225

25

23

94

94

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27 27

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10

10

10

15 10

234

12

2

12

21

53

55

57

1

29

33

4

1

33

3

75

217

21

21

25

26

24

12

12

15

529

3638

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12

12

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52

5

2

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3

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5 5

3

3

3

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17

17

9

9

9

9

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50

50

27

238

28

25

25

25

28

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238

71

287

287

71

1

1

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4

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75

27

34 34

35

35

53

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26 2626

56

13

13

52

225

6

6

222

222

233

36

36

22

43

2

19

L

R

L

L

Long Prairie

Greenwald

Melrose

Stony

Creek

National Waterfowl Production Area

National Waterfowl Production Area

National Waterfowl Production Area

N.W.P.A.

Sauk RiverW.M.A.

Elgin WoodsW.M.A.

Grey EagleW.M.A.

Lasher W.M.A.

Ireland

Buckhorn W.M.A.

Avon

Albany

Two River Lake

PelicanLake

LowerSpunkLake

Middle SpunkLake

Upper Spunk

Lake

Sand Lake

Holdingford

North

Branch

Sponsa W.M.A.

Carl Schmidt W.M.A.

Oak RidgeW.M.A.

Pike Creek

Pike Creek Landing

Swanville

MO

RR

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Charles Lindbergh State Park

Flensburg

Pike

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4th Avenue Landing

LeBourget Park

Little Falls

Portage Left 325 yards

Fee Charged

River

Swan

RiceLake

SkunkLake

EreauxW.M.A.

Rice-Skunk LakeW.M.A.

Shays Island

Portage Left - 300 yards Rugged Trail

Private Park/Picnic Grounds

Blanchard DamBlanchard Landing

McDougallHomestead McGonagle

Park

Royalton Sportsman’s Club Landing Fee Charged

Seven Islands

Royalton Bowlus

Hay

Creek

Rivers

Rivers

Two

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Platte

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river level gauge MORRISON COUNTYBENTON COUNTY

Pasch Island

McDougall Island

Power Line

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Rice

Stoney Creek

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MORRISON COUNTY

Private CampgroundOutfitter

STEARNS COUNTY

Stearns County Park

Stearns County Park

Walleye Road

National Waterfowl Production Area

WatabLake

Sartell

Sartell Dam

Sartell Linear Park

Rotary Park

Veteran’sPark

Portage Right 300 yards

Sartell

SagataganLake

Sauk

River

Heim’s MillAccess

Hester Park

St. Cloud

Waite ParkSt. Joseph

Sauk Rapids Municipal Park

Sauk Rapids Lions Park

Wilson Park

Sauk Rapids I-IIICaution: scout before proceeding

St. Cloud Dam

SaukRapids

Portage Left • 300 yards

SHERBURNE COUNTYBENTON COUNTY

925

Zulege

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Benton Beach County Park

Little RockLake

WisneskiW.M.A.

Bunker

Hill

Creek

Creek

Coon LakeW.M.A.

Pierz Lake

Pierz

Sauk

Rive

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Little Falls Dam

Riverside ParkBeaver Island

Trail Access

Upsala

Munsinger and ClemensRose Gardens

960

965

955

950

945

940

935

930

traversestwo RRgrades.

BentonW.M.A.

Michaelson FarmW.M.A.

Rice AreaSportsmans Club

W.M.A.

McDougallW.M.A.

Happy ValleyW.M.A.

Rice-SkunkLake W.M.A.

Bend in the RiverRegional Park

Hwy 10

MillPark

5th Avenue

Knights of Columbus

Pineview Park

Miller Landing

Kraemer L.W

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River

94

94

27

475

12

15

529

3638

8938

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50

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27

28

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25

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23

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3

25

25

25

34

35

53

34 34

2626

56

13

36

36

22

43

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Miller r

Kra mer L.Kraemer LKraemer LL.

965.3 (R) Little Falls/ 4th Avenue Landing There are access on both sides of the river above the dam.

965.2 (L) Little Falls Dam Built in the late 19th century the dam is now owned by Minnesota Power and used to generate electricity for town and for operations of Hennepin Power, located just downstream on the west bank. There is a public access and fishing pier on the river’s east bank. Portage left 325 yards, just downstream from the Hwy 27 bridge.

965.2 (R) Mill Park The site of former Hennepin Paper Company (1890-1999), the structures were heavily damaged in a fire years after the company was closed. The site went through an environmental cleanup, portions of the building ruins were stabilized and the site is now a local park.

964.5 (L) Weyerhauser-Musser/Rosenmeier Homes Overlooking the Mississippi River and Little Falls’ river parks are two gracious older homes, built by the Weyerhauser and Musser families. Just east of those two houses is the home occupied by Gordon Rosenmeier, who had a distinguished career in the Minnesota Senate.

964.1- (R) Charles A. Lindbergh State Park and 963.4 Historic Site/ Pike Creek Landing The state park is upstream of the Mississippi’s confluence with Pike Creek, and the historic site is downstream of the confluence. Campsites are located one mile up Pike Creek. There is camping, boat access, modern facilities and interpretive programs at the park. The park is named for the Minnesota Congressman who was also the father of the aviator Charles Lindbergh. The family lived in the house before Charles A. Lindbergh’s election to Congress. The family spent summers in Little Falls in later years.

963.3 (R) Pike Creek Landing

961.0 (R) Swan River Lieutenant Zebulon Pike built a winter fort here, now submerged, in October 1805, left some of his men who were ill, and then continued up river to Leech Lake, returning in March. Fur trader William Aitken came here when he was fired by the American Fur Company; he is buried on the river’s east bank.

956.7 (R) Blanchard Landing

956.3 (R) Blanchard Dam Portage left 300 yards - rugged trail, traverses two railroad grades. An interesting blue-clay formation and crystals can be found on the east, or left bank, below the dam. This is the largest hydroelectric dam on the upper Mississippi River. There is a carry in access located just below the dam.

954.9 (L) McDougall Homestead Built in the mid-19th century, the family also farmed the island in the river. The site is owned and maintained by the Nature Conservancy. Watch for herons at the rookery on the 60-foot bluff.

953.6 (L) Royalton Sportsman’s Club The Royalton Sportsman’s Club owns and operates the campground and access on the east, or left, side of the river.

953.3 (L) Two Rivers Confluence/ Morrison C.R. 26 Morrison CR 26 Bridge has a river gauge.

953.3 County Highway 26 bridge

951.0 (L) Seven Islands Campsite River access only, located within a group of islands on the left side of the river.

950.5 Powerline crossing

949.4 (R) Spunk Creek

947.4 (L) Platte River River access only, located within a group of islands on the left side of the river. Private campgrounds and outfitter.

944.9 Benton County Road 2 Stoney Creek enters the Mississippi from the west, just below the bridge.

944.8 (R) Stoney Creek

942.9- (R) Stearns County Park Access and Rest Area941.3 The campsite is located just down river from the access.

A S TAT E WAT E R T R A I L G U I D E T O T H E M I S S I S S I P P75 I R I V E R

GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF ROUTE

ROUTE DESCRIPTION LITTLE FALLS to ST.CLOUD

Lush hardwood forests ringing open farmlands create a contrasting landscape mosaic on the Mississippi River between Little Falls and St. Cloud, about 90 miles north of Minneapolis-St. Paul (by road). What are farmlands today were prairie 200 years ago, and this river section once supported herds of grazing bison and elk. It was equally important to the Ojibwe and Dakota, who struggled to control access to the region’s resources. Today, the paddler will pass over Lieutenant Zebulon Pike’s 1805-6 wintering fort, which is now underwater. Fur Trader William Aitken’s burial site and the historic McDougall Homestead are also in this area. The Mississippi connects Minnesota’s forests to it’s prairies in this section; it also connects the present-day traveler to those who passed by here hundreds and even thousands of years ago. Canoeing will be comfortable for all, including the novice. However, four dams obstruct the channel and several large bridges cross the river as the river moves further from its Headwaters and closer to St. Cloud. The dams must be portaged. River miles are counted upstream from the Mississippi’s confluence with the Ohio River, according to a system developed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.Note: (R) and (L) refer to right bank and left bank, respectively, when facing downstream.

U.S. Highway

Carry-in Access

Trailer Access

Outfitter

Campground

Watercraft Campsite

Rest Area

Picnic Area

Drinking Water

Dam

Interpretive Center

Point of InterestDesignatedPublic LandFishing Pier

Interstate Highway State Highway

North

County Road

River Mile

Rapids

0

0 1 2 3 4

1 2 3 4 kilometers

miles W.M.A. = Wildlife Management AreaS.N.A. = Scientific and Natural Area

942.5 (L) Bend in the River Regional Park On the west side of Little Rock Lake. Parking, picnic area, drinking water available.

941.0 Walleye Road Access

937.0 (L) Little Rock Lake There is a public access on the lake, just before the Highway 10 crossing, about one mile up the lake.

933.8 (L) Sartell Access A public access is located just off Benton County Road 33.

932.3 (R) Sartell Linear Park rest area

932.2 (R) Sartell Dam Portage right 300 yards. The dam must be portaged. The Watab River and Veterans Park are located below the dam on the right bank.

932.1 (R) Sartell Veteran’s Park

931.9 2nd Street South bridge

930.4 State Highway 15 bridge

930.1 (L) Sauk Rapids Municipal Park Access Carry in access, rest area and fishing pier.

929.7 (R) Heim’s Mill Access There is a public access at the confluence of the Sauk and Mississippi rivers. Lions Park rest area provides drinking water. Caution: Rapids below the confluence with the Sauk are ranked as Class I to Class II. A portage trail is available along the city park on the left bank.

929.3 Sauk Rapids Class I-III Rapids

929.2 (L) Sauk Rapids Lions Park Sauk Rapids Municipal Park is located just below the bridge.

928.1 (R) Hester Park rest area and drinking water.

927.9 (L) Wilson Park, City of St. Cloud concrete trailer access, rest area with picnic facilities, toilets and water. 927.6 (L) 5th Avenue trailer access.

926.6 (L) Munsinger/Clemens Garden Park City of St. Cloud, rest area with benches, gardens include over 100,000 plants.

926.5 (R) Outfitter Canoes, kayaks, trailers, camping gear and limited shuttle service available.

926.1 (L) St. Cloud Dam and fishing pier Portage left - 300 yards, City of St. Cloud.

926.0 (L) Riverside Park, City of St. Cloud Rest area with picnic facilities, toilets, water and disc golf.

925.9 (R) Beaver Island Trail Park, City of St. Cloud trailer access with concrete plank ramp and bituminous surfaced parking lot.

HEADWATERS RIVER TRAIL

The Mississippi River makes a question mark shape on the land as it travels from Lake Itasca to St. Cloud. You are invited to follow the Headwaters River Trail down the first 420 miles of the Mississippi River. At Lake Itasca, the Headwaters trickle over a stone ledge, where you can wade across the mighty river. Tributaries add momentum for the 2,348 mile trek to the Gulf of Mexico; groundwater contributes two-thirds of the Mississippi River’s initial flow. From the Headwaters, the river flows through nine lakes. Glacial hills, called moraines, and glacial depressions, now lakes and wetlands, create scenic views. Wetlands, marshes, and oxbows act as natural filtration systems, preserving water quality. Rapids and riffles dot the entire river. Fishing is great! River elevation drops 500 feet from Itasca to St. Cloud. Hydropower and water control dams require portages. A braided river pattern joins the Mesabi and Cuyuna Iron Ranges — 100 miles apart by road and 200 miles by river. The Cuyuna Range is the most rugged area of the Headwaters. Near Brainerd, development and agriculture increase with a more defined channel; natural characteristics are preserved. The Mississippi Headwaters Board is an eight-county joint powers board organized to protect the natural, cultural, scenic, scientific and recreational values identified in the Mississippi Headwaters Guide Book. The Headwaters is an extraordinary place for wildlife and rare plants. Citizens protect the Mississippi River at its Headwaters to help provide safe drinking water to millions of people downstream in St. Cloud and the Twin Cities, and in Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky, Arkansas, Mississippi and Louisiana. Choose a wilderness experience or visit parks with a variety of facilities. Either way you will see a unique place and meet the people who live here. The Mississippi River is a fun place to visit.

PLANNING A SAFE RIVER TRIP A successful river trip is safe. To enjoy a safe journey, you should be prepared. You should be acquainted with your route. Choose a distance that is comfortable for you. Water levels can speed you or slow you: get information about water levels from the regional DNR Trails and Waterways office, or check the river level gauges listed in the route description section of this map. Protect the water and shorelands and leave nothing behind you except footprints. Remember that much of the shorelands are privately owned.

Trip Planning

• Travel with a companion or group. Plan your trip with a map before you depart and advise someone of your plans including planned departure and arrival times.• Most people paddle two to three river miles per hour.• Bring a first aid kit that includes waterproof matches.• Be cautious of river obstructions, such as overhanging and dead trees in the river.• You must pack out all trash.• Leave only footprints; take only photographs! Rest Areas and Camping Sites

• Public rest areas are available along the route to rest, picnic and explore.• Camp only in designated campsites, which are available on a first come- first served basis.• Bring drinking water. It is only available at a limited number of rest areas. Drinking river water is not recommended, but if you do it must be treated.• Respect private property. Stop only at designated sites; much of the shoreland is private property.• Be sanitary! Use designated toilet facilities or bury human waste away from the river. Boating Information

• Wear a U. S. Coast Guard approved personal flotation device.• Bring an extra paddle.• Not all portions of this water trail are suitable for motor use.• Register your watercraft. All watercraft more than 9 feet in length, including nonmotorized canoes and kayaks, must be registered in Minnesota or your state of residence.

ABOUT THIS RIVER SECTIONLittle Falls to St. Cloud

The Mississippi River drops six and a half feet for every river mile between Little Falls and Royalton. Two dams, owned and operated by Minnesota Power, obscure the falls today, but they remain a distinctive physical feature. Little Falls Dam was built in the late 19th century, but the location was used for commerce before then. In the mid-1840s, settlers began to arrive. James Green operated a grain mill using the river’s power before the Civil War. It was the Mississippi’s “Little Falls” that attracted the attention of entrepreneurs — compared to the “big” falls at St. Anthony downstream. The falls are the result of an outcropping of a metamorphic bedrock formation of mica schist, phyllite and slate. The formation can be seen at Pike Creek, in Charles A. Lindbergh State Park. The creek bed at the swing bridge on Lone Eagle Trail is covered with boulders that are fragments of this bedrock formation and other types of rocks imported by the glacier, including large granite erratics with quartz dikes. Maple Island lies just below the dam site. The park on the river’s east bank was named LeBourget, for the French city where Charles A. Lindbergh landed following his 1927 flight across the Atlantic. From 1890 to 1920, the Pine Tree Lumber Co. was located at this site. The company was owned by a group of lumbermen dominated by the Weyerhaeuser and Musser families. In 1892, Pine Tree cut 32 million board feet of lumber at Little Falls, the largest amount cut by any single firm north of Minneapolis. The company quickly became the city’s largest employer, a position it held until it closed in 1920. Several large homes overlook the river below the park. The Rosenmeier house lies furthest from the river, on a place of prominence overlooking the river and adjacent pond. It was built in 1903 in the classical revival style. Gordon Rosenmeier was raised there and continued to live there after his election to the Minnesota Senate in 1940 where he served until 1971. The two neighboring homes of Charles A. Weyerhaeuser and Richard “Drew” Musser are reminders of Minnesota’s lumbering era. The two men came to Little Falls in the 1890s to manage the Pine Tree Lumber Co., founded by their fathers. They helped lead Little Falls into an era of prosperity. Just downstream of the confluence with Pike Creek lies Shay’s Island. Zebulon Pike built a winter fort on the western side of the river below the island in 1805, the

year he traveled north to determine the source of the Mississippi River. The fort site was surveyed by the Institute for Minnesota Archaeology in 1984 and 1985, when the reservoir was drawn down to repair the dam and replace an oil pipeline. Shorelands are covered in mixed hardwood-conifer forest. Watch for deer, muskrat, otter, fox, red tail hawks, eagles, kingfisher, and turtles. Nearby, grassland prairie contains sparse vegetation, but is rich in wildflowers. Oaks and hazel are found in depressions on the prairie. Open grasslands are important nesting areas for birds and grazing areas for large animals. Bison, elk and antelope historically lived here. The prairie becomes oak savanna forest in scattered groves, with aspen, chokecherries, and prairie willows. People have been drawn to the confluence of the Swan and Mississippi rivers. Prehistoric artifacts have been found in the region. Scottish trader William Aitken came here in the mid-19th century after his falling out and dismissal by the American Fur Company. He is buried on the Mississippi’s east bank, possibly at a traditional native cemetery. Further downstream is the MacDougall Homestead, an original homestead now owned and protected by the Nature Conservancy. The MacDougalls were Scots who immigrated from Nova Scotia to Minnesota in the mid-19th century. The homestead, built in 1869, has a kitchen, summer kitchen, dining area, parlor and eight bedrooms. The barn, built in 1874, is an excellent example of the hand-hewn timber frame type built in Nova Scotia and the eastern United States. A heron

rookery on the property, south of the buildings, stands on top of the 60 foot bluff overlooking the river. Water quality of the Mississippi in this section is very good and supports a premiere fishery for walleye, muskie, northern pike and smallmouth bass. Through Morrison County, the river is protected by the Mississippi Headwaters Board. Below Morrison

County, the river is protected by Minnesota Shoreland Rules. Downstream of the State Highway 23 bridge, the Mississippi is designated as a State Wild and Scenic River. St. Cloud is the first city on the river to draw water for municipal drinking use.

HEADWATERS RESOURCESMINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES 1601 Minnesota Drive, Brainerd, MN 56401(218) 833-8715

CHARLES A. LINDBERGH STATE PARKP.O. Box 364, Little Falls, MN 56345(320) 616-2525

LITTLE FALLS AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE200 1st Street NW, Little Falls, MN 56345-1365(320) 616-4959 • 1(800) 325-5916

CRANE MEADOWS WILDLIFE REFUGEU.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE19502 Iris Road, Little Falls, MN 56345(320) 632-1575

ST. CLOUD CONVENTION AND VISTORS BUREAUP.O.Box 487, St. Cloud, MN 56302-0487(320) 251-2940 • 1(800) 264-2940

SUSTAINABLE ECOSYSTEMS Outdoor recreation is dependent on a healthy and attractive natural environment. Sustainable outdoor recreation enables people to enjoy the outdoors without negative impacts on the environment. Communities working together can improve water resources by promoting environmentally sensitive land-use practices along rivers and throughout watersheds. Natural shoreline buffers improve water quality by filtering out pollutants and sediments. Healthy and diverse native shoreline plant communities are attractive and provide important habitat for birds and wildlife.

BELTRAMI

HUBBARD

CLEAR-WATER

ITASCA

AITKIN

CASS

CROW WING

M O R R I S O N

Bemidji

Lake Bemidji

Cass Lake

Lake Itasca

Lake Andrusia

Cass LakeBall Club

Lake Winnibigoshish

Deer River

PokegamaLake

Cohasset

Jacobson

Palisade

Brainerd

Aitkin

Fort Ripley

Riverton

Little Falls

Scho

olcr

aft

Rive

r

TurtleRiver

Leech

Willow River

Prair

ie R

iver

Swan R

iver

Lake River

Vermillion River

Lake George

Walker

Randall

Sartell

St. Cloud

Royalton

Remer

Cross Lake

Crosby

Pillager

Deerwood

McGregor

Turtle River

Pine River

Nokasippi

Rive

r

Little Elk

Swan River

River

Crow

Wing

River

Grand Rapids

Big SandyLake

Splithand River

Gull Lake

To enable you to manufacture your wares, nature made Little Falls. If you doubt her intention, examine closely that magnificent rock in the middle of the Mississippi, called ‘Mill Island.’ Look at the solid rock foundations at the bed of the river! Glance at that magnificent fall of over 20 feet - at the bend of the river and a natural location for a canal! Cast your eyes over that beautiful site on both sides of the river for a city! Reflect on your geographical position, and then dare to say that nature has not left its imprint here at the spot upon which to build a magnificent city! Dr. William Breyfogel, 1888

A STATE WATER TRAIL GUIDE TO THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER

1601 Minnesota DriveBrainerd, MN 56401218-828-2619

Photos: Peter Card II© 2016 Minnesota Department of Natural Resources

Minnesota State Parks and Trails Regional Unit PRO

TECTING THE FIRST 400 MILES

OF THE MISSISS

IPPI

RIVER

This Publication was produced by the Mississippi Headwaters board in cooperation with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Financial support was provided by the folowing organizations.

Minnesota PowerREI/National Rivers Coalition

Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation BoardItasca Trails Task ForceMcKnight Foundation

National Forest Foundation

Mississippi Headwaters BoardP.O. Box 3000, Walker, MN 56484218-547-7263mhbriverwatch.dst.mn.us

“The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is an Equal Opportunity Employer”

This information is available in alternativeformat upon request.

Online water trail information and maps can be found at mndnr.gov/watertrails

Mississippi RiverLittle Falls to St. Cloud - Map 6 of 9

STATE WATER TRAIL MAP

The DNR’s Information Center is available to provide free publications of facilities and services as well as answers questions

pertaining to DNR recreational opportunities in Minnesota.

DNR Information Center

500 Lafayette Road

St. Paul, MN 55155-4040651-296-6157 Metro Area1-888-646-6367 MN Toll-Free

mndnr.gov