i have all the dnr maps but have yet to paddle ANY of them.  you know.....those blue pamphlets.

does anyone here have experience paddling some of the state canoe routes?

Jan

My favorite river route is from the Kettle River put in at Hwy 48 just east of Hinckley to the St Croix River landing at Hwy 70.  A nice mix of scenery, still water and canoeable rapids.

I've been on the Snake, Kettle, St Criox (from St Croix Sate Park to Taylors Falls), Cloquet, St Louis, Rum, Mississippi and Vermillion.  Depending on your personal preference for scenery, fishing, crowds, whitewater, etc. each has its own flavor.

CC (Canoe Country) Tripper

We have paddled parts of the  the Rum river, the Mississippi river and the St. Croix.  We like them all  :)

more specifically...ive narrowed it down.   mid september.   either the upper miss (as far as anoka)  or the upper st.croix.  

we want to do a 3-4 night trip.  first river trip ever!  so....i need some suggestions.

good fishing is semi-importment......semi.

i have "paddling minnesota"  but would also like some input from here.

thank you all       Jan

The St Croix between Hiway 48 and Hiway 70 has some nice camping and fishing spots as well as scenary.  I believe there is now a parking lot at the point where hwy 48/77 access is otherwise go into St Croix State Park (parking permit required) and put in at the Little Yellow Banks landing.  Aside from the Kettle at 48 to the St Croix at 70, the St Croix at 48 to 70 is my second best prefered river route in the state

Virtually all of the DNR and USFS campsites along the route are very nice.  Fishing is typically good around a number of the islands on the route.  The rapids between the 110.5 and 105 mile mark on the map are fun to run and should present no problems (some areas are at the high end of class II in the spring when the levels are high but fall is fine).  

If you have water containers, they can be filled at the spots along the way where water is showing as being available on the maps, however the DNR does begin winterizing some of the spots right after Labor Day so bring a filter for or boil the river water if you use it.

Hope this helps

WR

Well I have only been on the Mississippi between St. Cloud and Elk River.  The fishing is really really great but there are houses everywhere- not very scenic.  So if you want fishing go to the Mississippi but if you want wilderness go to the St. Croix because it has good fishing and few houses.   [smiley=thumbup.gif]

This is a no-brainer, IMO.  Between Upper Mississippi and Upper St. Croix, the latter wins hands-down.  Paddle it and you'll see why.  And look closely for tracks in any soft spots you encounter ashore.  Big tracks.  Bigger than my German Shepherd.  No, I'm not making this up.  "They're out there . . ."

I've been down most of the "designated canole routes". The St. Croix is always fun for smallmouth. The upper can get really shallow this time year especially up by the Namakogen.
The Kettle is always a good time unless it's really low. State record for catfish or sturgeon came out of there. Forgot which.
The Root is neat trip. It's southern MN. It flows east to the Mississippi. Pretty river runs through a deap canyon for a while. Amazing amount of Barn Swallows. Some swift water but barely worth worring about. Allot of Turkey Vultures. Really good trout fishing. Most of the campsites are maintained. Been a couple of years since I've been there. The last time I had dead cow in the campsite. Of course it wasn't until we had everthing set up before we were wondering what stunk so bad.
The upper Miss. is beautiful, nice fishing. Too many dams. It always felt a little artificial.
The Little Fork was a really good time. GREAT STURGEON FISHING, if that were legal. We caught several by accident. The largest was 41lbs. Also allot of Whitefish, Snot-rockets, and even a couple Wallys. Hardly any houses. Really fun rapids. Pretty waterfalls. Some great campsites. The bad part is that in low water the banks are really steep making it really hard to get out of the boat. Also the clay is so thick and sticky I still have some on my tent today. Probably the most remote river trip I've ever been on in MN.
The Rum is fun. Easily accesible.
The Cannon is also a really nice paddle. Pretty consistant water level. Really fun trip if started on the Straight river in Fairbault and finish at the bridge on 61 just north of Red Wing, before the Missisippi river. Really pretty trip. Also great shopping or restarants. A person could even spend the night in a hotel each night if they wanted. ::)

SW

Anyone ever paddle the Minnesota?  I live close to the Minnesota in the south metro and was thinking of doing a couple day trips this spring.   One of my neighbors, a native to the area told me it was a dangerous river to paddle.  Not sure if he knows what he is talking about or not.  In normal water conditions it doesn't look like it to me.

As an aside did anyone see the footage of all the ice coming through right now.  Very impressive.  Wish I would have known about it earlier, I would have went down for a little looksee.

Mav

I paddle the Minnesota at least once a year.  
The only sections I've paddled are between Belle Plain and the Mississippi.
There are some strange dangers on the Minnesota.  
In high water there are a lot of submerged logs and trees traveling in their own direction that'll make you tighten up your pfd in a hurry. Usually not that big of a deal. I just pay a lot of attention of what's behind me.
Some sandbars can be a little hairy to get out on. The eddies and under lying currents can grab a boat below the water line making it a little tough to get in and out. Making good entrance and exit decisions important.  
Water quality is also some of the lowest in the state. It isn't uncommon to see mystery barrels on the shore line. Also It drains a huge stretch of farmland so there's a lot fertilizers and soil errosion contributing to clarity. IMHO the Minnesota looks as good or better than most comparable rivers in Iowa but stands out as polluted river in MN.
All draw backs aside it is a beautiful valley of tall cottonwoods and sugar maples to paddle with a quick flow that'll keep you on your toes all the while containing some of the best Catfish fishing in the state. My personal biggest fish ever was a Flathead in Shakopee at 39lbs. Also my biggest and only sheepshead at 5lbs.
I would say that the Minnesota is a great MOVING water paddle. A persons level of comfort, and experience in moving water is what will make the Minnesota a good paddle.

Oh ya. There's a couple of these known to wandering around down there too. [smiley=thumbdown.gif]
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Hope this helps.  

SW

SW -

I work right next to the Minnesota River & I'm staring at it right now, as I type these words.  It certainly would be one of the LAST places I choose to canoe at this particular moment.  The last of the ice flows & some pretty darned big branches & even full-fledged trees are zooming right along in its rapid-moving brown water.  Yikes!  Could be suicidal to paddle it today!  I'm located about fifteen miles southwest of the Belle Plaine entry point you mention.  

I follow right along the Minnesota every day going to & from work, often wondering how it would be to paddle.    Somewhere along the line I grabbed a few pamphlets about paddling it & have noted the remarks & limits concerning eating any fish caught in it.  MANY of my employees catch & eat those fish REGULARLY.  Of course, that may explain a few things about their behaviors, sometimes.

You're quite right about the river & the valley that holds it.  I sincerely hope more efforts are made to clean up some of the pollutants you have identified.  I think I'll give it a couple more months before I try paddling it, though.  The way its looking just now, I could probably reach Belle Plaine in 2-3 hours... IF I didn't get run over by icebergs first!

Jimbo   8-)

We do not want any Titanic stories posted here to QJ.  Please care carefull of the icebergs this time of year people

WR

SW

Thanks for the reply.  When the water goes down I would like to give it a try.  Any idea how long it would take to paddle Belle Plaine to Shakopee?

The guy that took me on my first BWCA trip used to fish the MN for Flatheads down by St. Peter.  I want to say he caught a couple in the 40lb category - I could be wrong, but I saw the pictures and they were huge.  

Jimbo, where the heck do you work?  How long of a commute do you have?

Mav
Shakopee from Belle Plaine. Hmm. One pretty full day. I think it's in the neighborhood of 25 miles or so. Could be a good weekend trip. Small word of advice. Only camp at a low water time. Preferably on a highwater sandbar. The bugs (skeeters :-/) tend to be better close to or on the water.  :-?
Also sandbar = good fishing hole
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There's a downloadable canoe route map here.
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An easy day tryer outer trip would be from Shakopee under 101 bridge to 35Wbridge, Blackdog road or to Cedar ave bridge. Parking and landings at all places.

If you want to try for some Cat's PM me for a couple of good holes ;)

Oh and Jimbo is right.
The fish are not fit to keep, definately not to eat.  [smiley=thumbdown.gif] [smiley=thumbdown.gif] [smiley=thumbdown.gif] [smiley=thumbdown.gif]

SW

If you are looking for  Q/BWCA experience Bigfrok & Little Fork rivers

St. Croix from Danbury down to highway 70 is great, use WI side for access

lower St. Croix has much more traffic and state parks if you are into that

Rum, Snake & Kettle are more day trip types, although upper Snake can be nice for camping, there is a county campground along it

Root & Cannon I also consider day trips

Maverick wrote on Mar 21^st, 2007 at 2:54am:

SW Jimbo, where the heck do you work?    How long of a commute do you have?

Hey, Mav-

Sometimes I'm a little slow on the reply (uh, say 4 months worth) but here you go.  

I work in Le Sueur, Minnesota, for a company with the same name.  My commute to work is exactly 60 miles.  My commute home is 70 miles, mainly because no sane person would travel I-494 North between 5-7pm & I return home another way.  I cross the Minnesota River at either Belle Plaine or just south of Belle Plaine most of the time & take the back roads home.  Longer, yes, but far more interesting & I keep moving.  I'm starting to give names to the cows & pigs I see on my route home.  It beats inching along in traffic ANY day.

No icebergs bombing their way down the Minnesota River this month.  Still haven't paddled it, though.  Nor have I knowingly eaten fish from it.  Some would say I am warped enough without complicating matters with consuming those mutations.

Polluted or not, the river still looks appealing.  I hope we can clean it up.

Jimbo   8-)

Since I am faily new to this site, I am still reading old entries and I thought I would revive this thread. We are always looking for good places to paddle that close to home and are short and cheap.

My  2 cents worth on other places to paddle in MN.

Cloquet River

I take each of my  kids on a 8th grade graduation trip for 4 days down the Cloquet river from Brimson to Hwy 2 on the St. Louis. It is 75 miles of the nicest river paddling in the state. I am planning my youngest's trip for Memorial weekend 2009. I have been on this river with kids and friends 7 times and have never even seen another canoe, even on busy weekends. The water is clean, the rapids are fun, and  the scenery is just like further north. There is a 40 mile stretch that has no bridges, so  there is a nice wilderness feel to it. There are also some cabins along the way as well. The shuttle is a major pain, 3 hours, but it is worth it.
I use it as an introduction to  white water paddling for my kids and friends. The bigger rapids have portages around them and the rest of the river is just nice riffles and flat water. Very fun for the kids. Good fishing as well. Island lake resevoir has a lot of cabins and boats on it, and the wind can be a bear, but overall, the trips is well worth it.

Little Fork River.

When my kids graduate from High School I take them on a more difficult white water trip down the Little Fork River. It has always been a great experience for the kids learning to read water, get wet, and be challenged in a remote wilderness environment. If you want to feel like you are off the beaten path the Little Fork from Cook to the 2nd Hwy 65 bridge is a great trip. The DNR has a web site that you can check water levels on and when the gauge at the Town of Little Fork is around 5 that is the best time to go. The river is not as scenic as the Cloquet, but it has it's own appeal. It also has a 40 mile stretch with no bridges and it is much more remote feeling. We have seen Timber Wolves on  this river,  as well as  bears, and  deer and all the usual small stuff. The sturgeon in the spring, around Memorial weekend are worth the trip. Some real monsters to see spawning in the rapids. Water clarity is very poor due to the clay that the river flows through and the clay banks can be nasty to try to land on. Overall, if you like river travel and some white water, this river is a blast. The rapids all have portages around them except the water falls ??? The DNR has not secured land around the falls for a portage and it is posted, but what are you  going to do?
We just hustle across and try to be as careful as we can of the place.
The shuttle for this trip is also a three hour deal, but again, it is just part of the price to pay to  be out on the  water.

I have a lot of notes and maps, if anyone is interested in more details of either of these rivers. Every time I am on one of them, I comment that it is just like being in the BW or Q except for the cabins, but NO people.

GeneM

This thread was always one of my favorites.
:)
SW

As long as it's back from the dead....jimbo....I want to see a trip report of your Minn river paddle this last summer.

I'm musing about a Little Missouri 4-5 day padle this spring....same problems as Gene M discussed....muddy banks, and clay soil.

Speaking of the Little Missori,
has anyone out there paddled any part of that river?
I have been looking at maps for years, thinking that that would be a neat
river to paddle down. We traveled around it about 10 years ago and I kind of got a bug for it then. Very interesting and beautiful area.
GeneM

wally wrote on Dec 7^th, 2008 at 6:24am:

I'm musing about a Little Missouri 4-5 day padle this spring....same problems as Gene M discussed....muddy banks, and clay soil.

I'm assuming a reference to the Little Missouri out in western N.D.?

One word: Awesome!

Some friends and I planned a trip down that river a few years ago, but when 5 people backed out two days before we were set to launch, we had to change plans and do some hiking instead. At the time, we needed everyone to pool the money for canoe rentals, extra vehicle / shuttle, etc., so when they dropped out the plan got scrapped.

Just one more reason on the long list of "why go solo?"

We never did make it back for another try, but since then, I've spent lots of time in the Badlands for its hiking and mountain biking. It's one of the most beautiful places on Earth, and makes living in N.D. worth it  ;D

The park ranger at the North Unit of TRNP told us that nobody has canoed that river in quite some time. It's very flashy, and the levels can vary from hour to hour. On average, it's only a few feet deep along its entire length.

The folks we talked to said be prepared to do some dragging over sand bars if the levels drop, and to watch out for cables strung across the river, acting as cattle fences. I guess people aren't supposed to be doing that, draping cables and wires across the river, but many ranchers do it anyways. If they catch you off guard, or are hidden just below the water line, they could ruin your mood in a hurry.

It's something like 110 river miles from the South Unit of TRNP to the North Unit, so if you head north with the current in the spring, when the water is higher, you should be able to do it in 3-4 days.

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It's making my mouth water...

The Rum Starting west of Cambridge about 8 miles off cty rd 1. Its a 6+hr trip to Cambridge. 9 + to Isanti. When you hear roaring water,3 hrs into the trip,  stay to the left. :o  don't do it. Its class 99 in the spring.  

My son and I went down the Rum River yesterday!!! It was his first solo trip in his own boat. There are 2 snags west of Cambridge. The rapids that I spoke of above were not a big deal we didn't run it. I will next time.

Belle Plain-HWY 25 bridge to Chaska HWY 41 bridge-8 hr drift.....did it with dad years ago. Last fall there were a 14 # and a 11 # eye caught out of the Minnesota in south central MN. The crow is note worthy also-paddle both folks, the MN, and the MISS.-fish em all........super fun you never know what your going to pull in. I also have come accross cat tracks up on the north folk of the Crow......DONT forget the RIVERS! lots of fun.

Has anyone paddled the Big Fork River near Big Falls, MN (south of International Falls)?  I was headed up Highway 6 a couple weeks ago and thought it looked very inviting.

I stopped in Big Falls to admire the falls/Class 5+ rapids.  What a beautiful site.  However, the rest of the river looks quite tame, but it appears that solitude abounds.

I've paddled the Little Fork river in '99 and '01. Great trips! Big Fish too. Campsites can be challenging to find. I've always planned on trying the Big Fork some day.
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SW

Jackfish wrote on May 11^th, 2009 at 12:53am:

Has anyone paddled the Big Fork River near Big Falls, MN (south of International Falls)?  ........

No, but   (You need to Login or Register people have.

Hey PJ... what people?

Click the word "these".