I’ve done this trail twice now in the last couple of weeks, once with my girlfriend, Lee, and again a couple weeks later with my good friend, Gene. It’s a great trail with great views of Stillwater and the St. Croix River. The trail starts in downtown Stillwater, which has many nice shops, parks, restaurants, and even a trolley that gives an historical tour of the city.
We started each time at the old lift bridge, which had, after the new highway bridge was built, been converted to a pedestrian/bicycle trail. It’s fun to watch the bridge go up and down each time a larger boat has to get through.
On the east side of the bridge is the fairly steep and long “Houlton Hill” which leads to Houlton, Wisconsin. When I was younger I saw the hill as a challenge to be overcome; now I see it as a good reason to start on the west side of the bridge. On the Minnesota side of the bridge the trail goes south and is slightly uphill (except for one short, steeper hill just south of town) until it gets to the highway bridge. Riders and pedestrians then turn east and cross the bridge. Don’t worry, the highway is separated from the trail with concrete barriers which makes the riding/walking quite safe. The trail across the bridge is slightly uphill but nothing about which to worry. There are three turnouts on the bridge that offer great views of the river, Stillwater, and the surrounding wooded hillsides. I am definitely going back to the trail this autumn as the view must be spectacular after the colors have turned.
The trail goes across the bridge and enters Wisconsin where there is a nice rest stop. You then take a short ride through the small town of Houlton, down the Houlton Hill (much more fun than going up it), and back to the lift bridge and Stillwater. The loop is just under five miles, so it is nice for the more casual rider while the more serious rider can add the Brown’s Creek Trail, a five-miler that connects to the Gateway Trail. Lee and I did the loop and Brown’s Creek Trail for a total of 15 miles, then went home.
Gene and I did the loop and part of the Brown’s Creek Trail, which we just did not have the time to finish, and ended up with 12 miles. Gene and I then realized we had more time than we had thought and decided to stop at Charlie’s Pub to re-hydrate. We also had lunch (like I said, we had more time than we thought) and can vouch for the good food. The patio was really pleasant in the great weather and is close to the river and the lift bridge so we could see the boats on the river and the lift bridge operate several times. By then we were a bit late so we decided, what the heck, to have another drink. Charlie’s Pub is a great spot.
Both days were very pleasant and Lee and I will be going back soon to catch those autumn colors (and maybe a stop at Charlie’s).
