STATE & NATION TRAVEL · alerts
Interstate Park closes River Bottoms area for two paving windows
By Bob LePage · Published November 6, 2026
Wisconsin's River Bottoms Picnic Area and beach parking lot are scheduled to close November 6-7 and November 9-13, with weather able to change the construction timetable.
Official announcement: Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources · November 3, 2026
Source: Wisconsin DNR Interstate Park construction conditions
Wisconsin's Interstate Park is closing the River Bottoms Picnic Area and its beach parking lot during two November paving windows. The Department of Natural Resources lists the area as closed Friday and Saturday, November 6-7, open Sunday, November 8, and closed again Monday through Friday, November 9-13.
The department expects the work to be complete and the area open Saturday, November 14, but labels the schedule tentative and weather-dependent. The notice is limited to River Bottoms and the beach lot; it does not announce a park-wide closure.
Visitors who planned to picnic, reach the beach lot or begin a walk from the affected area should choose another part of the park on construction days. The conditions page is the controlling source for changes if paving is delayed or shifted.
What Travelers Need to Know
Do not plan to park at River Bottoms or the beach lot on November 6-7 or November 9-13. Sunday, November 8 is the only scheduled open day between the two paving windows, and weather may still alter the timetable.
Review the park's live conditions immediately before departure for any construction change. General daily access runs from 6 a.m. until 11 p.m. throughout the year, but a Wisconsin vehicle-admission sticker is required and individual facilities can have separate seasonal limits.
Water systems were shut down for the season beginning October 12. The park says water remains available at the Pothole Trail overflow lot and when the Ice Age Interpretive Center is open, so carry water and confirm current facility hours if the center is part of the plan.
About the Location
Interstate Park is in St. Croix Falls along Wisconsin Highway 35, about half a mile south of U.S. Highway 8. Established in 1900 as Wisconsin's oldest state park, it overlooks the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway where the river cuts through the narrow Dalles gorge.
The park's glacial landscape includes more than nine miles of hiking routes, and the 1,200-mile Ice Age National Scenic Trail reaches its western endpoint there. River Bottoms connects with the Lake O' the Dalles and River Bluff trail system, so loss of its parking and picnic access can affect how visitors organize a day even though the wider park remains open.