Dayton's Bluff: Indian Mounds Park

Indian Mounds Park is named for the six burial mounds that are believed to have been made more than a thousand years ago. The first land parcels for the 17-acre park were purchased by the city in 1892 and added to for over a century. Its trails, picnic and recreation areas, and breathtaking views attract people from around the region.

This tour takes you from the western entry into the park to the municipal forest on the east. If you plan to ride or walk through the whole site, the western entrance of Indian Mounds Park is a good place to begin. There is a parking lot at Plum and Mounds Boulevard if you came by car. Start up on the sidewalk or take the walking trails and you will come to the tour locations in linear order as you go up the hill.

In the 1990’s, the State Legislature gave Saint Paul money to restore the prairie ecosystem in two areas of Indian Mounds Park. They are on either side of the boulevard as you walk up the hill. It is one of the few places in Saint Paul where you can catch a glimpse of what the original oak savannah landscape looked like. It is still a work in progress, as it can take many years of tending, including controlled burnings, to re-establish a natural setting.

If you continue all the way to the end of Indian Mounds Park at Highway 61, it will be around a two and a half mile journey.