Kinnickinnic State Park — Attraction in Town of Clifton

This is a very simple state park, but it does a good job. There are 10 miles of trails here, according to the DNR. Which are usually well signed but have occasionally been absent or confusing. The hiking trails here are large and well maintained, but there are essentially no paved trails in the park, with the exception of the black trail: a very steep trail to the beach. My favorite aspect of the beach other than its decent size is that it offers access to the confluence of the St. Croix and Kinni river s. A very cool place to be able to swim. However the steep paved trail and presence of boaters makes it unideal for swimming. A large portion of the northern side of the park consists of a beautiful prairie which is teeming with bees. I enjoyed my time on the prairie trails the most. The forest trails offer a fairly standard experience for the area but are often too buggy for hikers in the summer. My favorite trails are the pink, yellow, and green trails. The brown trail leads to a small clearing, a bench, and an unoffical trail through a forest with a moderate grade. Another unofficial trail is by the overlook near the lot on the orange trail, but it is very overgrown and probably more of a fall experience. The unofficial trail next to the main overlook may be worth exploring, as it leads to the floodplain below. But true OGs will know that the south side of the park offers access to an even larger portion of the floodplain, through another unofficial trail which is worth exploring and pretty good for hiking if you are okay with hiking on steep slopes. There is not a lot for this access, but you can park at the end of 770th ave. There is also the beloved red trail on the south side, with a dedicated parking lot on 770th ave. It is popular for bikers, but also hikers as well, with there even being benches on the trail. I hiked the red trail in the fall, and thus there were only one or two bikers, who were respectful and didn’t interrupt my journey. It may not be ideal to hike this trail during summer if you are not comfortable sharing a trail with bikes. There are large gorges on the red trail and Eagles, which make it great for exploring or even a date. There is a clean vault toilet in the main lot. The park office is understaffed with very limited hours. The self pay station does not dispense annual permits, but rather a receipt that must be redeemed within 28 days. Not the...

The view from above of the St. Croix River confluence is spectacular. This is by the parking lot up above. Take the purple trail to the beach along the St. Croix River. You can follow the beach to the left and see the sand dunes and the wetlands on the other side. The sandbar where the Kinnikinnick River meets the St. Croix is truly a special place of beauty and wildlife. The Green and Yellow Trail hike below the bluffs, around and through the prairie is wonderful and peaceful. The reason this park only gets 4 stars is the Blue and Orange trails are slippery. I was wearing hiking shoes and using trekking poles and almost slipped several times. The trails are mostly black dirt and do not have any of gravel on them. Many of them are covered in moss. The dirt is very hard, slick and in certain places muddy and slick. Bring the bug spray. Because this is a wetland area, there are a lot of bugs on the...

Great place to hike, but I'm only giving it 3 stars. There's been a couple of times that I have gone (during normal, open hours) and no one has been in the park office. When I went to use the park last week, I pulled up to the window at 8a to purchase a daily pass. There was a sign that said, "Use self serve kiosk" the kiosk I was directed too was from 1972. I could only purchase a pass with cash. I only had my credit and debit card. To get cash, I would have had to drive all way back into River Falls to get to an ATM. I saw that I could purchase a yearly pass online, but it would be mailed to me and since it expires in December, I didn't want to purchase that. I needed the pass that day and I wasn't going to risk being towed or fined. I really love this State Park, and I love that's it's close to my home. If there isn't going to be a manned office during normal operating hours, then please update...