Vermillion Falls in Hastings

Vermillion Falls is a waterfall on the Vermillion River inside Vermillion Falls Park, a city park at 215 21st St E in Hastings, just off Highway 61. The City of Hastings puts the falls at 35 feet, while Friends of the Mississippi River, which created the park's ecological management plan, calls them roughly 50 feet. There is an off-street parking lot at the park, and the city's park hours rule closes it from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.

The park is small (25 acres, according to Friends of the Mississippi River) and the falls are the reason to go. The local chamber points visitors to an observation deck above the falls, and the park sits on the city's Ten-Mile Loop trail, so a visit can be a short look from the overlook or a longer walk along the Vermillion River gorge to the Ramsey Mill ruins in Old Mill Park.

Friends of the Mississippi River places the park a few miles southwest of where the St. Croix River joins the Mississippi, and the Vermillion itself reaches the Mississippi just south of Hastings, per Visit Hastings. That puts the falls on the way for a drive down the river toward Red Wing or an add-on to a Twin Cities waterfall day with Minnehaha Falls.

Vermillion Falls at a glance

Seeing the falls

The falls drop over limestone. Friends of the Mississippi River explains that glacial meltwater carved down to the limestone bedrock, then eroded away the sandstone beneath it. The group notes that the Vermillion drains 372 square miles, so a lot of water reaches the falls, especially after heavy rains.

Visit Hastings, the Hastings Area Chamber of Commerce's visitor site, recommends viewing the falls from the observation deck, which gives a top-down view of the falls and the Ardent Mills plant. That mill is the Ardent Mills facility, which the chamber says dates to 1853 and calls the first operating mill in Minnesota.

Visit Hastings also points to the Vermillion Gorge Bridge as a second viewpoint over the river.

The dry falls

The park has a second gorge. According to Friends of the Mississippi River, "at the southeast part of the park lies another gorge that mirrors the existing falls and river." The group says it was left behind after the glacial river disappeared, and its channel only carries water during large rain events or spring melt. The rest of the time you can walk through a dry waterfall. The group describes limestone pillars, spires and ledges in the gorge and rock "pockmarked with holes and crevices," a landform called karst.

Friends of the Mississippi River also points to walking fern, a plant whose long tendrils extend out, anchor and become new plants. The same group lists kittentails, a state-threatened oak savanna species, among the park's plants, and says its restoration work since a 2019 management plan has focused on clearing buckthorn and bringing back oak savanna in the grassland areas. Stay on paths: the city's park rules prohibit damaging park property or natural resources.

Trails: the Ten-Mile Loop and Old Mill Park

The city says Hastings has "over 30 miles of trails." Vermillion Falls Park is a stop on its Ten-Mile Loop, a walking and biking trail that starts under the Highway 61 bridge, runs along the Mississippi and then follows the Vermillion River, using underpasses at County Road 46/47 and Highway 61 to stay out of traffic. From the loop you can cross the Vermillion Gorge Bridge or take the Spiral Ravine Trail. The city's Parks and Trail Map (PDF) shows the routes.

Three city parks line this stretch of the river:

The Ramsey Mill ruins

The stone remains in Old Mill Park belong to the Ramsey Mill. Visit Hastings says it was built in 1856. According to Wikipedia's summary of its history, it was built by Alexander Ramsey and Dr. Thomas Foster, reached its peak output of 125 barrels a day in 1894, and burned on December 22, 1894, possibly by arson. The National Park Service lists "Ramsey Mill and Old Mill Park" on the National Register of Historic Places, published July 15, 1998, at the junction of 18th Street and the Vermillion River.

Picnics and shelter rental

The park's open-air picnic shelter sits by the falls and has electricity, a portable toilet nearby, off-street parking and direct access to the loop trail. The city's rental page gives an approximate maximum capacity of 35 to 40 people.

The city says a shelter reservation is required. Reservations are taken first-come, first-served through the Parks and Recreation office, at least 2 days in advance, and the fee is due when you submit the form (online or on the printable PDF).

Park rules that matter here

From the city's Park Rules page:

• Hours: no one may enter or stay in a city park between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.
• Glass: glass containers are not allowed in any city park.
• Fires: only in places or facilities the city provides.
• Smoking and vaping: prohibited, with a $100 fine.
• Alcohol: not allowed outside park hours.
• Dogs: must be restrained, and owners must pick up after them.
• Camping: overnight camping needs written permission from the Parks and Recreation Director, so this is a day stop. For an overnight on the river, look at Afton State Park or Frontenac State Park.
• Vehicles: 20 mph where no speed limit is posted.

The city's pages do not mention rules on wading or climbing near the falls. The limestone edges are steep, and the water runs hardest after rain, so keep kids and dogs back from the edge and treat the overlook as the place to watch from.

Seasons

The city's pages do not list seasonal closures for the park, and the hours rule applies year-round. Water volume is the main difference: Friends of the Mississippi River says a lot of water reaches the falls after heavy rains, and the dry falls only carries water during large rain events or spring melt. Visit Hastings gives no winter information, and the city's trail page does not say whether trails are plowed. Call Parks and Recreation at 651-480-6175 before a winter walk.

Fishing note: Visit Hastings says about 13.5 miles of the 59.6-mile Vermillion River are designated trout stream. Check the Minnesota DNR fishing regulations for that water before casting.

Before you go

• Address for GPS: 215 21st St E, Hastings, MN 55033.
• Time: a look at the falls is a short stop; budget extra time if you plan to walk the dry falls gorge or the loop trail to Old Mill Park.
• Best water: go after heavy rain for more water over the falls; only large rain events or spring melt put water in the dry falls.
• Leave behind: glass containers and anything you'd smoke.
• Hours: be out by 10 p.m.
• Map: download the city's Parks and Trail Map before you go.
• Make a day of it: pair the falls with downtown Hastings, a river drive toward Red Wing, or a stop at Fort Snelling State Park on the way back to the cities. See all Twin Cities and St. Croix Valley guides and Minnesota hikes and waterfalls.

Related guides: Minnehaha Falls · Things to do in Red Wing · Things to do in Stillwater · Afton State Park

---

Sources

• City of Hastings, Trail System: https://www.hastingsmn.gov/parks-recreation-arts/parks-and-trails/trails/
• City of Hastings, Parks List: https://www.hastingsmn.gov/parks-recreation-arts/parks-and-trails/parks/
• City of Hastings, Rentals and Reservations: https://www.hastingsmn.gov/city-government/city-departments/parks-recreation/parks-trails/reservations
• City of Hastings, Park Rules: https://www.hastingsmn.gov/parks-recreation-arts/parks-and-trails/park-rules/
• City of Hastings, Parks and Trail Map (PDF): https://media-002-us.cdn.govstack.com/hastingsmn-us/media/rn0bu4jz/hastings-trail-ma.pdf
• Visit Hastings (Hastings Area Chamber of Commerce), Vermillion Falls: https://www.visithastingsmn.org/vermillion-falls/
• Friends of the Mississippi River, Where we work: Vermillion Falls Park: https://fmr.org/updates/conservation/where-we-work-vermillion-falls-park
• Friends of the Mississippi River, Vermillion Falls Park: take a walk with walking fern: https://fmr.org/node/4123
• National Park Service, NPGallery, Ramsey Mill and Old Mill Park (NRHP 98000872): https://npgallery.nps.gov/AssetDetail/NRIS/98000872
• Wikipedia, Ramsey Mill and Old Mill Park (secondary, history details): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramsey_Mill_and_Old_Mill_Park