Taylors Falls, Where the St. Croix River Runs Through It  
Rich in beauty and history.

Set against the dramatic towering cliff faces and outcroppings the scenic St. Croix River rushes through rock formations made of basalt from ancient lava flows 1.1 billion years ago. 
Here the near vertical cliffs extend upward of 100 feet above the river surface, and in some places extends more than 100 feet below. These towering bluffs with shadows cast by new-growth of maples, basswoods, and eastern white pines, create a geological wonderland not found anywhere else in the world.

Starting at the headwaters near Gordon, Wisconsin, the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway runs more than 200 miles, I have paddled it all. This stretch from just below Taylors Falls, MN to Osceola, WI is my favorite.
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When paddling next to and touching these magnificent cliffs with their colorful markings and navigating the whirlpools that want to spin my kayak like a toy top, I feel somehow connected to its rich past. This area was home to Dakota and Ojibwe Indians for centuries before two rival fur trade companies, the North West and XY, sent traders to build wintering posts in the St. Croix Valley, in 1804. 

From 1837, when a treaty with the Ojibwe Indians opened this area to settlement, until 1912 when all the trees worth logging were gone, the river would often be so thick of logs headed to the sawmills in Stillwater, you could walk across between Minnesota and Wisconsin. 

​The famous 1886 logjam at Taylors Falls was exceptionally bad, stretching 2 miles. Over 200 river pigs (the name given to the brave men that guided the logs down river) tried to pry the logs apart and restart their journey down the river. Ropes, steam engines and finally, 24 pounds of dynamite were used to break the jam. 

This area is so rich in beauty, people from all over the world come to visit, making it one of the top tourist destinations in Minnesota and entire Upper Midwest.