Hiking William O’Brien State Park in Winter – Minnesota

UPDATE: The historic buildings shown at the bottom of the post have now been torn down (April 2024). I’ll leave all the information up in case anyone who comes across this post is interested.

Visiting William O’Brien State Park in the winter is a different experience than in the summer, especially if you plan to hike! Only two areas are open for hikers and snowshoeing during the winter; the rest of the park’s trails are reserved for groomed cross-country skiing. I visited both of the areas of William O’Brien State Park for a winter hike on two separate days. Here’s my guide on how to hike William O’Brien State Park during the snowy Minnesota winter months.

William O’Brien State Park – Details

William O’Brien State Park is located in Marine on St. Croix, Minnesota, about a 45-1 hour drive from the Twin Cities Metro Area, making this a great day trip if you’re located in the cities.

Cost: $7 for day use (per car), $35 for the annual Minnesota State Park pass.

Dogs: Dogs are allowed on the trails, on leashes. I brought my dog, Luke, with me. He enjoyed himself!

Equipment needed: I hiked this in my regular winter boots. The trail is flat and snow-packed. Ice cleats are not needed, but there could be slippery parts of the trail, depending on weather conditions. You can hike in snowshoes – I saw many people doing just that – but it’s not necessary unless there’s been a lot of recent heavy snowfall.

Cell service: Poor signal, if any (Verizon)

William O’Brien State Park Hiking Club Trail (Riverside Trail) Review

In case you’re not familiar with the Minnesota State Park Hiking Club program, this free-to-join club offers rewards for completing hikes at the state park. Each state park has its own “Hiking Club” trail, with a password posted on a sign roughly halfway through the hike. Since the many of the hiking trails at William O’Brien close to hikers in the winter, including the ‘regular’ hiking club trail (which is 6 miles round trip), there is a winter option for those seeking out the password – the Riverside trail is open and offers up the password about halfway though.

The Riverside Trail is the most scenic of the hiking trails in the state park, as it follows part of the shores of Lake Alice and then loops around, following the banks of the St. Croix River, before heading back up towards the visitors center. The trail is 2.5 miles round trip, and goes in a loop.

To reach the trailhead for the Riverside trail in winter, you will need to park in the main visitor center parking lot, and then head south, following the closed-for-the-season road. This is the steepest part of your hike and you may encounter some icy patches. William O’Brien is a very busy state park – especially on weekends – so if you’re unsure, just follow the crowds. There is only one trail accessible to hikers from the visitor center, so as long as you follow the folks without cross country skis, you’ll be in the right area, since there’s nowhere else for them to go!

You’ll follow the closed road for a short while – it’s a bit steep, so watch out for patches of ice. The Riverside trail is located at the bottom of the road – there will be a sign marked for the trailhead, which is where you’ll begin your hike.

The Riverside trail is made up of hard packed snow for the most part and you’ll be fine hiking just in your regular winter boots. This trail was very, very busy when I hiked it – there were people of all ages and lots of dogs enjoying the nice weather.

Along the way, you’ll see winter views of Lake Alice, and then you’ll loop around to walk alongside the banks of the St. Croix River. Eventually, the trail heads back into the woods, following a creek, and then back up towards the closed road.

Hiking the South Trail at William O’Brien State Park

The South Trail is the other trail open for hikers during the winter at William O’Brien State Park. To reach this trail, you will need to drive to another area of the park, and park in the small lot.

Location:

Because this isn’t called out on Google Maps, I’ll give you the GPS coordinates for the parking lot. This parking lot is also noted on William O’Brien State Park Maps. The parking lot only has room for about 6-8 vehicles, but this area of the park is not well-visited, so you’ll have a good chance at getting a spot, even on weekends.

45°12’35.7″N 92°47’16.8″W

Trail Length: 2.1 mile loop.

This parking lot offers access to two trails – a cross-country ski trail (located in the parking) and the South Trail, which is open to hikers. To reach the South Trail, simply walk across the street.

The most interesting part of this hiking is the abandoned buildings you’ll see in a small clearing shortly after starting the hike.

These abandoned buildings in William O’Brien State Park were once owned by the Anson Family. This was a private residence and the family donated the buildings – along with 48 acres of land – to the park in 2010. The park had plans for refurbishing the buildings at one time – to make a visitor center, but it’s now been over a decade since then, and nothing has come of those plans. When I hiked near the buildings, it looked like they were being used for storing landscaping equipment. It was definitely interesting and unexpected to come across this during my hike, as I had no idea these buildings were there.

When I visited William O’Brien State Park, Minnesota was getting coated in ‘rime ice’ – a phenomenon when water droplets from light freezing fog accumulate on surfaces. It makes for fantastic photos; everything looks like a winter wonderland!

Winter in William O’Brien State Park – Final Thoughts

Hiking William O’Brien State Park during the winter season is a nice way to relax when there’s a good weather day. Despite the crowds, it was still a nice experience. Is it the most challenging and scenic hike I’ve ever done? No. It’s just simply a good way to enjoy nature in the local area.