The St. Croix River is a 169-mile ribbon of blue that cleaves the land between Minnesota and Wisconsin. In the surrounding area, you can find small towns vibrant with local art, music, and dining. Set off in a kayak or canoe, however, and you could easily spend an entire day on the water without seeing another person. Close enough to the Twin Cities to be a pleasant day trip, yet vast enough to lose yourself for a week if you wish, the St. Croix River Valley is at once accessible and wild, beckoning adventurers, serious students of nature, family fun seekers, and sport enthusiasts all year round.

For readers of every inclination, Exploring the St. Croix River Valley provides a tour of the St. Croix Riverway and its 8,000-square-mile watershed. Environmental educator Angie Hong recommends specific places to explore the varied habitats--including prairies, forests, and lakes--and shows us myriad ways to get out and enjoy by hiking, paddling, biking, skiing, fishing, and more. As she travels from headwaters to tributaries, Hong takes in the Arcola High Bridge (with a side of freshwater mussel lore), searches for the perfect lakeside supper club, and talks to wildlife pros and volunteers restoring prairies, oak savanna, streams, and woodland habitats.

With stops at Standing Cedars Community Land Conservancy, Sunfish Lake Park, and the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, readers will learn about the landscape and its history--groundwater geology and riverside land formations, ephemeral wildflowers and forests lost to logging--and the local fauna such as skinks and osprey, red-headed woodpeckers, grouse, and elk. Along the way, Hong has her own stories to tell, from paddling the Namekagon and wild ricing on the Moosehorn to planting trees with school kids. With its mix of stories, photographs, and practical information, Exploring the St. Croix River Valley makes an engaging companion for anyone venturing to this extraordinary place--as a visitor or as a reader.