Winchell Trail

{{Short description|Hiking area in Minneapolis}} {{Use American English|date=July 2025}} {{use mdy dates|date=September 2022}} {{Infobox hiking trail|name=Winchell Trail|photo=Winchell Trail.jpg |caption=The Winchell Trail overlooking the Mississippi River|location=Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States|length_mi=5|trailheads={{unbulleted list|Franklin Avenue South {{small|(north)}}|East 44th Street {{small|(south)}}}}|use={{unbulleted list|Hiking only|Dogs must be on leash}}|elev_change={{convert|501|ft|m}}|difficulty=Moderate|season=Year round|sights={{unbulleted list| Floodplain forests| Oak savanna| Prairie grasses| River gorge| Sandy beaches| Springs and waterfalls| Wildflowers| Wildlife}}|hazards=Natural surface portions may be muddy after storms or snow melt |map={{Maplink|frame=yes|plain=yes|type=line}} }}

'''Winchell Trail''' is a {{convert|5|mi|km|sigfig=1|adj=mid|spell=in|round trip}}, pedestrian-only trail in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, that runs along the west side of the Mississippi River between Franklin Avenue South and East 44th Street.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nps.gov/miss/planyourvisit/ptgkeyhikingwalk.htm|title=Walks and Hikes - Mississippi National River and Recreation Area|last=U.S. National Park Service|date=|website=www.nps.gov|language=en|access-date=2019-12-16}}</ref> Popular with birdwatchers and naturalists, the rustic trail provides Upper Mississippi River gorge access and views. The trail is separate from the adjacent multi-use bicycle path, taking hikers past sandy beaches, an oak savanna restoration project, and the floodplain forest.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theoutbound.com/minnesota/hiking/hike-the-winchell-trail|title=Hike the Winchell Trail|website=www.theoutbound.com|language=en|access-date=2019-12-16}}</ref><ref name=":0" /> The trail has multiple access points and the section from East 38th Street to East 44th Street is paved.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web|url=https://minnesota.cbslocal.com/top-lists/best-hiking-trails-twin-cities/|title=Best Hiking Trails In The Twin Cities|date=2010-11-07|language=en-US|access-date=2019-12-16}}</ref> Described as moderate and for all hiking skill levels, the out-and-back Winchell Trail has total elevation gain of {{convert|501|ft|m}}.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/minnesota/winchell-trail|title=Winchell Trail|website=AllTrails.com|language=en|access-date=2019-12-16}}</ref> Parts of it can be hiked in near solitude as its age and general dilapidation{{Clarify|date=July 2023}} have made it widely forgotten.<ref>Larsen, Elizabeth Foy (11 April 2020). [https://mspmag.com/arts-and-culture/our-perfect-parks/ "38 Perfect Parks: Ungroomed Adventure"]. ''Mpls.St.Paul Magazine''.</ref>

== Route description == thumb|right|Winchell Trail entrance, October 2017 The Dakota people have lived along the shores of the Upper Mississippi River for many centuries.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://dakotawicohan.org/dakota-of-minnesota-history/|title=Dakota of Minnesota {{!}} Dakota Wicohan|language=en-US|access-date=2019-12-20}}</ref> Winchell Trail may follow a path they created in the area.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/www/groups/public/@cped/documents/webcontent/wcmsp-186155.pd|title=Minneapolis Native American Context Statement and Reconnaissance Level Survey Supplement|last=Two Pines Resource Group, LLC|first=The City of Minneapolis Department of Community Planning & Economic Development|date=July 2016|website=City of Minneapolis|page=12|access-date=}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.minneapolisparks.org/_asset/vkz2qm/grand_rounds_masterplan_1999.pdf|title=Grand Rounds Scenic Byway: Interpretive Master Plan|last=Minneapolis Parks & Recreation Board|date=April 1999|website=Minneapolis Parks|access-date=}}</ref> Residents and visitors who hike the trail experience what a native oak savanna looked like before European-American settlement.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|url=https://www.nps.gov/miss/planyourvisit/missgorg.htm|title=Mississippi Gorge Regional Park|last=National Park Service|date=November 2019|website=Mississippi National River and Recreation Area, Minnesota|access-date=}}</ref>

=== Access points === Winchell Trail has multiple access points from the West River Parkway trail of the Grand Rounds National Scenic Byway. The northern trailhead is near Franklin Avenue South and West River Parkway. The southern trailhead is near East 44th Street and West River Parkway. There is also a signed entrance to the trail at East 36th Street with several paths down to the oak savanna site. There are a few crescent-shaped parking lots along the trail route, two near East 36th Street and one near East 44th Street. Many of the various access points have racks for bicycles, which are not permitted on the trail or other natural surface paths in the gorge.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.traillink.com/trail/west-river-parkway-trail-/|title=West River Parkway Trail {{!}} Minnesota Trails {{!}} TrailLink|last=|first=|date=|website=www.traillink.com|access-date=}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://fmr.org/river-corridor-and-land-use-updates/riverfront-regional-park-plan-roundup|title=Riverfront regional park plan roundup|last=|first=|date=2019-04-08|website=Friends of the Mississippi River|language=en|access-date=}}</ref>

=== Major points of interest === ==== List from north to south ==== * Northern trailhead marker and Mesabi Iron Range boulder near Franklin Avenue South.<ref name="place">{{Cite web|url=http://www.placeography.org/index.php/Winchell_Trail,_Minneapolis,_Minnesota|title=Winchell Trail, Minneapolis, Minnesota - Placeography|website=www.placeography.org|access-date=2019-12-16}}</ref> * Hajduk Spring near East 26th Street<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://findaspring.com/locations/north-america/usa/hajduk-spring-minneapolis-mn/|title=Find A Spring - Hajduk Spring, Minneapolis, MN|date=2015-01-05|website=Find A Spring|language=en-US|access-date=2019-12-18}}</ref> *White Sands Beach near East 28th Street<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|url=http://www.mwmo.org/news/four-fun-ways-to-experience-the-mississippi-river-this-summer/|title=Four Fun Ways to Experience the Mississippi River this Summer|date=2018-06-26|website=MWMO|language=en-US|access-date=2019-12-18}}</ref> *[http://www.vjaa.com/minneapolis-rowing-club-boathouse Minneapolis Rowing Club Boathouse] near East Lake Street *Longfellow Beach near East 33rd Street<ref name=":2" /> *Overlook of the river gorge at East 36th Street<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=https://minneapolis2040.azurewebsites.net/media/1430/minneapolis2040appendices.pdf|title=Minneapolis 2040, Appendix A: Mississippi River Corridor Critical Area Plan|last=|first=|date=October 2019|website=|access-date=}}</ref> * Oak savanna restoration near East 36th Street<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nps.gov/miss/learn/nature/prairestoaks.htm|title=Oak Savanna - Mississippi National River and Recreation Area (U.S. National Park Service)|last=|first=|last2=|first2=|date=|website=www.nps.gov|language=en|access-date=2019-12-18|last3=|first3=|last4=|first4=|last5=|first5=}}</ref> *Southern trailhead marker and overlook of the river gorge near East 44th Street<ref name=":1" />

==== Mesabi Iron Range boulder ==== thumb|Boulder marking start of river bank path of Winchell Trail (1916) The northern trailhead features a large boulder with a bronze tribute plague describing the scientific contributions of the trail's namesake, Newton Horace Winchell.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web|url=https://readtheplaque.com/plaque/the-winchell-trail|title=The Winchell Trail|website=Read the Plaque|access-date=2019-12-26}}</ref> Winchell's eldest son brought the boulder from the Mesabi Iron Range.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ci0UAAAAYAAJ&q=Mesabi+Iron+Range+boulder+history+winchell+trail|title=Collections of the Minnesota Historical Society|date=1920|publisher=Minnesota Historical Society|language=en}}</ref> The plaque on it reads:<blockquote> The Winchell Trail marked by this boulder brought from the Mesabi Iron Range, was named in honor of the eminent geologist Newton Horace Winchell whose scientific studies along this river provided a measure for the time since the glacial period. His early appreciation of the economic importance of Minnesota's resources did much to preserve for the people some share in the state's mineral wealth.<ref name=":4" /></blockquote>

==== Hajduk Spring ==== Hajduk Spring in Minneapolis is a falling water source from the limestone bluff above the Mississippi River near East 26th Street.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.placeography.org/index.php/Hajduk_Spring,_Minneapolis,_Minnesota|title=Hajduk Spring, Minneapolis, Minnesota - Placeography|last=|first=|date=|website=www.placeography.org|access-date=}}</ref> Named in 1977 by the parks board after an area resident who promoted the spring, Harry Hajduk (pronounced "Hi-duck"), it was a popular drinking water source and featured access paths and a platform to fill jugs.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mgwa.org/newsletter/mgwa1997-1.pdf|title=Along the Great Wall: Mapping the Springs of the Twin Cities|last=Greg|first=Brick|date=March 1997|website=Minnesota Ground Water Association|access-date=|volume=}}</ref> The original path to the spring off the main Winchell Trail has fallen into ruin. Water quality experts do not consider the spring's water drinkable because of the use of herbicides and fertilizers on nearby residential lawns.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.startribune.com/underground-explorer-is-on-a-mission-to-map-minnesota-s-forgotten-springs/477010683/|title=Underground explorer is on a mission to map Minnesota's forgotten springs|last=Chin|first=Richard|date=March 17, 2018|website=Star Tribune|language=en|access-date=}}</ref>

==== Oak savanna restoration ==== thumb|right|Native oak savanna landscape in Minneapolis, July 2017 The mesic oak savanna near the end of East 36th Street is a unique and sensitive landscape. At this location, Winchell Trail splits off, taking hikers either down by the river or across the hilly restoration site with remnant prairie and oak savanna. The scattered oak trees are spread out enough that there is no closed canopy, giving way to prairie grasses, forbs, and clover lawn. The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board is considering enhancements, including closing unsustainable trails, restoring the landscape, and replacing interpretive-educational signs.<ref name=":0" />

=== Nearby sites === The hiking path's southern terminus connects seamlessly to the shared-use, bicycle trail at West River Parkway and East 44th Street. Hikers can continue southward to Lock and Dam No. 1, Minnehaha Falls Lower Glen Trail in Minnehaha Park, and Fort Snelling State Park via Minnehaha Trail.

thumb|Winchell Trail in Minneapolis circa 1918

thumb|Winchell Trail, Minneapolis, Minn.

== Construction == Minneapolis Parks Superintendent Theodore Wirth commissioned Winchell Trail.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.minneapolisparks.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Chapter-2-Park-Conditions-Analysis-and-Opportunities.pdf|title=MISSISSIPPI GORGE REGIONAL PARK MASTER PLAN: Chapter 2--Park Conditions, Analysis, & Opportunities|last=Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board|date=|website=|publisher=|access-date=}}</ref> It was constructed between 1912 and 1914, and improved by the Works Progress Administration between 1936 and 1938, when several stone walls and staircases were built.<ref name=":0" /> The trail is named after Newton Horace Winchell, a Minnesota state geologist who surveyed the Minneapolis area in the 1870s and published many works about measurement of the glacial age.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nps.gov/miss/learn/education/upload/Journey-to-the-Falls_Teacher-s_Guide_2018.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191218155612/https://www.nps.gov/miss/learn/education/upload/Journey-to-the-Falls_Teacher-s_Guide_2018.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 18, 2019|title=Journey to the Falls Teacher's Guide|last=National Park Service|date=2018|website=|access-date=}}</ref> The pathway was formally named "Winchell Trail" after his death in 1914. Winchell was not involved in its design or construction.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Z4g1AQAAMAAJ|title=Minnesota Geographic Names|last=Upham|first=Warren|date=1920|website=|publisher=Minnesota Historical Society|pages=607–608|access-date=}}</ref>

== Management == Jurisdiction of Winchell Trail is complex and overlapping. Running along the eastern edge of Minneapolis's greater Longfellow community, the trail is part of the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area and Mississippi Gorge Regional Park. The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board is responsible for management and maintenance.<ref name=":3" /> In 1998, the Longfellow neighborhood council, park board, and National Park Service formed a partnership to restore the native prairie and oak savanna at East 36th Street.<ref name=":3" /> Since the early 2000s, there city has attempted to clear woodlands along the bluff of invasive plant species such as buckthorn.<ref name="place" />

=== Maintenance === As of 2019, the park board was considering several potential enhancements to Winchell Trail as part of long-term planning. The board may address inconsistent and worn railing and fencing, paved sections covered in soil and plant material, lack of natural surface trail alignment, and safety concerns.<ref name=":0" /> There are a number of undefined, non-designated natural surface paths besides the Winchell Trail in the area, but these were created by park users and are not considered sustainable.<ref name=":0" />

== Recognition == In 2010, a local television station named Winchell Trail one of the Twin Cities' five best hiking trails,<ref name=":5" /> and in 2018 editors of a local magazine featured Winchell Trail in its review of Minnesota's best hikes and walks, putting it in the "Rigorous Hikes for the Adventurer" category.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://mspmag.com/api/content/e3ac7c3e-bb78-11e8-a852-120e7ad5cf50/|title=Best Hikes and Walks in Minnesota|last=Editors|first=Mpls St Paul|date=2018-09-28|website=Mpls.St.Paul Magazine|language=en-us }}</ref>

== References == <references />

==External links== * [https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=12JMN79DJsQwgNtwiPLpoB2DulmMAJbGW&ll=44.92728787035318%2C-93.19094823305457&z=14 Google Maps: Winchell Trail] * [https://www.minneapolisparks.org/parks__destinations/parks__lakes/mississippi_gorge_regional_park/ Mississippi River Gorge Regional Park] * [https://www.nps.gov/miss/planyourvisit/ptgkeyhikingwalk.htm Walks and Hikes: Winchell Trail] * [https://www.alltrails.com/explore/trail/us/minnesota/winchell-trail?ref=sidebar-static-map Winchell Trail map]

{{Minnesota hiking trails}} {{Twin Cities Trails}} {{Mississippi National River and Recreation Area}} {{authority control}}

Category:Hiking trails in Minnesota Category:Mississippi Gorge Category:Mississippi National River and Recreation Area Category:National Recreation Trails in Minnesota Category:Parks in Minneapolis Category:Protected areas of Hennepin County, Minnesota Category:Works Progress Administration in Minnesota