William O’Brien State Park

Just got home after a wonderful overnighter at William O’Brien. Our parties’ two (carefully chosen) adjacent campsites were perfect. Private, well-​cared for, and extremely close to the St. Croix River. Noise from other campers was negligible. The surroundings were stunning, and really unexpected for a park so close to the Twin Cities. We saw all sorts of animals and took a wonderful riverside hike this morning. What a gem!
I imagine summertime could bring crowds that might ruin the experience, but October camping was delightful.

A great place to sample all the various landscapes of the St. Croix River valley. You can walk amongst beautiful white pines on the limestone banks by the river, or get a great long hike or ski on trails through prairie and forests on the uplands.

In many ways, I feel as though I grew up at this park. Just thinking about it brings back so many memories. That having been said, a decade later, I recently went and camped for a few days with a friend and all was as we remembered it.
The campgrounds are well-​kept and generally one can get a site without too much hassle if you’re not picky. There bathrooms/​showers on site and they are, for the most part, clean and in working order.
There are miles of walking and hiking trails throughout the park.
The beach is always packed on summer afternoons, but try evenings or mornings and you’ll have the place to yourself. Not sure exactly what the hours are but I am sure they are reasonable.
My family has been faithful members of this state park for many years and will continue to visit whenever I am back in Minn.

Hubby and I decided try out this park to see what it was like for walking and the bike trail they have. Cost about $ 5.00 for an all day pass to the park, which allows you to use the hiking, walking and beach area. There is also camping permits there — not sure how much those passes cost. We went on a nice little 3 — 4 mile walk trail around the camp grounds and by the St. Croix. The camp grounds actually looked pretty nice. If I was a camper I would definately try this place out. All around we had a nice visit to the park and plan to go back in the fall to check out the fall colors. In the winter the hiking trails are used for cross country skiing.