Willow Falls

Willow River State Park / Hudson, Wisconsin, USA

About Willow Falls

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Willow Falls was an impressively wide (said to be 100ft across) and multi-tiered waterfall within Willow River State Park.

Its wide and multi-tiered characteristic wasn’t very common in the waterfalls that we had seen so far in our travels.

Willow_Falls_041_09252015 - Willow Falls
Willow Falls

It was also my introduction to waterfalling in the Great Lakes area where many of the waterfalls we would end up encountering flowed on permanent rivers and drained either towards one of the Great Lakes or towards large river systems like the Mississippi River.

In this case, the Willow River would drain into the St Croix River (defining the western boundaries of Minnesota and Wisconsin).

Ultimately, this river would drain into the Mississippi River, which eventually went all the way to the Gulf of Mexico while defining many other state boundaries along the way.

Willow Falls was one of the few waterfalls that had managed to be restored to nearly its natural state after being inundated by a reservoir from a dam (built in 1924 and removed in 1992).

As you can see from the photo above, the falls had a very healthy and natural look to it as a result.

Willow_Falls_048_09252015 - Looking out over the Willow River from the upper overlook above Willow Falls
Looking out over the Willow River from the upper overlook above Willow Falls

Given the restoration of the falls, it was now possible to take one of the well-developed and pretty serene trails leading to a frontal view of the falls as well as a top down view of it.

Experiencing Willow Falls

The trail that I took began from its nearest parking lot (see directions below), which descended a paved walkway towards a trail junction barely 300ft away.

I kept left to continue the descent towards the Willow River as the trail would follow its southern banks upstream.

After about a half-mile from the trailhead, I reached the bridge over the Willow River where I was able to get nice frontal views of the Willow Falls (as pictured at the top of this page).

Willow_Falls_018_09252015 - The trail to Willow Falls following along the Willow River
The trail to Willow Falls following along the Willow River

Beyond the bridge, there was a series of steps that led up to an upper lookout.

Up at that lookout, I was able to appreciate the view above the tree tops as well as a top down view of the multiple drops of Willow Falls.

During my visit, I smelled some kind of grease-like scent, which I wasn’t sure if it was from the nearby highway or from the remnants of the hydro infrastructure that was removed.

In any case, it was a somewhat humid day when I did this trail, and the up-and-down nature of the otherwise easy trail definitely made me sweaty.

Willow_Falls_085_09252015 - Context of the Willow Falls and the bridge in front of it
Context of the Willow Falls and the bridge in front of it

I also noticed some locals deviated from the trail on the far side of the bridge so they could scramble to get a closer look at the falls (which was something I didn’t do).

Optional Hike to the North Overlook

Back near the trailhead, I then took the other branch at that trail junction, which led to the North Overlook.

This flat quarter-mile (half-mile round trip) trail ultimately led me to a view of the Willow River well upstream from Willow Falls.

There were also remnants of machinery nearby the overlook, which I’d imagine was evidence of the water diversion and dam that was once here.

Willow_Falls_010_09252015 - Remnants of machinery at the North Overlook, which was evidence of the exploited past of Willow Falls
Remnants of machinery at the North Overlook, which was evidence of the exploited past of Willow Falls

So overall, I had spent close to an hour at the falls, which encompassed the optional North Overlook, the main viewing areas of the falls, and the upper lookout.

Finally, I noticed on the maps here that there was also a Little Falls.

However, it was clear on that map that the other falls remained a casualty of a dam (something that can be appreciated from the size of Little Falls Lake).

Nevertheless, it appeared that the main park infrastructure (including campsites and the park office) were on the lake’s southern shores.

Willow_Falls_050_09252015 - Looking down over the multi tiers of Willow Falls
Looking down over the multi tiers of Willow Falls

Willow Falls seemed to be on a separate more secluded part of the park, as a result.

Authorities

Willow Falls resides in the Willow River State Park near Hudson in St Croix County, Wisconsin. It is administered by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. For information or inquiries about the area as well as current conditions, visit their website.

Maps and Routing Content are for annual subscribers. See Membership Options.
Content is for subscribers. See Membership Options.

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Tagged with: willow river, state park, hudson, wisconsin, waterfall, st croix, saint croix, great lakes, midwest, usa, minnesota, mississippi river, little falls lake, st paul, minneapolis



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Johnny Cheng

About Johnny Cheng

Johnny Cheng is the founder of the World of Waterfalls and author of the award-winning A Guide to New Zealand Waterfalls. Over the last 2 decades, he has visited thousands of waterfalls in over 40 countries around the world and nearly 40 states in the USA.
Read More About Johnny | A Guide to New Zealand Waterfalls.