Knocked out my failures early this morning but wasted lots of time doing so and it was now 5pm. Glad for all the sunlight on long summer days. My next stop of Glen Park in River Falls, Wisconsin was able to snag a quick and easy 2-for-1 by seeing Glen Park Falls & Junction Falls in the same stop.
The park is easy to access from multiple directions – you can walk from downtown River Falls across a large suspension bridge built in 1925, or you can drive in and park along the main driveway.
Views from the bridge provide a unique aerial perspective of the falls below. Doesn’t look like much from here, does it?
Down below, you can see the bridge high above Glen Park Falls. Several people were swimming/wading here and many more were enjoying views from the banks. Quite a popular spot on summer holiday weeks like this.
Wading through the shallow waters gives the best direct view of the main falls. I forgot to visit Boy Scout falls which is about 200 yards upstream because my notes were poorly organized, will have to return in the future to complete my checklist.
Glen Park Falls is part of the South Fork Kinnickinnic River which joins back to the main Kinnickinnic River near another small waterfall called Junction Falls. The large concrete monstrosity above this small falls is called Lake George Spillway. It’s a shame this dam has destroyed what the falls originally looked like (old Wikimedia shot for reference), but a group Friends of the Kinni is working to restore them and remove the dam.
Hiking Data
Hiking in this area was quite confusing as there is no formal map of the park’s trails/paths, but also easy because no matter which route you take it’s clear which direction you need to go. I took a difficult (and frankly stupid) route climbing down because I didn’t know any better. Bring your wading shoes, the best views are only available to those who go wading!
