Cottonwood Forest Walk

The Cottonwood Forest Walk at Cross Ranch State Park is a gentle loop through one of the finest remaining old-growth cottonwood gallery forests along the upper Missouri River, a landscape that would have been familiar to the Lewis and Clark Expedition when it passed through this area in the autumn of 1804. Ancient plains cottonwoods, some exceeding four feet in diameter and towering sixty feet above the trail, form a dense canopy over the path, their massive trunks draped in resurrection moss and riddled with cavity nest sites used by wood ducks, great horned owls, and pileated woodpeckers.

The forest floor beneath the cottonwoods supports a lush understory of wild grape, Virginia creeper, and stinging nettle, with patches of prairie wildflowers in the sunnier openings. The loop follows the natural contours of the Missouri River floodplain, crossing several seasonal wetland areas on wooden boardwalk sections that are especially productive for waterfowl and shorebird observation during spring migration. Beaver sign is abundant throughout the bottomland forest, and freshly gnawed stumps and dam structures are visible from multiple points along the trail. White-tailed deer are nearly guaranteed encounters, and the early morning hours often produce sightings of mink along the stream margins. Fall color in late September and October is exceptional.