October 6, 2016: Mounds Park Hike (St. Paul)

Join the hiking group for a hike along the bluffs above the Mississippi River in St. Paul.

Dayton's Bluff, at the east side of the Mississippi in the southeast part of St. Paul, has a large residential district on the plateau extending backward from its top. The name of the bluff commemorates Lyman Dayton, for whom a village and township in Hennepin County also were named. On the edge of the southern and highest part of Dayton's bluff, in Mounds Park, is a series of seven large aboriginal mounds, four to 18 feet high, from which a magnificent prospect is obtained, overlooking the river and the central part of the city.

Dayton was born in Southington, Connecticut, in 1810, and died in St. Paul, in 1865. He came to Minnesota in 1849, settled in St. Paul, invested largely in real estate, and was the president of the Lake Superior & Mississippi Railroad.

In addition to passing near the remaining burial mounds, the hike route will pass by the last airport landing light beacon remaining in the Twin Cities. Just below the park, the Department of Natural Resources ran a fish hatchery operation.

Directions: Take I-94 east through downtown St. Paul to the Mounds Boulevard/Sixth Street exit. At the stoplight at the top of the exit ramp, go southeast (right) on Mounds Boulevard, proceed past 3rd Street and the I-94 overpass bridge. The Mounds Park overlook is two blocks beyond the overpass. Enter the parking lot on Cherry Street. Meet by the historical marker at the midpoint of the overlook.

Article on the Mounds Park Airport Beacon

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This page was last updated on October 4, 2016.