|
One of the great natural attractions of the Upper Midwest is the Dalles of the St. Croix, a particularly scenic elbow of the St. Croix National Scenic River. It is here on the Minnesota side of the river in Taylors Falls that tourists, geologists, and explorers will find the world's deepest and most impressive glacier potholes.
The Glacier Potholes Trail is more like a self-guided tour of geological features than a hike. In total the trail measures out to less than a 1/2 mile. The trail has an uneven surface, but handrails and some metal walking decks are provided to enable people of any age and athletic ability the chance to see the potholes from above, inside, and out. In addition to the famous potholes, the trail also takes hikers to panoramic overlooks of the St. Croix River and its dalles.
{tocify} $title={Table of Contents}
$ads={1}
advertisement
|
| Inside the Bake Oven on the Glacial Potholes Trail at Interstate State Park |
Taylors Falls MN and St. Croix Falls WI has long been a tourist trap - complete with the expected campy attractions from the fading high renaissance of family road trips: miniature golf course, movie theater, alpine slides, feed the deer petting zoo, and riverboat expeditions. These days, those tourist attractions have expanded to include more mature entertainment in a casinoat nearby Turtle Lake, a modern sculpture park in Shafer, stand up paddleboard rentals, and downhill and cross-country ski parks.
The must-do of any activity in the region, is a short walk on the Glacier Potholes Trail at Interstate State Park in Minnesota. These are no ordinary highway potholes; they are the biggest and deepest potholes in the world that were drilled by glacier meltwater straight into billion-year-old bedrock. The depth of these potholes ranges from 1 foot to 60 feet. You even get to climb 35 feet down and inside one of them.
The Glacier Potholes Trail begins adjacent to the parking lot and visitor center for Interstate State Park. Along the winding trail, walkers encounter the most memorable potholes like the Lilly Pond, The Bottomless Pit, The Bake Oven, and The Cauldron. These holes in the bedrock were formed by swirling eddies as glacial Lake Duluth was being drained away into the Mississippi River Valley. Rock debris caught in the spiral of an eddy acted as a drill cutting the holes. At the bottom of each pothole those drilling stones can be found. They are called grindstones and are perfectly smooth and rounded.
The trail also takes visitors to scenic vistas of the St. Croix River from Angle Rock and Shadow Rock. And there is a tight rock passage which kids can explore called The Squeeze. In a loop-like manner the trail returns walkers back to the parking lot.
The total visit time to the Potholes Trail including time to take in the views from the overlooks tops out at about 1 hour. There are a few miles of more challenging trails to hike in the Minnesota Interstate Park. Or you can walk across the bridge to the Wisconsin Interstate State Park and take the Wisconsin version of the potholes trail where you can get good views of the Old Man of the Dalles rock feature. The potholes trail on the Wisconsin side is also the Western Terminus of the Ice Age National Trail - a 1200-mile footpath tracing the terminal moraines of the glaciers which sculpted much of the landscape in Wisconsin.
Check out more photos from my hike on the Potholes Trail below the Trail Map. Also, an educational video from the MN DNR is embedded below.
|
| Platform over the Bottomless Pit on the Glacial Potholes Trail at Interstate State Park |
Glacial Potholes Trail
COUNTY: Chisago County Minnesota
COMMUNITIES: Taylors Falls
TOTAL MILES: 1/2 Mile
DIFFICULTY: Easy
POINTS OF INTEREST: Lilly Pond, Bottomless Pit, Angle Rock, Bake Oven, The Squeeze, Cracked Rock Wall, Cauldron, Shadow Rock, St. Croix National Scenic River
CAMPING: Interstate State Park
Directions and Trail Map
Click Map Image to load the full interactive map.
Address for your GPS: 155 South St, Taylors Falls, MN 55084
| coordinates: 45.399929, -92.651455 |
| From Milwaukee | 5 Hours |
| From Madison | 4 Hours |
| From Green Bay | 4 Hours |
| From Wausau | 3 Hours |
| From Minneapolis | 1 Hour |
| From Chicago | 6 Hours |
Photos
|
| View of the St. Croix River from the Glacial Potholes Trail at Interstate State Park |
|
| Bottomless Pit on the Glacial Potholes Trail at Interstate State Park |
|
| Lilly Pond on the Glacial Potholes Trail at Interstate State Park |
|
| Bake Oven on the Glacial Potholes Trail at Interstate State Park |
|
| Glacial Potholes Trail at Interstate State Park |
|
| Bake Oven on the Glacial Potholes Trail at Interstate State Park |
|
| Shadow Rock on the Glacial Potholes Trail at Interstate State Park |
|
| Stand Up Paddleboarders on the St. Croix National Scenic River |
|
| St. Croix National Scenic River from Angle Rock at Interstate State Park |
|
| The Squeeze on the Glacial Potholes Trail at Interstate State Park |
|
| Glacial Potholes Trail at Interstate State Park |
Video
Links
Interstate State Park - Minnesota
Interstate State Park - Wisconsin
Taylors Falls Boat Tours
St. Croix National Scenic River - National Parks Service
Tripadvisor - Things to do in Taylors Falls