Nature & Science

A calm, shallow stream curves around bends through a snowy floodplain. Bare trees stand against a uniformly overcast sky and reflect, gently rippled, ion the water's surface. Fresh animal tracks abound in soft snow on the river bank.
A winter day in a quiet floodplain.

NPS / Pete Wintersteen

 

The St Croix and Namekagon rivers create a corridor where all manner of things --past, present, and timeless--converge. Scenery shifts as geoloical zones shift, as prairie and forests meet and mix, and as rivers and streams water the life-rich riparian zones lining their banks. Use the links below to explore the nature of the Riverway.

 
An up-close facial shot of a green frog with big bulging eyes and a closed mouth. NPS/Nelson
Animals

Amphibians, birds, fish, mammals, and others call the Riverway home.

Reddish leaves of a Virginia Creeper cling to a wood post against a backdrop of green-leaves.
Plants

More than 700 species of plants live along and among the edges of the rivers.

 
An aerial photo of a braided river through a green forest. Photo by Craig Blacklock.
Environmental Factors

The park provides a "living laboratory" that helps to better understand how environmental factors have shaped park landscapes.

A firefighter with a drip torch ignites a prairie with white smoke rising above the flames.
Wildland Fire Management

Planned and unplanned fires ensure the safety and health of area resources, wildlife, communities, and people.

Evening light over a calm river.
Sounds of the Riverway

Sounds of the Riverway are present in all the seasons.

 

Some of the research that occurs at the Riverway is done in cooperation with the Great Lakes Inventory and Monitoring Network.

Go Explore Nature in our National Park System by discovering other treasured landscapes and the issues that affect them.

Last updated: January 27, 2025

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Mailing Address:

401 North Hamilton Street
St. Croix Falls, WI 54024

Phone:

715 483-2274

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