Walter F. Mondale River Trail

Dogs Leashed

Features Birding · Fall Colors · Fishing · River/Creek · Swimming · Wildflowers

You can obtain a trail map at the park office. These trails are well signed, with reproductions of the trail map at key junctions.

This partially wooded trail runs along the west bank of the Saint Croix River between the Visitor Center to the south and the old Nevers Dam site to the north. Parking is available at either end. From the southern parking lot, follow the trail west, past the Visitor Center, then north along the river. You'll cross a bridge at Spring Creek and pass a backpack campsite nearby. There's an overlook at the old Nevers Dam site which gives you a nice view out over the river. From here, the trails turns west, climbs a slight rise, and ends at the northern parking lot. Combine it with the paved Old Logging Trail for a loop back to the southern parking lot.

The viewing platform at the north end of this trail looks out over the former site of the Nevers Dam. Extensive logging occurred in the Saint Croix watershed between 1839 and 1914. Old, large pines were felled in winter and the logs sent downriver during Spring melt high water. Massive log jams would form, disrupting the supply of logs to the downstream lumber mills. This dam, built in 1889 (and "…reported to be the largest wood pile driven structure in the world…"), regulated the river's flow to prevent such jams. It ceased being used for logging in 1914, was damaged by floods in 1954, and was removed in 1955.