Group working to create mobile visitor center for St. Croix Scenic Riverway
OSCEOLA, Minn. -- The St. Croix National Scenic Riverway provides plenty of picturesque views and outdoor adventure along the border of Wisconsin and Minnesota.
WCCO's Derek James went to Osceola to take a look at the new effort to connect more visitors to everything the area has to offer.
Over a million visitors a year stop somewhere along the 255 miles of the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway, many of them by accident.
The Wild Rivers Conservancy is partnering with the park service to create a mobile visitor center. They were just awarded a grant from the National Park Foundation to kickstart the project.
Tom Swanner has lived on a farm 12 miles north of St. Croix Falls most of his life where he hosts campers. He says once people discover the beauty of the St. Croix and it's opportunities to boat, hike, & take in the natural beauty, they keep coming back.
"The hope is that with a ranger or a volunteer or a conservancy staff member we can share maybe a landing that's close by or we can encourage them to maybe visit a campsite maybe a little further north to give them a different experience a little bit further from the Twin Cities," Swanner said. "People come with their RVs stay at my farm, spend the night and they enjoy it, they enjoy the area, they love this area."
The big truck or van that will become the mobile visitor center will allow the conservancy and it's volunteers to go to the more than 60 landings in the park and 150 campsites to connect with visitors.
The hope is to have the mobile visitor vehicle on the road next summer.