The St Croix State Forest Offers 45 Miles of Trails For ATVs and Dirt Bikes

The dew was still glistening on the grass blades one day last spring, and that meant only one thing - it was flippin' early. Way too early for any human to be awake, and the bloodshot eyes and weary heads were evidence of that. But we were vertical, conscious and making some final checks before hitting the road for a two-hour drive to our ATV riding destination.

After slugging 24 ounces of Mountain Dew and downing some sugar-infested donuts, the caffeine and glucose-induced alertness finally kicked in as we headed north to the St. Croix State Forest near the Minnesota and Wisconsin border.

It was our first "real" ATV ride of the season in the upper Midwest. Sure we had spun some rubber elsewhere in the country, but it was our first ride of the year with our own staff ATVs that we were able to ride near home. We had been to the area before. We'd used a portion of the ATV trail on some rides during our first couple of ATV Trials events. We liked the trails so much, we decided to go back.

The St. Croix State Forest offers 45 miles of trails. ATVs and dirt bikes are allowed on the trails. They are rated as difficult, which are suited for intermediate and expert ATV riders. Throughout the state forest there are five separate parking areas, one campground and five primitive camping areas. The Boulder campground is located on Rock Lake. A forest road, which is available for use unless posted closed, leads from the campground to the forest trails.

A Rocky Mix

We got lucky choosing the day we planned to ride. It had been a rainy spring, but it was a perfect, sunny day with temperatures reaching the mid-70s.

Our starting point was in Danbury, Wis., along the Gandy Dancer trail. The Gandy Dancer trail is an old railroad line turned into a multi-use trail. Technically, it begins in St. Croix Falls, Wis., and ends in Superior, Wis. However, only a portion of the trail is open to off-road vehicles.

We crossed the St. Croix River via a high wooden bridge checking out the views along the way. Once on the other side, we were in Minnesota. After clicking through all the gears as we sped up the Gandy, a left turn brought us to some twisty trails and the St. Croix State Forest OHV trail system. We decided to ride on a 15-mile loop and sped off on our two sport quads and one sport utility ATV. With the recent rain, we dodged puddles and maneuvered through some deeper and unexpected standing water. On this loop of the trail system there's one other thing that does make it for intermediate riders - rocks and lots of them.

Most of the rocks are medium sized and most ATV riders can ride over them, which adds to the fun. There are long sweeping turns, switchbacks and hill ascents and descents that make the trail fun and challenging. The trail is narrow in spots so riders must use caution and watch for oncoming traffic. We shot around the loop three or four times, resting at our starting and ending point.

Low on gas and near lunch time, we rode back into town. Once our machines and we were fueled up, we ventured back out. This time, though, instead of doing the loop again, we turned onto a 7-mile feeder trail. While we remained mostly dry during the morning, that wouldn't be the case in the afternoon. The trail was wider and smoother, but littered with more puddles. We steered around what we could, but often had to blast through them. And, those who've ridden a sport quad before know they don't offer much protection. When we reached the end of the trail at a parking lot, we were soaked, and not looking forward to the wet ride back. We brought it down a notch as we made our way back to our starting point. After clicking off several miles and with our wet gear, it was time to call it a day.

The St.Croix State Forest trail system treated us right. And on the Monday we visited the area, we met only three other ATV riders and two dirt bike riders on the trail. Not bad considering the area can get congested on the weekends that sometimes spills over into the week. With the riding done, the exhaustion of a good day's ride set in on our drive home. This time, though, we didn't need any sugar or caffeine to keep us awake. It was definitely time to rest.