Pine County: Nature, Rivers and Museums

When looking for a hotel in Pine County, you can first consider whether nature and trails or the county’s history will be the focus of your trip. Parks, rivers and museums offer different themes to help you plan your days.

Landscapes and Habitats

St. Croix State Park in Pine County covers more than 33,000 acres of forests, meadows, wetlands and streams. The grounds of Osprey Wilds on the east shore of Grindstone Lake cover 780 acres and include old-growth pine and hardwood forests, conifer stands of different ages, prairie, an oak savanna, wetlands, and lake and stream habitats. These descriptions illustrate the variety of landscapes that may be part of a stay in Pine County.

Trails for Walking and Biking

The trails vary in length and route type. The Kettle River Highbanks Trail is three miles long and one-way. Along the way, you can enjoy views of rocky rapids, nesting eagles and wildflowers. The park map and 2025 guide list the Lower Skunk Cabbage Trail as 0.6 miles one-way. The official Banning State Park map and 2025 guide list the Quarry Loop Trail as a 1.8-mile loop. A loop and a one-way trail are different route types; factor the relevant information into your day’s plans.

The Two Rivers Trail is a five-mile loop that leads to the confluence of the Kettle River and the St. Croix River. Here, too, the route type and destination provide a concrete guide to choosing a trail. If you would rather explore by bike, St. Croix State Park has a mostly flat, paved 5.5-mile one-way bike trail. In General C.C. Andrews State Forest, the Willard Munger State Trail is fully paved and open to hiking, inline skating, biking and snowmobiling.

Rivers and Water Activities

At Kettle River in Banning State Park, there is a spot where canoes and kayaks can be launched from shore. Wolf Creek Falls is a 12-foot waterfall where the headwaters of Wolf Creek flow into the Kettle River. There is a boat ramp at the Dago Lake Day-Use Area. The relatively shallow, clear Dago Lake has a sandy bottom and is suitable for swimming. When planning, you can choose whether you would like to take a trip on the water, spend a day swimming or explore a river landscape on foot.

The Snake River flows through Chengwatana State Forest. Several miles of rapids run through the forest before the river empties into the St. Croix River. The forest also has several miles of scenic snowmobile trails across flat and hilly terrain. In the northern part of the forest, these trails connect with the Matthew Lourey State Trail and the trails of St. Croix State Park.

Museums and History

The Pine County Historical Society Museum features a one-room schoolhouse and a limited-edition, life-size replica of the Wright Flyer. The museum also has an extensive reference library with information on Pine County history, as well as old photographs and maps. The library is open to everyone and offers a different way to explore local history than the exhibits.

The Hinckley Fire Museum preserves an extensive historical archive of documents and artifacts related to the history of Hinckley and Pine County. Group tours can be arranged with advance notice by phone. If you would like to include historical topics in your trip planning alongside trails and landscapes, the two museums offer different points of interest.

Discover more destinations: Hinckley, Freeborn County, Cass County, Dakota, Blue Earth County, Scott, Marquette, Morrison.

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