Where: 2595 Crosby Farm Road, Saint Paul, MN 55116
https://www.stpaul.gov/facilities/crosby-farm-regional-park
Was it worth it? Yes, I give it a 9/10
Highlight: Definitely the secret slot canyon area (*Check out the video in the post below)
Suggested time here: 2+ hours
When we visited: February 2021
Tucked Away Under Shepard Road
I didn’t really have high hopes for this park. In truth, my main reason for going was to find Zara, the cavewoman (read on to find out more about Zara). I liked Crosby Farm so much though that I came here two times within a few day period; the first was on a mom date with a friend of mine and the second time I brought the fam. This park really does have a lot to offer!
Plenty O’ Trails
Crosby Farm was owned by Thomas Crosby and was the largest and longest running farm in the West End/Highland park area. The St. Paul Port Authority bought the land in the 1960’s and leased it to the city of St. Paul to use as a park. There are almost 7 miles of trails to explore (trail map HERE). They’ll bring you around two small lakes and along the shoreline of the Mississippi River. This park is also connected by trail to Fort Snelling State Park.
First Visit
The first day that I came here, my pal Michelle and I conquered almost the full 7 miles of trails. Obviously the kids were not with us that day! The trails were snow covered but well packed, making the hike a little slippery in places but manageable. It was a weekday morning so we only passed a handful of people in our whole time there.
Finding Zara
If you haven’t heard of Zara the cavewoman, she’s the counterpart to Zug Zug. Both are the creations of Minneapolis based artist Zach Schumack. They were each placed in a different Minnesota park to encourage people to get off their couches and go seek out nature (and cave people)!
Meet Zara the cavewoman! 
Not creepy at all right!? 😉 
Zara is fairly easy to locate in the park but I won’t give her coordinates in this post because half the fun is in the find! If you need some guidance to lead you in the right direction though, feel free to contact me and I’ll help you out!
Back for More
On our first visit Michelle and I couldn’t find the slot canyon that we had read about online. There was one small chunk of trail that we didn’t get to, so I knew the canyon had to be hidden along there somewhere! A few days later on a weekend morning I packed up the fam and we took off on a canyon search!
The park was CRAZY busy since it was a weekend but it seemed like everyone else went off in the direction of Zara. We only saw a few people along our whole hike, score!
Mud, Glorious Mud!
If you head here in the spring, my best advice is to wear waterproof boots. It was MUDDY and wet! My kids absolutely loved it! As my husband and I were cautiously stepping around the deepest pits of mud, my 9 year old charged right through them all at full speed! Only one big wipeout occurred, but that’s to be expected on any hike. If you’re just getting started on hiking with your kiddos, check out post on my Top 10 Tips for Hiking with Kids!
In Search of the Slot Canyon
Here are some coordinates you can plug in if you’re searching for the canyon:
(Note that Google Map’s directions will not bring you there. Google will want you to use the road (which you can’t do), so instead, just turn your location on and follow along the trails toward the coordinates).
If you don’t want to use GPS, from the main parking lot head NE toward the lakes and veer off to the left when you hit the first lake. Then stay on the path close to the ridge and continue on that trail until you find the canyon. It’s about 1 mile from the main parking lot on Crosby Farm Road.
The Slot Canyon
This was by far the BEST part of the hike! Seeing it from the trail doesn’t do it justice though, it’s definitely worth the closer look! It was a little dodgy climbing in, since the bottom was all ice but if you kind of spider climb through (using the walls) or use the buddy system to have a friend hoist/pull you up, you’ll be good! See VIDEO tour below!
Worth the Visit
This park is very unassuming but definitely blew us away in the end! We’ll be back for another visit for sure! I can’t wait to see it when the snow melts and things green up!
If you live near-ish to St. Paul, put this one on your list! If you do go, let me know what you think of it!
Happy Exploring!
More Info
- This park is FREE
- Dogs welcome (leashed)
- Porta potties are at both parking lots (restrooms closed due to COVID)
- Fishing is allowed
- There is a picnic shelter
- Biking is allowed
- None of the paved trails looked suitable for wheelchairs or regular strollers (they were way too banged up)
- Cross country skiing & snowshoeing is allowed (no designated trails for either)
This is so cool and close to home too! Thanks for sharing!
Emmy! You are SO good at this… I love your blogs. I am so impressed! 😘
I didn’t know the slot and waterfall existed! I will need to check it out 🙂
I had no idea either, it’s so cool though, enjoy!!
Unfortunately I really don’t agree with you. It use to be one of my favorite places there were deer, otters beavers, turkeys, owls, and Hawks Now they are few and far between. Some disappeared when they redid. Shepard road the rest when when an article was written about making changes to make it more like a city park
Now when we walk in the woods we have to jump of the deer paths or get run over by bikes and dogs are let loose so that we who actually pay attention to the rules end up tangled in our dogs leashes and our dogs getting attacked. Swearing and yelling is common and don’t dare say anything about the leash law.then of course there is trash and more trash.
The ‘leave no trace’ idea sadly doesn’t appear to be followed almost anywhere anymore. I also think that overtourism is rampant in many places. We had a fantastic experience there this winter and spring because we were almost the only ones on the trails but it’s unfortunate about the lack of leashing that you mentioned. We usually avoid weekend hiking on most trails due to what you talked about. Hope you can get out and find some spots that you can still enjoy the wildlife and natural beauty! We’re lucky here in Minnesota to have lots of good options close by!
If you are looking for the secret slot canyon on Google Maps, it’s called Homer Street Odyssey:
https://goo.gl/maps/6MzJ5eF9wMtH6AUn9
Awesome, thanks Aaron!
We call that spot The Lair. There’s a geocache in there, too
I didn’t even check for one when I was there last, good to know! Thanks!