A billion-year-old gorge and two wild rivers wait near the Twin Cities: As the story develops

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Minnesota and Wisconsin’s best-kept river secret

More than 200 miles of clear, free-flowing water run along the Minnesota-Wisconsin border, and most people an hour away in Minneapolis or St. Paul have never floated a single mile of it. The St. Croix National Scenic Riverway protects two rivers through some of the least developed country in the Upper Midwest. There’s a gorge of black basalt cliffs, glacial potholes that go 60 feet deep, and paddling that ranges from glassy slow water to quick little riffles. And it all starts closer than you think. Flickr/St.CroixNationalScenicRiverwayNPS

The Ojibwe named one river after the sturgeon

Long before loggers ever set foot here, the Dakota and Ojibwe peoples lived in this valley. The word “Namekagon” traces back to an Ojibwe name tied to the sturgeon that once filled the river. By the 1800s, timber crews were floating logs downstream to mills. The last big log drive on the St. Croix ended in 1914. Then, in 1968, both rivers joined the first eight rivers ever protected under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. A lower stretch of the St. Croix came into the system four years later. Flickr/St.CroixNationalScenicRiverwayNPS

Your canoe, 200 miles, and no rush

Canoeing and kayaking are the reason most people come. The upper Namekagon runs calm and narrow through quiet tree cover, the kind of water where you drift more than paddle. The lower St. Croix opens up into something wider and more relaxed, good for long, unhurried days on the water. Dozens of river landings let you design your own trip, whether that’s a few hours or a multi-day journey with nights on the river. Sand and gravel bars dot the banks and make good spots to pull over and eat lunch. Flickr/wackybadger

Black basalt walls rise 100 feet straight from the water

The Dalles of the St. Croix is what the French explorers called it, using their word for flat slabs of rock. What they were describing was a deep gorge where the river cuts through basalt cliffs that rise about 100 feet from the water. At a spot called Angle Rock, the river makes a hard 90-degree turn. You can paddle right up to the rock walls and look straight up at them. There’s nothing gradual about this place. The cliff just drops, the river bends, and the rock towers over you. Shutterstock

The world’s deepest explored glacial pothole is 60 feet down

Interstate State Park is where the potholes are, and there is no other place on earth with more of them in one spot.

Swirling water and spinning stones spent thousands of years drilling round holes into solid basalt. The deepest one explored, called the Bottomless Pit, goes about 60 feet down. A short Pothole Trail takes you right to the edge, close enough to lean over and stare down into them. Some have names, like the Bake Oven. All of them look impossible, like the rock simply decided to let go. Wikimedia Commons/123dieinafire

One park, two states, first of its kind in the country

Interstate State Park opened in 1895, making it the first park in the United States to sit in two states at once. The Wisconsin side is the oldest state park in that state. Each side runs its own trails, its own overlooks, its own access to the river and the cliffs. Angle Rock and Summit Rock both reward a short climb with wide views of the gorge. Handrails and walkways bring the rock features close enough for anyone to see them, not just the trail-hardened crowd. Flickr/Dougtone

Crack routes up ancient lava rock with river views below

The basalt here cooled from lava flows more than a billion years ago, and the way it fractured over time created both crack and face routes for climbers. The park draws people of many skill levels, and watching someone work their way up the wall from below is worth your time even if you never pick up a harness. Before you climb, you fill out a permit at the park. Interstate State Park is one of only a handful of Minnesota state parks that allow climbing at all, which makes it something worth seeking out. Flickr/St.CroixNationalScenicRiverwayNPS

Brook trout on the Namekagon, muskie down below

The upper Namekagon runs cold enough for brook and brown trout, and fishing it on a quiet morning feels like the whole point. Both rivers hold smallmouth bass, and one stretch has a reputation as one of the better smallmouth fisheries around. Move downstream and the water changes, and so do the fish: walleye, muskie, and northern pike take over. Clean water keeps all of it going. You don’t need a big day on the water to feel like the trip was worth it. A calm morning is enough. Shutterstock

Bald eagles, otters, and bears along the upper reaches

Bald eagles and osprey nest and hunt along both rivers, and you’ll spot them working the water if you’re quiet and patient on the paddle. More than 50 kinds of mammals live in the corridor, including white-tailed deer, river otters, foxes, and porcupines. Black bears turn up along the upper reaches from time to time. Warblers and kingfishers move through the trees near the banks, adding color and sound. Native mussels and dragonflies fill the shallows where the water stays clean. The whole place runs on that clean water. Shutterstock

Let a boat do the work through the Dalles gorge

If paddling isn’t your plan, scenic boat tours run through the Dalles during the warmer months. You sit, someone else steers, and the basalt walls slide past on both sides at water level.

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The post A billion-year-old gorge and two wild rivers wait near the Twin Cities appeared first on When In Your State.

It’s the same view the paddlers get, without the canoe. Above the gorge, overlooks let you take in the same cliffs from the top looking down. The tour works well for anyone who wants the best of the gorge without the effort, and it’s an easy option if you’re traveling with people who’d rather not get in a boat. Shutterstock

Cascade Falls hides two minutes from Osceola’s main street

In the town of Osceola, a waterfall tumbles through a green gorge just off the main street. Cascade Falls sits close enough that you can park, walk a short distance, and find yourself in a shaded ravine with ferns growing out of mossy rock. A trail connects the falls to the riverbank and climbs to a bluff above. Side gorges nearby offer quiet walks where the canopy closes in and the air cools down. It’s a different pace from the wide open river, and the kind of stop that turns into a longer one. Wikimedia Commons/MDuchek

The Ice Age Trail starts right here at the state park

St. Croix Falls is where the Ice Age National Scenic Trail begins, on the western edge of Wisconsin. The path follows the boundary of the last glacier across the state. You can stand at the very start of it inside Interstate State Park. Even the opening mile runs past potholes and river overlooks, through deep forest with ferns covering the ground on both sides. The full trail runs about a thousand miles. You don’t have to walk all of them to understand why it starts here. Shutterstock

Plan your visit to the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway

The main visitor center sits at 401 North Hamilton Street in St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin, open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. during the season. Entry to the riverway is free, though state park landings may require a day pass for your vehicle, and overnight paddling stretches call for a camping permit. Cell service goes thin on some stretches, so download your maps before you launch. Bring water, sunscreen, and a life jacket for everyone in the boat. The official website has river conditions and permit details before you go. This article was created with AI assistance and human editing. Read more from this brand:

Walk the edge of a 12,000-year-old glacier across Wisconsin and no permit, no fee, no crowds

Two glaciers crashed into each other in Wisconsin and left 22,000 wild acres behind

Three million people a year show up to this Wisconsin park locked between 500-foot ancient bluffs

The post A billion-year-old gorge and two wild rivers wait near the Twin Cities appeared first on When In Your State.