With More Than 34,000 Acres To Explore, Minnesota's Largest State Park Is Worthy Of A Multi-Day Adventure
By Ben Jones|Published August 01, 2022
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Ben Jones
Author
Ben Jones is at heart an adventurer who delights in inspiring others. A former reporter and photojournalist, he explored towns large and small as a Wisconsin correspondent for USA Today. He later became a lead photographer and senior copywriter for an award-winning destination marketing agency, before founding Boldland Creative, a company that produces photography, video, and other content for travel destinations. Jones has completed photography and content projects in more than 15 states and when he’s not looking through a camera or at his Macbook you’ll find him exploring the world’s lakes and forests.
Minnesota is a state for people who love the outdoors. The state has dozens of state parks – 66 in all – and even the smallest (Franz Jevne State Park) is wild and beautiful. However, one massive state park offers a bigger experience for people who love to explore. St. Croix State Park covers a vast area of eastern Minnesota, and while it makes a great day trip, to truly experience the park, you’ll want to take a little more time. Here’s why.
The park is a wild escape that’s easy to reach for much of the state’s population. In less than 90 minutes, you can travel from the center of downtown Minneapolis to the heart of this wild state park.
The park is located in Pine County and is huge, covering nearly 34,000 acres. In the 1930s, it was created as a Recreational Demonstration Area - a national program to create parks across the nation, leveraging Great Depression-era labor programs.
Nearly a century later, the park is an escape for thousands of people seeking the state's wild beauty. The trails are nearly endless. The park has 27 miles of hiking trails, 21 miles of mountain biking trails, and 75 miles of equestrian trails.
That’s just the start of what you can experience in the park. Paddlers will find some incredible stretches of river to explore. The park follows 21 miles of the St. Croix River and it contains seven miles of the Kettle River. The St. Croix River is flat and easy paddling while the Kettle River contains some rapids.
The park is wonderful for camping. You’ll find more than 200 campsites, including accessible sites, group campsites, and backcountry sites for those seeking tranquility.
The park can be the gateway to other wild adventures. It borders Chengwatana State Forest to the southwest and Saint Croix State Forest to the northeast. Across the Wisconsin border lies the Governor Knowles State Forest, and the corridor surrounding the park is part of the Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway.
Learn more about the St. Croix State Park by visiting the park’s interpretive center or checking out the park’s website. If you love exploring Minnesota’s state parks, here are some underrated parks you should put on your list.
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