The Winchell Trail is a multi-segment hiking-only trail on the west bank of the Mississippi River between Franklin Avenue and 44th Street. Unpaved paths break away from the main trail along the bluffs and cut into the woods, allowing you to really experience the lower gorge.

One section drops down to the sandy shore of the Mississippi River and another takes you through an oak savanna restoration area. Some sections are rugged and others are closed for vegetation restoration, so follow the signs and stay on the path. These unpaved trails can often be muddy after it rains and have a number of stairways--some dating back to the 1930s. Between 38th Street and 44th Street the Winchell trail doubles as the paved, pedestrian-only segment of the separated bike/pedestrian trail along the bluffs. Here pedestrians can slip away for West River Parkway and descend into the gorge.

If coming this way, stop to appreciate the granite boulder and brass plaque just off the trail on the southwest corner of the bridge. It designates the trail on the west side of the river as "The Winchell Trail" to honor geologist Newton Horace Winchell, who studied the river area. No dates are given. The boulder came from the Mesabi Iron Range in northern Minnesota.