Hidden Falls - Crosby Farm Regional Park Projects

Project Overview

As part of the implementation of the Hidden Falls - Crosby Farm Master Plan, Saint Paul Parks and Recreation will be improving the north entrance area. The project area is shown below:

Current Funding is available for the following: 

• Resurfacing of the entrance road from Mississippi River Boulevard to the boat launch parking lot below
• Resurfacing of existing trail adjacent to entrance road
• Repair of existing guardrail along entrance road
• Removal of paved surfaces in areas that are not in use
• Planning and design work for future improvements including:
  • New Picnic Shelter
  • Reconfigured parking lots and replacement parking
  • Cultural ceremony space along the river
  • Consideration of a nature play area
  • New signage and wayfinding
  • Landscape restoration, selective removal of trees, tree planting
  • New site furnishings
  • Installation of EV-ready infrastructure for parking areas
  • Accessibility upgrades throughout the site

Project Updates: 

June 5, 2025

Project staff hosted an on-site meeting with the Community Advisory Committee (CAC) on May 27, 2025 to share project updates, site analysis, and initial program concepts for the new pavilion and restroom at Hidden Falls. The boards that were shared during the meeting can be found here. Meeting notes can be found here.

May 7, 2025 

VJAA and their consultant team have been hired to work with St. Paul Parks and Recreation staff to design the new restroom and pavilion at Hidden Falls! The team will be working through 2025 to develop construction documents for the new building, with construction planned to begin in Spring 2026. The Community Advisory Committee will be meeting at Hidden Falls on May 27, 2025 at 5pm to meet the consultant team and discuss initial concepts for the new building. 

Check back soon for information about a Community Open House this summer where the design team will present concepts for the new building and ask for feedback from the community.
 

Highland District Council Annual Meeting - April 10, 2025

Project staff will be at the Highland District Council's (HDC) Annual Meeting on Thursday, April 10th from 6:30-8:00pm to share project updates on both the Hidden Falls North Entrance and Hidden Falls Overlook and Parking Lot projects a well as the River Learning Center. The event will be at Summit Brewing (910 Montreal Circle). Check out HDC's website for more information: https://www.highlanddistrictcouncil.org/hdc-event/2025election/

March 11, 2025 - Community Advisory Committee Meeting #3

Project staff hosted a virtual meeting with the Community Advisory Committee (CAC) to provide an update on project process and to review the updated site plan.  The presentation shared during the meeting is here. Meeting notes can be found here. 

December 19, 2024- Community Advisory Committee Meeting #2

Project staff hosted a meeting with the Community Advisory Committee (CAC) to review the site analysis, identify priorities, discuss budget items, and present proposed concepts. Attendees engaged in discussions about program elements, recurring themes, and the next steps in the process.  The presentation shared during the meeting is here . Meeting notes are here (added Jan 31, 2025)

October 29, 2024

Project staff held the first Community Advisory Committee on October 29 on site for a site tour. Results of the meeting and committee comments are located here.

October 14, 2024

Project staff are setting up the first meeting for the Community Advisory Committee. The Committee is planned to meet up 3-4 times to review detailed planning for the Hidden Falls Regional Park Plan- North Entrance Area.   

September 17, 2024

Park Staff presented to Highland District Council at the CDC meeting .
 

August 7, 2024

The City of Saint Paul conducted a comprehensive survey from May 13th, 2024, to July 11th, 2024, to gain insights into the public's priorities for the site. We are excited to share a summary of these findings below.

Contact Us

Project Manager
Anne Gardner
Saint Paul Parks and Recreation
anne.gardner@ci.stpaul.mn.us
P: (651) 266-6421

Project Overview

As part of the implementation of the Hidden Falls - Crosby Farm Master Plan, Saint Paul Parks and Recreation will be improving the overlook and parking lot on the north side of the park, south of Mississippi River Boulevard and Unci Makha Park. The project area is shown below:

Improvements to include:

• Parking lot improvements including new pavement and potential new parking layout
• Replacement of pavement in overlook area
• Rehabilitation of large stone wall around perimeter of overlook
• Landscape restoration, selective removal of trees, tree planting
• New site furnishings
• Installation of EV-ready infrastructure for parking areas
• Accessibility upgrades throughout the site

Project Updates:

July 2025

Construction documents have been prepared and advertised for bids. Bids will be opened August 12th if no delays are encountered. We anticipate beginning construction in late summer 2025. An overview of the proposed improvements is shown below:

August 7, 2024

The City of Saint Paul conducted a comprehensive survey from May 13th, 2024, to July 11th, 2024 to gather feedback from community members about the Overlook and parking area. The survey results are summarized below:

Project staff will be at the 'Music at the Bridge' event on Thursday, August 8th at the Civic Plaza at Highland Bridge to share an initial design for the overlook and parking area. 

Preliminary Project Schedule:

Contact Us

Project Manager
Katie Hamerlinck
Saint Paul Parks and Recreation
katie.hamerlinck@ci.stpaul.mn.us
P: (651) 266-6414

Project Status

September 24, 2024: CONSTRUCTION NEAR HIDDEN FALLS SOUTH ENTRANCE IS SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETE. Signage will be installed in late 2024 or before spring 2025.

Dec 1, 2023: The gate is now open until snow or ice prevent access.  Work will resume in the spring to complete vegetation establishment on site.

Significant Flooding occurred from May-September 2019, resulting in deposition of silt within the park and substantial coverage of recreational trails. Please be advised when using trails to be safe and be aware there may be construction traffic in this area.

Flood Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has allocated funds to address the silt deposition at Hidden Falls Crosby Farm Regional Park. The response plan is currently planned to occur in two phases:

PHASE I:  Parks and Recreation Operations staff are working with contractors to remove excessive silt in the western area of Crosby Farm Park and along trails adjacent to the South Parking Lot in Hidden Falls Park. The silt will be deposited in the South Hidden Falls Parking Lot in anticipation of Phase II.

PHASE II:  Reconstruction of the parking lot to reduce the amount of impervious surface and reconstruct trails to increase connection and recreational opportunities per the Master Plan recommendations for Hidden Falls Park South. Phase II construction will begin June 2023 and anticipate completion in September 2023. - stay tuned for updates.

Schedule

• December 2019-June 2020 - Phase I - Silt Removal in Hidden Falls and Crosby Farm Regional Park
• Fall-Winter 2020 - Complete Phase II Construction Documents
• Fall 2022 - Bid Hidden Falls Regional Park Phase II Project (Pending FEMA approval)
• Summer-Fall 2023 - Construction of new trails and parking lot in Hidden Falls Regional Park at the South Entry
• Spring 2024 - Vegetation establishment will be complete
   

Project Meetings

• Transportation Committee - May 18, 2020: Presentation
• Highland District Council - May 19, 2020: Presentation 
   

Project References

• Master Plan Report (final) - PDF, 15MB (version updated 7/16/2019)
• 1970 Hidden Falls Crosby Farm Park Master Plan
• 2005 Crosby Farm Natural Resources Plan
• Hidden Falls Park - South Entrance Construction Poster
   

Hidden Falls History

Hidden Falls Regional Park dates back to 1887, when it was selected by Horace Cleveland, a nationally known landscape architect and park planner, as one of four major park sites for the City of Saint Paul. Except for the use of a portion of the land as a tree nursery, no improvement was made in Hidden Falls Park until 1936-37, when the WPA carried out an extensive improvement program on the site. A small spring-fed waterfall is featured in the park, which gives the park its name. In the mid 1960's the park took much of its present form as work began on the park's four primary use areas: the primitive area, boat launching area, general picnic area, and scenic falls area.
 

Crosby Farm History

Crosby Farm Regional Park is named after Thomas Crosby, an English immigrant who staked out 160 acres in the valley southwest of the present-day junction of Shepard Road and Interstate 35E in 1858. Before Crosby's death in 1886, the farm became one of the largest and longest running in the West End and Highland Park area. A succession of families farmed it between 1902 and 1962. The Saint Paul Port Authority purchased the land in the early 1960s and leased it to the City for park use. Today, Crosby Farm's potential as a nature area accessible to the public is being realized. With about 6.7 miles of paved trails, the park provides a beautiful setting for an afternoon's walk, run, or ride. Trails run along shady, wooded bottom lands next to the Mississippi River, along the marshes of Crosby Lake, past scenic picnic areas, and connects to the Mississippi River Boulevard parkway. Fishing and picnics are other popular activities in the park.

Project Manager
Anne Gardner
p. 651-266-6421
anne.gardner@ci.stpaul.mn.us

For more information about the Great River Passage Initiative or the River Learning Center, click here.

Project Funding
Legacy Parks and Trails Fund

Mississippi River Learning Center Project Page

April 2025:  As part of the Mississippi River Learning Center Project, trees and shrubs were selectively removed in early April to create access paths for geotechnical and soil testing equipment to inform the structural design details and determine soil clean up requirements. The majority of removed trees were non-native or invasives species and the removal process included added protection of significant tree species. The area of impact is just west of the Watergate marina site on the peninsula between the bays and near the marina boat storage area. Soil testing will take place through April and into early May but is not anticipated to result in closure of paved trails.

Project update:

The Crosby Farm Boardwalk, Fishing Pier and adjacent trails are closed due to damage from flooding events that have impacted the structural integrity.  

Park staff from Design and construction are reviewing options for removal and repair of the boardwalk. The fishing pier will be removed and a new fishing pier will be installed in Crosby Lake closer to the Crosby East Entrance (Lexington and Shepard Road).  The timeline for removal and installation will be posted here as plans are finalized.

Project Manager
Anne Gardner
p. 651-266-6421
anne.gardner@ci.stpaul.mn.us

Overview

The master plan for Hidden Falls Crosby Farm Regional Park guides park improvements, natural resources management, and make recommendations for changes within or adjacent to the park. Per the Metropolitan Council, a plan must be approved and adopted for every regional park in the seven county metropolitan area. See the Metropolitan Council's website for more details. City Parks and Recreation asked for input and feedback on this plan throughout fall 2018, and the written report was completed in June 2019.  A postcard was mailed to neighbors of the park in late September 2018, you may download the postcard flyer. The survey on this flyer is now closed.

Report Status

The Master Plan Report review by the Metropolitan Council is complete.

• June 6, 2019 - Metropolitan Parks and Open Space Commission
• June 17, 2019 - Community Development Committee
• June 26, 2019 - full Metropolitan Council

The Master Plan report was available for public review and feedback from March 4th until April 1st, 2019 (end of business day). Comments are now closed. See below for links to the document and the feedback form. Thank you to all who shared your input on this report!

• Master Plan Report (final) - PDF, 15MB (version updated 7/12/2019)
• Appendices to Master Plan Report (combined appendix - PDF, 58MB)
  • A - Meeting minutes (see also links in "Public Meetings" below)
  • B - Small Groups & Focus Group Summaries
  • C - National Public Lands Day Summaries
  • D - Online Survey Results
  • E - Natural Resources Management Plan
  • F - Previous Reports
  • G - Great River Passage relevant sections
  • H - Cultural Resources map of overlap of significant Indigenous sites and St. Paul Parks & Recreation projects
• Feedback form - link to Survey Monkey (closed)

1970 Hidden Falls Crosby Farm Park Master Plan

2005 Crosby Farm Natural Resources Plan

Please contact the project manager listed at right with any questions.

Public Meetings

• Public Open House - February 6, 2019, 6:30 to 8:00 PM at St. Paul JCC (1375 St. Paul Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55116)  Open House Flyer (PDF, 1.4 MB) | Meeting Boards (large format) or (small format) |  Meeting Presentation |  Draft Minutes
• Advisory Committee meeting #2, November 27, 2018, 6:30 to 8:30 PM at The Wellington (2235 Rockwood Avenue, St. Paul MN 55116) - Presentation  |  Agenda  | Draft Minutes  |  Priorities List
• Advisory Committee meeting #1, October 16, 6:30 to 8:00 PM at The Wellington (2235 Rockwood Avenue, St. Paul MN 55116) - Presentation  |  Agenda |  Minutes

Hidden Falls History

Hidden Falls Regional Park dates back to 1887, when it was selected by Horace Cleveland, a nationally known landscape architect and park planner, as one of four major park sites for the City of Saint Paul. Except for the use of a portion of the land as a tree nursery, no improvement was made in Hidden Falls Park until 1936-37, when the WPA carried out an extensive improvement program on the site. A small spring-fed waterfall is featured in the park, which gives the park its name. In the mid 1960's the park took much of its present form as work began on the park's four primary use areas: the primitive area, boat launching area, general picnic area, and scenic falls area.

Crosby Farm History

Crosby Farm Regional Park is named after Thomas Crosby, an English immigrant who staked out 160 acres in the valley southwest of the present-day junction of Shepard Road and Interstate 35E in 1858. Before Crosby's death in 1886, the farm became one of the largest and longest running in the West End and Highland Park area. A succession of families farmed it between 1902 and 1962. The Saint Paul Port Authority purchased the land in the early 1960s and leased it to the City for park use. Today, Crosby Farm's potential as a nature area accessible to the public is being realized. With about 6.7 miles of paved trails, the park provides a beautiful setting for an afternoon's walk, run, or ride. Trails run along shady, wooded bottom lands next to the Mississippi River, along the marshes of Crosby Lake, past scenic picnic areas, and connects to the Mississippi River Boulevard parkway. Fishing and picnics are other popular activities in the park.

Project Timeline

• July to November 2018 - public engagement and design advisory committee meetings
• January 2019 - public open house
• March 2019 - draft submission to St. Paul Parks Commission and City Council
• March 4 - April 1, 2019 - public review and comment on draft report (note the date change)
• April 2019 - nearly complete draft to Metropolitan Council (staff review)
• May 2019 - review by Metropolitan Parks and Open Space Commission
• June 2019 - final master plan adopted by Metropolitan Council