The St. Croix River Valley has long been home to Native Americans including Dakota, Ojibwe, Ho-Chunk and Menominee tribes.

As Europeans began to settle in the area, logging became a huge industry. Dams were constructed to float logs over falls and through narrows to the mills. A boom economy was created by the logging industry in this area, resulting in the establishment of many towns and mills along the river. But the timber did not last, and in 1914 log drives ended on the St. Croix.

The Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway was one of the first areas designated under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968. The Lower St. Croix, the riverway below Stillwater, was added in 1972.

The St. Croix National Scenic Riverway is a unit of the National Park Service located on the Namekagon and St. Croix Rivers. The riverway includes the two rivers and the riparian (riverbank) areas. Most of the National Riverway occupies the boundary between Wisconsin and Minnesota. The St. Croix Riverway could possibly be the most undeveloped riverway in the entire Upper Mississippi River Area. Two hundred and fifty-two miles of river environment have been preserved as part of the National Wild and Scenic System. The riverway is maintained and managed by three main organizations; the National Park Service, and the Minnesota and Wisconsin Departments of Natural Resources.

The St. Croix National Scenic Riverway offers many programs to schools and to the public dealing with the wildlife, history, ecosystem, and resource management.

Activities: Canoeing, kayaking, hiking, camping, fishing, hunting, snowshoeing, and cross country skiing.

Hours: Please call for more information.

The Namekagon Visitor Center is open May 3-25 9:00am to 4:30pm Saturday and Sunday; Memorial Day to Labor Day from 9:00am to 4:30pm daily except Tuesday and Wednesday; Labor Day to September 28 9:00am to 4:30pm Saturday and Sunday.

The Marshland Visitor Center is open by appointment, please call (320) 629-2148 to schedule a time.

The Lower River Visitor Center located in Stillwater, MN is no longer operating.

Location: There is no one main entrance to the Riverway., however, Minnesota Hwy 95 and Wisconsin Hwy 35 parallel the lower stretches. Wisconsin Hwy 63 the upper stretches. Crossings at I-94, Hwy 8, Hwy 70,and Hwy 77/48.

Contact Information: Call the Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway at (715) 483-3284.