SUBSCRIBE | NEWSLETTERS | MAPS | VIDEOS | BLOGS | MARKETPLACE | CONTESTS
TRY BACKPACKER FREE!
SUBSCRIBE NOW and get
2 Free Issues and 3 Free Gifts!
Full Name:
Address 1:
Address 2:
City:
State:
Zip Code:
Email: (required)
If I like it and decide to continue, I'll pay just $12.00, and receive a full one-year subscription (9 issues in all), a 73% savings off the newsstand price! If for any reason I decide not to continue, I'll write "cancel" on the invoice and owe nothing.
Your subscription includes 3 FREE downloadable booklets.
Or click here to pay now and get 2 extra issues
Offer valid in US only.
CLICK HERE TO LAUNCH FULL SCREEN MAP

St. Paul, MN: Swede Hollow-Bruce Vento Nature Tour

mn

Star Star Star Star Star

Distance: 3.0 miles


Hike or bike this 2.9-mile sampler of St. Paul's Bruce Vento Regional Trail. Easy access paths are perfect for families and for sampling the city's recent restoration efforts.
  • Arches
  • Swede Hollow
  • Path
  • Caving
  • Gravel Trail
  • Skyline views

An easy, east-side escape, Swede Hollow and the Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary were both historically rough places in St. Paul. Recent years have brought restoration efforts to the once industrialized area along the banks of the Mississippi River. The route starts at the trailhead at 7th Street and Payne Avenue, and loops north beneath the historic Seventh Street Improvement Arches. Just past the bridge, bear right into Swede Hollow, a deep, wooded ravine that was home to early Minnesota immigrants.

At the top of the hollow—and the trail's only real hill—hook south on the upper trail, looping back toward the trailhead and skirting a busy railroad thoroughfare. A gentle downhill slopes toward the Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary, an Audubon Society Important Bird Area that's undergone major restoration efforts in the last few years. Trails through this park are gravel, perfect for family biking, but walking affords the best chance for wildlife viewing.

-Mapped by Steve Johnson

Post a comment

ADD A COMMENT

Your rating:
Your Name:

Comment:

Get 2 FREE Trial Issues and 3 FREE GIFTS
Survival Skills 101 • Eat Better
The Best Trails in America
YES! Please send me my FREE trial issues of Backpacker
and my 3 FREE downloadable booklets.
Full Name:
City:
Address 1:
Zip Code:
State:
Address 2:
Email (required):
Free trial offer valid for US subscribers only. Canadian subscriptions | International subscriptions