Hiking Club Trail

The Hiking Club Trail at Saint Croix State Park is a 4.0 mile hike that starts by the St. Croix Lodge Visitor Center. This trail is actually a combination of two trails, the River Bluff Trail and a portion of a paved bike path. From the Saint Croix Lodge follow the trail west past of the Paint Rock Springs Campground and the Old Logging Trail Campground. The trail is well marked with hiking club signs. As its name suggests, the River Bluff Trail runs along the top of the bluff above the Saint Croix River. The trail is wide and flat. The trail used to run through a heavily wooded area, but a devastating storm on July 1st, 2011 produced straight-line winds that topped 100 miles per hour. This storm toppled thousands of trees, so most areas along the trail are now quite open.

The turnaround point of this hike is near the historic Yellowbanks Civilian Conservation Corps camp site. The remainder of this hike follows the paved bike path back to the Saint Croix Lodge. This path pretty much runs in parallel to the River Bluff Trail.

The Minnesota State Park’s Hiking Club program encourages hikers to hike a designated Hiking Club Trail at most state parks. A Hiking Club password is found on all of these hikes. You can earn patches, free camping, and even a plaque (if you hike all of the Hiking Club trails) for participating in the club. A Hiking Club kit can be purchased at most state parks for $14.95 (as of 2019). More information about the program can be found here.