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There’s a particular kind of quiet that settles in once you’re past the boat launch and out on open water — engine idling down, wake smoothing behind you, someone in the back passing around a bag of chips. Along this stretch of the Great River Road, from St. Croix Falls down to Nelson, that feeling is never more than a short drive away. Here’s where to find it.
St. Croix Falls is the natural starting point if you’re chasing water all day. Interstate State Park sits right on the St. Croix, and while the river itself is better suited to paddling and watching kayakers work the rapids below the dam, the park’s Lake O’ the Dalles has its own guarded swimming beach and bathhouse — a good stop for a picnic and a swim before you ever get a boat wet. It’s also just a pretty place to sit for a while and look at 200-foot gorge walls carved out by glacial meltwater, which is more scenery than most beach days offer.
Drop down to Hudson and you’re in boat-day territory proper. Lakefront Park runs about three-quarters of a mile along the St. Croix, with a public launch, a lifeguarded beach on the summer schedule, sand volleyball courts, and a paved walking path if you want to stretch your legs between swims. It’s an easy put-in for an afternoon on the water, and downtown Hudson is close enough that grabbing ice cream before or after doesn’t cost you any extra driving.
Right at the confluence of the St. Croix and the Mississippi, Prescott is where a lot of boat days on this stretch either start or end — the meeting of the two rivers, with the St. Croix’s blue-green water visibly mixing into the Mississippi’s, is one of those views that’s worth idling the motor for a minute just to look at. It’s a good put-in point if you’re planning to run either river for the day, and a good place to tie up and watch the water traffic go by if you’re not.
Between Prescott and Stockholm, the road hugs the bluffs above the Mississippi, and the river itself widens out into Lake Pepin — the biggest natural lake on the entire Mississippi, and reportedly where water skiing was invented back in the 1920s. Bay City and Maiden Rock are quieter stops along here, more about the view from the road than a beach to park at, but they’re worth the slow drive if you’re chasing lake views rather than a swim.
Once you’re on the lake proper, Stockholm and Pepin are the two beach towns to know. Stockholm Village Park sits right on Lake Pepin with a swimming beach, a 700-foot pier to fish or watch boats from, and a boat ramp if you’re launching there. A few miles further, Pepin‘s public beach has the same laid-back, small-town lake feel — soft sand underfoot, restaurants and shops an easy walk away for lunch after you’ve dried off.
By the time you reach Nelson, Lake Pepin has narrowed back into river, and the pace slows down to match. It’s less about a specific beach here and more about the drive itself — bluffs on one side, water on the other, and a good excuse to stop at a roadside stand before turning back north.
Wherever you start, the rule for this stretch of river holds: pack a towel, leave extra time, and don’t plan too tight a schedule. The water sets the pace out here, not the clock.
Make downtown Prescott your home base and book direct with us: The Port of Prescott for boutique king suites steps from the river, Port After Dark for romantic suites made for couples, The Harbor Hotel for themed rooms and extended stays, and The Cove Guest House for downtown condos and group getaways.
