Like a mini Boundary Waters, an hour from downtown
Taylors Falls: 48-Hour Escape from Minneapolis
A glacier-carved basalt gorge on the St. Croix with the deepest potholes in the world.
Taylors Falls: A glacier-carved basalt gorge on the St. Croix with the deepest potholes in the world.
At a glance
Taylors Falls, Minnesota is a 1 hr drive from Minneapolis, best visited May-October or September-October (fall color). Like a mini Boundary Waters, an hour from downtown. Top things to do: Interstate State Park potholes & hikes, St. Croix scenic boat tour, Wild Mountain ski & alpine slide. Where to eat: The Drive In Restaurant, Tangled Up in Blue, Schooney's Malt Shop & Pizzeria. Stay at The Old O'Brien Quarry Resort or Wild Mountain Lodge.
83
of 100
Escape score
Worth the drive on its own
A modest weekend: reasonable rooms, plenty to do.
- Drive
- 1 hr from Minneapolis
- Best window
- May-October or September-October (fall color)
- Typical stay
- ~$173/night
Escape score: what there is to do and eat (40%), typical weekend lodging cost (30%), drive time (25%), rounding (5%). Computed from our own guide data, never from paid placement.
Why here
Taylors Falls is a town of 950 on the St. Croix River, 55 miles northeast of Minneapolis at the Wisconsin border. It sits on top of a 1.1-billion-year-old basalt lava flow carved by glacial meltwater into the deepest potholes in the world, 70 feet down, inside Interstate State Park. The town was a 19th-century logging center, and the 1858 Folsom House and the 1839 Methodist church still stand on Main Street. The St. Croix is a National Scenic Riverway.
Taylors Falls is the glacier-carved gorge an hour from Minneapolis, and the geology is the headline. The town sits on a 1.1-billion-year-old basalt lava flow, and the glacial meltwater at the end of the Ice Age drilled the deepest potholes in the world, 70 feet straight down into the rock, now inside Interstate State Park, the first interstate park in the country, shared with Wisconsin across the river. The Dalles, the basalt gorge the St. Croix cuts through, is the scenic draw, and the scenic boat tours run through it. The town was a 19th-century logging center, the last stop before the logs hit the Mississippi, and the 1858 Folsom House and the 1839 Methodist church on Main Street are the inheritance. The St. Croix, a National Scenic Riverway, is why the whole stretch is protected.
A weekend in Taylors Falls is a gorge-and-pothole weekend. Tour the Interstate State Park potholes and hike the Sandstone Bluffs Trail, take the scenic boat tour through the Dalles, and eat at the Drive In. Come May through October, or early October for the fall color. Two nights lets you add Wild Mountain for the alpine slide and a drive up to the St. Croix headwaters.
The plan
48 hours in Taylors Falls
Same town, two different weekends. Pick the arrival that matches your Friday.
Friday, on arrival
Check inThe Old O'Brien Quarry Resort
From ~$200/night
Tiny homes and cabins in a converted basalt quarry above the river. 12 units, a hot tub, and walking distance to the potholes.
Leave Minneapolis after work: the 1 hr drive lands you here in the evening.
Friday night
Dinner, then the main streetThe Drive In Restaurant
1950s root-beer stand on the river, burgers, malts, and cheese curds. Walk-up window, picnic tables. Open March-October.
Eat first and walk it off after. Most small-town kitchens stop seating by 9.
Saturday morning
First stopInterstate State Park potholes & hikes
$10 park entry. Self-guided tour of glacial potholes, 70 feet deep, plus the Sandstone Bluffs Trail, 1.5 miles round trip. Cross the footbridge into t...
Saturday midday
LunchTangled Up in Blue
Coffee, sandwiches, and live folk music in a restored 1890 building. The espresso and the breakfast burrito are the moves.
Saturday afternoon
Second stopSt. Croix scenic boat tour
$18. Taylors Falls Scenic Boat Tours, 80-minute trips through the basalt Dalles, May-October. The narrated geology tour is the one to book.
Saturday night
DinnerSchooney's Malt Shop & Pizzeria
Family pizzeria and old-school malt shop on Main. The taco pizza and the malts. Patio with river view.
Sunday morning
Last stop, then homeWild Mountain ski & alpine slide
$25. Summer alpine slide and tubing hill, winter ski area with 7 runs. 3 miles north of town. Open year-round.
1 hr back to Minneapolis still leaves you the afternoon.
Timings are a suggestion, not a schedule. Shift the whole plan by how late you leave.
The Basecamp
Where to stay in Taylors Falls
The Old O'Brien Quarry Resort
Tiny homes and cabins in a converted basalt quarry above the river. 12 units, a hot tub, and walking distance to the potholes.
Wild Mountain Lodge
Family lodge and waterpark 3 miles north. Rooms, a hillside waterpark, and a ski area in winter.
The Falls Inn at Taylors Falls
A bluff-top B&B a short walk from the potholes and the river, with views of the St. Croix. The quiet, in-town stay.
What to do
Interstate State Park potholes & hikes
$10 park entry. Self-guided tour of glacial potholes, 70 feet deep, plus the Sandstone Bluffs Trail, 1.5 miles round trip. Cross the footbridge into the Wisconsin side of the park.
Learn more ↗
St. Croix scenic boat tour
$18. Taylors Falls Scenic Boat Tours, 80-minute trips through the basalt Dalles, May-October. The narrated geology tour is the one to book.
Wild Mountain ski & alpine slide
$25. Summer alpine slide and tubing hill, winter ski area with 7 runs. 3 miles north of town. Open year-round.
Learn more ↗
Folsom House & Main Street
$5. The 1858 lumber-baron home of W.H.C. Folsom, plus the 1839 Methodist church and a four-block historic walk. Guided tours on summer weekends.
Learn more ↗Dalles of the St. Croix hike
Free with park entry. The Wisconsin-side trail along the basalt gorge, 2.5 miles round trip past the Angel Hill terrace and river overlooks.
Learn more ↗Pack for Taylors Falls
Trail & waterfall kit
Curated for waterfalls, trails, and summit days in Taylors Falls.
Lightweight hiking daypack
Room for layers, snacks, and the camera, without weighing you down.
See price on Amazon →Insulated water bottle
Cold water past the last switchback, hot coffee at the overlook.
See price on Amazon →Waterproof hiking boots
Grippy and dry through creek crossings and muddy gorge trails.
See price on Amazon →Rechargeable headlamp
For early trailheads and that one hike that ran long.
See price on Amazon →As an Amazon Associate, book2escape earns from qualifying purchases.
Where to eat
The Drive In Restaurant
1950s root-beer stand on the river, burgers, malts, and cheese curds. Walk-up window, picnic tables. Open March-October.
Tangled Up in Blue
Coffee, sandwiches, and live folk music in a restored 1890 building. The espresso and the breakfast burrito are the moves.
Schooney's Malt Shop & Pizzeria
Family pizzeria and old-school malt shop on Main. The taco pizza and the malts. Patio with river view.
Most reviewed on Yelp
The most-reviewed restaurants in Taylors Falls. A solid indicator of where locals actually eat.
The Drive In
American
Coffee Talk
Coffee & Tea
Tangled Up In Blue
American
Review counts and ratings are curated from Yelp and may change over time.
Go even deeper
Side trips near Taylors Falls
Once you've settled into Taylors Falls, these nearby towns are close enough to fold into the same weekend without moving your basecamp.
10 min from Taylors Falls
Marine on St. Croix
10 minutes south, the quietest village on the St. Croix, with a waterfall park and a single general store, the calm counterpart to Taylors Falls.
10 min from Taylors Falls
Osceola, WI
10 minutes east across the river, a small arts-and-creamery town with the Wildeck creamery, river views, and a walkable downtown across the state line.
Getting there
Drive logistics
From Minneapolis, take I-35E North to US-8 East. ~55 miles, about 1 hour. The St. Croix Crossing bridge opened in 2017, easing old-bridge traffic. Park at the Interstate State Park visitor lot, $10, and walk to the potholes.
Drive time
1 hr
Best time
May-October or September-October (fall color)
Questions & Answers
Taylors Falls weekend FAQ
About 55 miles northeast of Minneapolis, roughly 1 hour via I-35E North and US-8 East.
70-foot-deep holes drilled into basalt by glacial meltwater 10,000 years ago, the deepest in the world, in Interstate State Park.
Yes, a footbridge connects the Minnesota and Wisconsin halves of Interstate State Park. Both sides have trails and potholes.
Yes, it is an hour away. A day covers the potholes, the boat tour, and lunch at the Drive In. Overnight adds Wild Mountain and a quiet morning on the gorge trail.
Very. The pothole hunt, the 80-minute boat tour, the alpine slide at Wild Mountain, and malts at the Drive In all work for school-age kids.
Late September to mid-October. The basalt gorge and river bluffs turn early, and the boat tour runs through peak color. Weekends fill fast.
Yes. At 1 hour, Taylors Falls is the closest river-gorge weekend from Minneapolis, with glacial pothole rock formations in Interstate State Park and St. Croix cliffs, easy as a 1- or 2-night trip.
Glacial potholes, circular rock basins carved into basalt by melting-glacier whirlpools at the end of the last ice age, found on the Minnesota side of Interstate State Park along the short Pothole Trail.
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