Cannon River Wilderness Area
About • Location • Activities • Ecology
About |
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Overview |
Cannon River Wilderness Area is an 850 acre park in Rice County. It stretches 4.4 miles along both sides of the Cannon River. Forested hills and ravines, riverbottom forest, steep bluffs, and sheer cliffs are found within its boundaries. There is a picnic area with toilet facilities, five miles of trails, four primitive campsites, and a wooden pedestrian bridge over the Cannon River. Until recently, a 20-acre section of this park was owned by The Nature Conservancy and managed as Cannon Wilderness Woods Preserve. |
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Location |
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Size |
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850 acres |
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Driving Directions |
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Parking |
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West trailhead (South entrance) N44 22.198, W93 13.880 East trailhead (Notth entrance) N44 23.105, W93 11.464 Note: Entering the street address of a remote location into a navigation app will not always give accurate results. Such is the case here. Use the GPS coordinates above, not the street addresses. |
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No fee |
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Maps |
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Activities |
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Hiking Trail running Biking Mountain biking Horseback riding Picnicking Camping Swimming Boating Canoeing Birdwatching Nature photography Horseshoes Volleyball Geocaching Cross country skiing Skate-skiing Winter hiking Snowshoeing Snowmobiling |
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Trails |
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Hunting and Fishing |
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Ecology |
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Ecological Classification |
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| Ecological Province |  |
Eastern Broadleaf Forest Province |
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Minnesota & NE Iowa Morainal |
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| Ecological Subsection |  |
Oak Savanna |
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| Land Type Association | Blooming Prairie Till Plain |
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Native Plant Communities* |
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Dry Barrens Oak Savanna (Southern): Oak Subtype Elm - Ash - Basswood Terrace Forest Oak - Shagbark Hickory Woodland Red Oak - Sugar Maple - Basswood - (Bitternut Hickory) Forest Sedge Meadow Seepage Meadow/Carr: Tussock Sedge Subtype Silver Maple - (Virginia Creeper) Floodplain Forest Southern Dry-Mesic Oak (Maple) Woodland Southern Terrace Forest Southern Wet-Mesic Hardwood Forest Sugar Maple Forest (Big Woods) Willow - Dogwood Shrub Swamp |
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| * Source: The Minnesota Biological Survey, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Division of Ecological Resources | |||||
Natural Features |
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What’s in a Name
Rice County has referred to this site as “Cannon River Wilderness Area,” “Cannon River Wilderness Park,” and “Cannon Wilderness Park.” The sign at the parking lot reads simply “Wilderness Park.”
Visitor Photos |
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Kirk Nelson |
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Sign at the parking area for the Cannon River Wilderness Area; the road leading in is pretty much minimum maintenance. |
Backwater/flood plain pool; an ideal spot for finding wood ducks. | |
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| Bluffs along the Cannon River | ||
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Some newly-exposed sandstone along the Cannon River and the rise above it |
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View from the bridge looking north |
Looking south from the bridge | |
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The turkey vultures were out in squadron force riding the winds. |
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MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos |
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Park entrance |
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Wide trail |
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| Narrow trail | ||
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Cannon River |
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Bridge |
Sugar Maple Forest (Big Woods) | |
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Red Oak - Sugar Maple - Basswood - (Bitternut Hickory) Forest |
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| Red Oak - Sugar Maple - Basswood - (Bitternut Hickory) Forest | ||
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Other prairie |
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Slideshows |
2023 October 15 Cannon River Wilderness Park |
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About
Second try of fall colors and I like the cannon river with the stones, rocks and colors. Always a few eagle flying around. |
Visitor Videos |
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Kirk Nelson |
Cannon River Wilderness Area_Turkey Vultures |
About
Turkey vultures soaring on the winds above the Cannon River Wilderness Area near Faribault, MN. |
Other Videos |
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Cannon River Wilderness Area |
About
Published on Feb 8, 2013 An overnighter in the Cannon River Wilderness Area in Faribault, MN. Sep. 15, 2012. Water was very low so we went wading. |
Cannon River Wilderness |
About
Uploaded on Feb 19, 2012 Cannon River Wilderness, Rice County, Minnesota. Summer 2011 |
Visitor Sightings |
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MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings |
Visits |
6/1/2011 1/27/2015 |
Insects and Arachnids |
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eastern boxelder bug (Boisea trivittata) black cherry finger gall mite (Eriophyes cerasicrumena) eastern calligrapher (Toxomerus geminatus) goldenrod gall fly (Eurosta solidaginis) multicolored Asian lady beetle (Harmonia axyridis) northern crescent (Phyciodes cocyta) winter crane fly (Trichocera sp.) |
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Mammals |
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American red squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) eastern gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) |
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Plants |
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Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas and Minnesota Biological Survey Vegetation Releves Plant List |
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Plants frequently found in: Dry Barrens Oak Savanna (Southern): Oak Subtype UPs14a2 Elm - Ash - Basswood Terrace Forest FFs59c Oak - Shagbark Hickory Woodland FDs38a Red Oak - Sugar Maple - Basswood - (Bitternut Hickory) Forest MHs38c Seepage Meadow/Carr: Tussock Sedge Subtype WMs83a1 Silver Maple - (Virginia Creeper) Floodplain Forest FFs68a Southern Dry-Mesic Oak (Maple) Woodland FDs37 Southern Wet-Mesic Hardwood Forest MHs49 |
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American basswood (Tilia americana var. americana) American elm (Ulmus americana) American hophornbeam (Ostrya virginiana var. virginiana) American red raspberry (Rubus idaeus ssp. strigosus) American stinging nettle (Urtica gracilis ssp. gracilis) black cherry (Prunus serotina var. serotina) black maple (Acer saccharum ssp. nigrum) black-seeded plantain (Plantago rugelii var. rugelii) bland sweet cicely (Osmorhiza claytonii) bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) boxelder (Acer negundo var. negundo) bristly greenbrier (Smilax tamnoides) bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa var. macrocarpa) Canada mayflower (Maianthemum canadense) Canadian wild ginger (Asarum canadense) chokecherry (Prunus virginiana var. virginiana) common blue violet (Viola sororia) common buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica) common burdock (Arctium minus) common dandelion (Taraxacum officinale ssp. officinale) common false Solomon’s seal (Maianthemum racemosum var. racemosum) common mullein (Verbascum thapsus ssp. thapsus) common strawberry (Fragaria virginiana) early figwort (Scrophularia lanceolata) early meadow-rue (Thalictrum dioicum) eastern false rue anemone (Enemion biternatum) eastern woodland sedge (Carex blanda) field horsetail (Equisetum arvense) fragrant bedstraw (Galium triflorum) golden alexanders (Zizia aurea) green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica) ground ivy (Glechoma hederacea) jack-in-the-pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum) kidney-leaved buttercup (Ranunculus abortivus) large-flowered bellwort (Uvularia grandiflora) meadow salsify (Tragopogon pratensis) northern bedstraw (Galium boreale) northern hackberry (Celtis occidentalis) northern lady fern (Athyrium filix-femina var. angustum) northern maidenhair (Adiantum pedatum) northern pin oak (Quercus ellipsoidalis) northern shagbark hickory (Carya ovata) northern white cedar (Thuja occidentalis) ostrich fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris var. pensylvanica) pagoda dogwood (Cornus alternifolia) red clover (Trifolium pratense) red elderberry (Sambucus racemosa var. racemosa) round-leaved dogwood (Cornus rugosa) sharp-lobed hepatica (Anemone acutiloba) silver maple (Acer saccharinum) smooth Solomon’s seal (Polygonatum biflorum var. commutatum) spotted lady’s thumb (Persicaria maculosa) sugar maple (Acer saccharum ssp. saccharum) thyme-leaved speedwell (Veronica serpyllifolia) Virginia waterleaf (Hydrophyllum virginianum var. virginianum) virgin’s bower (Clematis virginiana) white campion (Silene latifolia ssp. alba) white clover (Trifolium repens ssp. repens) white rattlesnake root (Nabalus albus) white trout lily (Erythronium albidum) white-flowered leafcup (Polymnia canadensis) wild blue phlox (Phlox divaricata ssp. laphamii) wild columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) wild geranium (Geranium maculatum) wild sarsaparilla (Aralia nudicaulis)
Acer negundo var. negundo (boxelder) Acer saccharinum (silver maple) Acer saccharum ssp. nigrum (black maple) Acer saccharum ssp. saccharum (sugar maple) Adiantum pedatum (northern maidenhair) Anemone acutiloba (sharp-lobed hepatica) Aquilegia canadensis (wild columbine) Aralia nudicaulis (wild sarsaparilla) Arctium minus (common burdock) Arisaema triphyllum (jack-in-the-pulpit) Asarum canadense (Canadian wild ginger) Athyrium filix-femina var. angustum (northern lady fern) Barbarea vulgaris (winter cress) Carex blanda (eastern woodland sedge) Carya ovata (northern shagbark hickory) Celtis occidentalis (northern hackberry) Clematis virginiana (virgin’s bower) Cornus alternifolia (pagoda dogwood) Cornus rugosa (round-leaved dogwood) Enemion biternatum (eastern false rue anemone) Equisetum arvense (field horsetail) Erythronium albidum (white trout lily) Fragaria virginiana (common strawberry) Fraxinus pennsylvanica (green ash) Galium boreale (northern bedstraw) Galium triflorum (fragrant bedstraw) Geranium maculatum (wild geranium) Glechoma hederacea (ground ivy) Hydrophyllum virginianum var. virginianum (Virginia waterleaf) Maianthemum canadense (Canada mayflower) Maianthemum racemosum var. racemosum (common false Solomon’s seal) Matteuccia struthiopteris var. pensylvanica (ostrich fern) Nabalus albus (white rattlesnake root) Osmorhiza claytonii (bland sweet cicely) Ostrya virginiana var. virginiana (American hophornbeam) Parthenocissus vitacea (woodbine) Persicaria maculosa (spotted lady’s thumb) Phlox divaricata ssp. laphamii (wild blue phlox) Plantago rugelii var. rugelii (black-seeded plantain) Polygonatum biflorum var. commutatum (smooth Solomon’s seal) Polymnia canadensis (white-flowered leafcup) Prunus serotina var. serotina (black cherry) Prunus virginiana var. virginiana (chokecherry) Quercus ellipsoidalis (northern pin oak) Quercus macrocarpa var. macrocarpa (bur oak) Ranunculus abortivus (kidney-leaved buttercup) Rhamnus cathartica (common buckthorn) Rubus idaeus ssp. strigosus (American red raspberry) Sambucus racemosa var. racemosa (red elderberry) Sanguinaria canadensis (bloodroot) Scrophularia lanceolata (early figwort) Silene latifolia ssp. alba (white campion) Smilax tamnoides (bristly greenbrier) Taraxacum officinale ssp. officinale (common dandelion) Thalictrum dioicum (early meadow-rue) Thuja occidentalis (northern white cedar) Tilia americana (American basswood) Tragopogon pratensis (meadow salsify) Trifolium pratense (red clover) Trifolium repens ssp. repens (white clover) Ulmus americana (American elm) Urtica gracilis ssp. gracilis (American stinging nettle) Uvularia grandiflora (large-flowered bellwort) Verbascum thapsus ssp. thapsus (common mullein) Veronica serpyllifolia (thyme-leaved speedwell) |
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_02.jpg "bur oak (var. macrocarpa)")
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