Story:
Afton is a state park on Minnesota's eastern border, east of the Twin Cities, and separated from Wisconsin by the St. Croix River. It's a favorite hiking spot of ours because of its vistas of the river valley, the varied topography, and enough trails and loops to allow you to keep coming back and see something different each time. On this trip, I wanted to see if we could make a 10 mile loop without retracing our steps. Ten miles is significant because we hope to work towards getting our huskies their Working Pack Dog titles (http://www.shca.org/shcahp6e.htm). We succeeded, and surpassed the limit by around two miles (depending on which GPS track you look at).
The trip starts across the street from the visitor center, descends towards the neighboring Afton Alps ski area, then makes a full circuit of the park in a clockwise direction. The main loop circles an upland prairie, with a dip down into a shady, forested valley to add length and give the dogs a chance to rehydrate at a couple of stream crossings before resuming our circuit of the dry uplands. Upon hitting the St. Croix bluffs, you descend to an old railroad grade, which follows the eastern border of the park to the very southern border, then cuts uphill on an often slippery and muddy slope to another upland prairie area, and back to the visitor center. Trail conditions are generally good, with the worst bit being the last uphill slog, which is especially muddy during the spring melt.
Accompanying me on this trip were Wizard and Gypsy, our 4yr and 1yr old huskies, respectively. Jeff was not able to come on this trip.
At the time of the hike, the St. Croix River was quite higher than usual, flooding portions of the picnic area and a couple lower trails along the stream that drains from the Afton Alps ski area to the St. Croix.
Afton is a state park on Minnesota's eastern border, east of the Twin Cities, and separated from Wisconsin by the St. Croix River. It's a favorite hiking spot of ours because of its vistas of the river valley, the varied topography, and enough trails and loops to allow you to keep coming back and see something different each time. On this trip, I wanted to see if we could make a 10 mile loop without retracing our steps. Ten miles is significant because we hope to work towards getting our huskies their Working Pack Dog titles (http://www.shca.org/shcahp6e.htm). We succeeded, and surpassed the limit by around two miles (depending on which GPS track you look at).
The trip starts across the street from the visitor center, descends towards the neighboring Afton Alps ski area, then makes a full circuit of the park in a clockwise direction. The main loop circles an upland prairie, with a dip down into a shady, forested valley to add length and give the dogs a chance to rehydrate at a couple of stream crossings before resuming our circuit of the dry uplands. Upon hitting the St. Croix bluffs, you descend to an old railroad grade, which follows the eastern border of the park to the very southern border, then cuts uphill on an often slippery and muddy slope to another upland prairie area, and back to the visitor center. Trail conditions are generally good, with the worst bit being the last uphill slog, which is especially muddy during the spring melt.
Accompanying me on this trip were Wizard and Gypsy, our 4yr and 1yr old huskies, respectively. Jeff was not able to come on this trip.
At the time of the hike, the St. Croix River was quite higher than usual, flooding portions of the picnic area and a couple lower trails along the stream that drains from the Afton Alps ski area to the St. Croix.
Tips:
Get here early and you'll run into few people, especially if you head out to the outer loops of trails. The most popular area is the beach and picnic area mid-way between the north and south borders on the St. Croix River. A surprising number of people haul coolers and excessive amounts of gear there for an afternoon of picnicking, and walk along the even railroad grade. In the farther reaches you'll be more likely to encounter bird watchers or people who run cross country.
For dog owners, there are place to give your dogs water if you go down from the upland prairie areas. The prairies can get hot in the summer and for thick-coated breeds like our huskies, bringing extra water is a good idea, especially after a brisk climb from the lowlands to the uplands. Aside from the parking lots, the only other place to drop off garbage is the picnic area down by the river. Dogs are supposed to be leashed, but you do encounter people letting them off lead. For the most part we have found them to be courteous and will put their dogs on lead if they see other dogs approaching.
Get here early and you'll run into few people, especially if you head out to the outer loops of trails. The most popular area is the beach and picnic area mid-way between the north and south borders on the St. Croix River. A surprising number of people haul coolers and excessive amounts of gear there for an afternoon of picnicking, and walk along the even railroad grade. In the farther reaches you'll be more likely to encounter bird watchers or people who run cross country.
For dog owners, there are place to give your dogs water if you go down from the upland prairie areas. The prairies can get hot in the summer and for thick-coated breeds like our huskies, bringing extra water is a good idea, especially after a brisk climb from the lowlands to the uplands. Aside from the parking lots, the only other place to drop off garbage is the picnic area down by the river. Dogs are supposed to be leashed, but you do encounter people letting them off lead. For the most part we have found them to be courteous and will put their dogs on lead if they see other dogs approaching.
Tags:
Afton State Park, St. Croix River, Hiking, Huskies
Afton State Park, St. Croix River, Hiking, Huskies
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