- This event has passed.
Interstate State Park: A Hike into Wisconsin’s Oldest State Park
Saturday, June 10, 2017 @ 9:30 am - 12:00 pm
Where: Interstate State Park (WI), St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin
When: Saturday June 10th, 2017 (9:30 AM to Noon)
Leaders: Barb Delaney, Professional Plant Ecologist and Botanist, and Derek Anderson, Plant Ecologist/Botanist with the MN DNR Biological Survey
Barb Delaney and Derek Anderson are thrilled to welcome MNNPS members for a morning hike into Interstate State Park, Wisconsin’s oldest state park. See bedrock prairie, oak woodlands, white pine-hardwood forest, spring-fed creek, shady, basalt talus slopes lush with mosses and ferns. Please consider bringing a lunch and hiking the stunning bluff trails overlooking the St. Croix River in the afternoon.
Be ready to go at the Ice Age Visitor Center at 9:30am, June 10, 2017. If you do not wish to purchase a day or annual State Park sticker, put a sign in your car saying “MN Native Plant Society Hike.” Arrive earlier to purchase park sticker, use bathroom, fill water bottle, etc.
We will caravan in a few vehicles to our starting point (Lake of the Dalles, large parking lot). We’ll hike past Lake of the Dalles to Eagle Peak and return to cars. The last segment of the hike, Mountain Meadow, will take you half-way uphill to the Visitor Center. You may continue uphill by foot; some of us will drive up and meet you 15 minutes later at the Visitor Center at noon.
Derek and Barb live in the St. Croix Falls area and have scoured this park to record its great plant diversity. They weren’t the first, but Derek’s list is the most complete. The park has been a magnet for botanists and geologists for over 150 years. WI Interstate Park marks the western terminus of Wisconsin’s 1000-mile Ice Age National Scenic Trail (see: Ice Age Trail Alliance). Derek and Barb can recommend many other places to botanize on the Wisconsin side of the St. Croix River.
In case of severe weather, we will wait for it to pass and shift the trip time accordingly. In the unlikely event that we must cancel, we will email you.
Field trips are open to MNNPS members only and pre-registration is required. To register, send an email to: Ken Arndt <ken.arndt@mnrinc.us>