The Friends of Willow River and Kinnickinnic State Parks sponsor various events in both parks all year long. One of these upcoming events is to introduce geocaching to outdoor winter enthusiasts. Ashley Goldbeck, the Naturalist in charge of this event, would love fellow geocachers to help teach partipants "the ropes of geocaching". The park office will have a limited number of GPS units to loan to the newbies.
If you'd be willing to help provide advice to a "geo newbie" and show them how to find a cache or two, then this event is for you.
DATE: Saturday, February 17, 2018
TIME: 2:00-3:00 PM
WHERE: Kinnickinnic State Park Office, W11983 820th Ave, River Falls, WI 54022
We will meet at the Park Office at 2PM. A park sticker is not required BUT park admission for the day is if you do not already have a park sticker on your vehicle. You can purchase a day pass when arriving at the park office. The admission fee schedule can be found here: http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/parks/admission.html (One-hour stickers are no longer accepted at the park).
Depending on snow conditions, you may want to bring snowshoes. I'm hoping the ice is frozen at this time so I can search for the Kinnickinnic Cache, GCK3FQ.
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About Kinnickinnic State Park
In one of the Midwest’s most beautiful areas, the St. Croix River Valley, Kinnickinnic State Park offers experiences in two types of worlds. Enjoy the quiet and solitude of the Kinnickinnic River Valley and the surrounding countryside and enjoy the many popular water-based recreational pursuits on the St. Croix River. The park is in Wisconsin's western prairie ecological landscape.
The park includes a beautiful sand delta alive with boats and people enjoying the St. Croix River. Swimming, water skiing, sunbathing, and wind surfing are very popular. Boaters wishing to moor overnight are charged a nominal fee and typically spend star-lit evenings around a campfire on the beach.
The valley of the Kinnickinnic River, a cold water trout stream, is a rare sanctuary with majestic white pines and sheer limestone cliffs. In addition to having an excellent brown trout population, the Kinnickinnic valley is a haven for birds and other wildlife. More than 140 species of birds frequent the valley during the migrating season. Have your camera ready to capture that deer sneaking up the valley, painted turtle slipping off his log, or even a mink searching for food along the banks of the river.
At the tops of the bluffs, the upland portion of the park offers still more enjoyment. Unwooded portions of the park are being restored to prairie plants which flourished before white settlers came with their horses and plows. The park has 1,242 acres and is composed of a wide diversity of plant and animal life.