About Hidden Falls Regional Park
Hidden Falls Regional Park is located along the Mississippi River bluffs just below Lock and Dam 1. This beautiful park is great for birding, fishing, picnicking, walking, and biking. The boat launch provides access to the Mississippi River.
Amenities
BBQ Grill, Benches, Biking Trail, Boat Launch, Hiking Trail, Picnic Area, Restroom Facilities, and Shelter
Boat Launch
The boat launch can be accessed from the Hidden Falls north entrance. The north entrance is located at Mississippi River Blvd near Magoffin Ave.
Trails
With about 6.7 miles of paved trails, the park provides a beautiful setting for an afternoon's walk, run, or ride. Trails run along shady, wooded bottomlands next to the Mississippi River, past scenic picnic areas, and connects to the Mississippi River Boulevard and Uŋčí Makhá Park.
Accessing the Falls
Enter at the north entrance (Mississippi River Boulevard and Magoffin Ave). From the first parking lot at the bottom of the bluffs, walk along the trail past the picnic shelters towards the Mississippi River and follow the trail northwest along the Mississippi River. The trail will wind through the forest and along Hidden Falls Creek until you get to the falls.
The falls can also be experienced from above via a viewing plaza that can be reached from the stairs along Mississippi River Boulevard or via an accessible paved path from Uŋčí Makhá Park that follows Hidden Falls Creek and passes under Mississippi River Boulevard leading to the viewing plaza.
Shelter Rentals & Reservations
Hidden Falls has an open shelter that covers 12 of 16 picnic tables and seats approximately 60 people. Electricity is available at a 110 volts. Multiple crock pots, coffee pots, roasters and other electric items may cause overloads on the power source.
Note: The possession or consumption of alcohol is prohibited in this park.
Please contact the Park Permit Office at 651-632-5111 or ParksPermits@ci.stpaul.mn.us for more information or to make a reservation. Office hours are 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Current Projects
The Hidden Falls - Crosby Farm Regional Park Plan was adopted in 2019. The plan guides future park improvements and natural resources management. Priority improvement projects will be implemented as funding and opportunities become available. See the Hidden Falls - Crosby Farm Regional Park Projects webpage for more information.
Hidden Falls History
The park dates back to 1887, when it was selected by Horace Cleveland, a nationally known landscape architect and park planner, as one of four major park sites for the City of Saint Paul. Except for the use of a portion of the land as a tree nursery, no improvement was made in Hidden Falls Park until 1936-37, when the WPA carried out an extensive improvement program on the site. Featured in the park was a small spring-feed waterfall from which the park got its name. In the mid 1960's the park took much of its present form as work began on the park's four primary use areas: the primitive area, boat launching area, general picnic area, and scenic falls area.
