Wild River State Park

Wild River State Park preserves eighteen miles of the St. Croix River in eastern Minnesota, a landscape shaped by ancient basalt, glaciers, and the immense meltwater that carved the valley about 10,000 years ago. It protects a wildlife corridor of woods, prairie, floodplain forest, and wetlands, while restoration work rebuilds native oak savanna and prairie. Human use reaches back at least 5,000 years, followed by fur trading, an early military road, and the logging era, when Nevers Dam regulated log drives. Land tied to the riverway helped create the park, which was authorized in 1973 and opened in 1978 for quiet, nature-oriented recreation.

Minnesota · United States