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Voykit pocket guide · United States
Afton
Afton, Minnesota
Go for one day from Saint Paul or Minneapolis: Afton State Park trails plus a ski or tubing session in winter. Skip it as an overnight base.
Afton is a small Saint Croix River town of about 2,900 people, 9 mi (14 km) east of Saint Paul on I-94 then south on Highway 95. It holds one real destination, Afton State Park, plus a ski hill and a 1913 ice-cream parlour. There is almost no public transit and few beds, so most visitors come for a day and sleep in the Twin Cities.
- Country
- United States
- Local name
- Afton, Minnesota
- Best months
- May–Oct for trails; Dec–Mar for skiing and tubing
- Avoid
- Jan–Feb cold snaps (below −20 °C (−4 °F)); muddy March thawsJan–Feb cold snaps (below −4 °F (−20 °C)); muddy March thaws
- Stay
- 1 night
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- USD
- Money
- Currency is the US dollar (USD, $). Cards and phone payments work almost everywhere; carry a little cash for tips and small vendors.
- Daily spend
- Budget $40–70 excl. bed · Mid $80–140 excl. bed · High $160+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile cover the country; prepaid SIMs at their stores and Walmart/Target (passport required), or an eSIM before you fly.
- Emergency
- Police, fire, ambulance 911 · Afton State Park office +1 651-436-5391
- Plugs
- Types A, B · 120 V · 60 Hz · Chargers are dual-voltage; hair dryers and straighteners from 230 V countries need a converter.
- Tipping
- Sit-down restaurant: 18–22% of the pre-tax bill.; Bar: US$1–2 per drink or 20% of the tab.; Taxi / ride-hailing: 15–20%, in the app.; Hotel housekeeping: US$3–5 a night.; Porter / valet: US$2–5 per bag or car.; Tour guide: US$10–20 per person for a day tour.; Counter service / tablet prompts: Optional; 0–15%.
- Water
- Tap water is drinkable nearly everywhere; boil or treat water from streams in parks.
- Toilets
- Free public toilets are scarce in big cities; use cafés, department stores, libraries, stations. Rest areas on highways are free.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | $3–6 |
| Ice-cream cone at Selma's | $4–8 |
| Casual lunch | $12–20 |
| Sit-down dinner | $20–40 |
| Beer or glass of wine | $6–12 |
| Afton State Park daily vehicle permit | $7 (check) |
| Rideshare, Saint Paul to Afton | $30–50 (check) |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- MSP · Minneapolis–Saint Paul International
- About 30–40 min by car to Afton via I-494 and I-94; no direct transit link
Typical fares
- Rideshare Saint Paul → Afton
- $30–50, about 30 min (check)
- Afton State Park vehicle permit
- about $7 a day (check)
- Afton Alps lift ticket
- about $60 a day (check)
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
A car is effectively required: no useful bus service reaches the park or the ski hill. Downtown Afton is walkable in 10 minutes. The state park entrance is about 5 km (3 mi) east of the village on County Road 20, and Afton Alps is on Peller Avenue South.A car is effectively required: no useful bus service reaches the park or the ski hill. Downtown Afton is walkable in 10 minutes. The state park entrance is about 3 mi (5 km) east of the village on County Road 20, and Afton Alps is on Peller Avenue South.
See and do
Known for
- Afton State Park
- Afton Alps ski and tubing hill
- Selma's Ice Cream Parlour (since 1913)
- Saint Croix River valley
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Afton State Park | Car via Highway 95 south and County Road 20 east | About 20 min from the village |
| Afton Alps | Car via Highway 95 and County Road 20 to Peller Avenue South | About 10 min from the village |
| Stillwater, Minnesota | Car north on Highway 95 | About 20 min |
| Saint Paul | Car via County Road 20 and I-94 west | About 30 min |
| Minneapolis | Car via I-94 west | About 40 min |
Sleep
- Afton village (St. Croix Trail S)
- Afton House Inn and a handful of rooms; walk to the parlour and the river. Book far ahead.
- Woodbury or Stillwater
- 15–25 min by car, far more beds and restaurants; the practical base for a park day.
- Saint Paul or Minneapolis
- 30–45 min by car; best if Afton is one stop in a Twin Cities trip.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Thank you | Thank you |
| Where is the trailhead? | Where is the trailhead? |
| Can I pay by card? | Can I pay by card? |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake and 'hi, how are you?' — reply 'good, thanks'; avoid: Treating the question as a real health enquiry
- Restaurants: Tip 18–22% and wait for the check; avoid: Leaving without tipping
- Personal space: Keep an arm's length in queues; avoid: Standing close to strangers
- Politics and religion: Listen more than you speak; avoid: Opening with hot-button topics
- Smoking: Smoke only in marked areas; avoid: Smoking near doors or in parks where banned
Scams and watch-outs
- Deer on the roads after dark: drive slowly on Highway 95 and County Road 20.
- Afton State Park charges a daily vehicle permit; buy it at the entrance or online before you arrive.
- Ski and tubing sessions sell out on winter weekends and holidays: reserve ahead.
- Cell coverage is patchy in the river valley below the bluffs.
Very low violent crime. The real risks are deer on dark roads, winter ice on the bluffs and river currents: stay on marked trails and never swim the Saint Croix without a life jacket.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Afton yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Afton State Park
- Afton Alps ski and tubing hill
- Selma's Ice Cream Parlour (since 1913)
- Saint Croix River valley
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Wikivoyage: Afton, revision 5240846 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5240846
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
AftonAfton, Minnesota
To this address, please
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
- Police, fire, ambulance911
- Afton State Park office+1 651-436-5391
No embassies in Afton; consulates sit in Minneapolis and Chicago, embassies in Washington, DC.
Tipping: 18–22% at sit-down restaurants, $1–2 a drink, 15–20% for taxis and rideshares.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/afton). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.