, but a somewhat difficult section caused us to turn around before we had reached the northern end of the trail.
Heading toward the Walter Mondale Trail in Interstate State Park
On the Walter Mondale Trail in Interstate State Park
First view of the St. Croix River in Interstate State Park
Since we had cut our Interstate Park hike a bit short, we decided to drive the short ten miles to Wild River State Park in the hope we'd find a bit of solitude! We didn't find the solitude we sought but it was certainly quieter than Interstate Park. And, to my surprise, it was a much larger park in contrary to my belief that Interstate was the large of the two. It encompasses 18 miles along the St. Croix River and measures just over 6,800 acres.
There are plenty of trails which criss-cross throughout the park. We parked a short distance from Amik's Pond and set out north on a short spur which led us to a road heading down to a trailer access and a short dock along with St. Croix River. From there we headed south on the Walter Mondale Trail which eventually led us back to the Amik's Pond Trail and eventually the trail we started on near our parking lot. We had a fun time hiking these trails with the only part to get our hearts going was the uphill portion leading away from the river.
Heading out on our first trail at Wild River State Park
Clouds at starting to move in a bit as we walk down a road near a boat launch
Off the trail and onto a road!
St. Croix River view to the south
St. Croix River view to the north
Heading toward Amik's Pond
One final view of the St. Croix before we head back upland
Another trail view
My better half taking a quick breather alongside the St. Croix
After hiking nearly three and a half miles, our reward awaited us at the Whistle Stop Cafe in Hinckley!
Index of Blog Pages
last updated august 10, 2024
|