Wild River

Wild River State Park is located along 18 miles of the beautiful St. Croix River. The park attracts people who enjoy camping, hiking, horseback riding, canoeing, interpretive programs, self-guided trails, and cross-country skiing. Day visitors can enjoy a leisurely paddle down the St. Croix River from the Sunrise river access to the southern park river access. The park provides opportunities for semi-modern camping, group camping, backpack camping, canoe camping, and walk-in camping. Visitors who want modern amenities can reserve the guest house which provides a living room, dining room, kitchen, and fireplace. The park also has two camping cabins which include bunkbeds, a table, and benches. An all-season trail center is a great spot to relax after hiking or cross-country skiing on the 35-mile trail system. A visitor center with exhibits and environmental education programs is open year-round.

For Park Visitors

Why Go Here? - Discover lesser-known wonders in the park with your GPS unit.

For teachers

Prairie restoration project at Wild River state park A Vanished Forest: outdoor exhibit visitors' guide and teaching ideas

Regional history

Nevers Dam...The Lumberman's Dam (30 pages, 1 MB) - An illustrated history of a St. Croix River logging era landmark

Wild River State Park History Cache I

In the tradition of "The Da Vinci Code" by Dan Brown and the movie "National Treasure," this new geocache will challenge your puzzle-solving skills as you decipher the clues that eventually will lead you to the "treasure." Each clue you solve will lead you to another location in the park and another clue to solve. At the final cache, remove the token inside and redeem it for a unique enameled mini-medallion plus bragging rights as an expert puzzle solver.

History Cache I Instructions and Clue Sheet

Please note that this new geocache opportunity is not a part of the Minnesota State Park Geocache History Challenge. This is a separate geocache event for Wild River State Park only.

Tell me more about this park's wildlife, history, geology and landscape.

Visitor Alert!

A special deer hunt will be conducted in the park November 8-11.

The park will be entirely closed to non-hunting visitors during this time period with the exception of deer hunters with a special permit.

Interstate State Park and St. Croix State Park are neighboring parks that will be open to the public on these dates.

Park Notes

The Group Camp and campsites in the horse campground at this park can be reserved by phone or online through the centralized reservation system. Group camp reservations can be made up to a year in advance. Horse campground campsites can be reserved from one to 90 days in advance. The horse camp and horse trails are open May 1 to November. 1. Call toll free 1-866-85PARKS or reserve online at www.stayatmnparks.com.

Six Camper Cabins and one Guest House are available for rent year-round at the park. For reservations, call 1-866-85PARKS or reserve online at www.stayatmnparks.com.

The Snake River Forest Campground located in the Chengwatana Forest near Pine City is open from May 1 to Nov. 20.

Birders:
Click Here for the Bird Checklist at Wild River State Park.

Firewood restrictions information:

Minnesota has enacted legislation that restricts firewood being brought to or used on DNR lands. Complete information and lists of vendors and locations where approved firewood is available are posted on the DNR Web site.
More information
Vendor List