Namekagon River and St Croix River
Namekagon River and St Croix River
A week on the Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway
An article from the Carolina Paddler “Different Waters” series
Written by Jim Butler Photos by Jim Butler, Dave Hammond and Tom Grist
-Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway
The Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway is a federally protected system of riverways located in eastern Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin. It embraces 252 miles of river, including the St. Croix River (Wisconsin – Minnesota border), and the Namekagon River (in Wisconsin). The St. Croix National Scenic Riverway is one of the original eight National Wild and Scenic Rivers. It is the largest Scenic Riverway east of the Mississippi River. The riverway is managed overall by the National Park Service and large areas along both sides of the river are managed by state agencies and include state parks and state forests.
Background
Dave Hammond and I are lifelong friends having grown up together in Appleton WI. We’ve been paddling together since teenagers, mostly on Wisconsin waters. Our big paddle trips started over twenty years ago when we set off to paddle the entire length of the Wisconsin River – 430 miles. Our first effort in 2005 covered 290 miles in two weeks. We finished the remaining 140 miles in 2020 over six days. For the past four years we have expanded our paddling team. My son John has joined us on a trip as well as one of our childhood friends, Tom Grist. The plan this trip was to set aside seven days and see how far we could paddle the Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway. Dave’s wife, Karen, was willing to drop us off and then pick us up so we did not have to worry about where the take-out would be in advance, something hard to predict on long paddle trips. John and Tom planned to paddle with us for the first four days and then Dave and I would finish. We used Dave’s canoe while Tom and John rented a canoe from a local outfitter.
I am the most avid fisherman in the group. At any stop on the river I can be found wetting a line. I usually fish at least an hour each day while Dave is paddling in the stern. I take two spinning rods with me – one with a top water lure (usually a Tiny Torpedo) and one with a jig with a crawler or a plastic grub. I alternate rods until I learn what the fish are hitting at that time and day. Since our trips are mostly focused on paddling, it is somewhat rare for us to have fish for our meals.
Unlike our other voyages, this trip we had no set number of miles to paddle nor any fixed final destination – just a goal of an enjoyable week-long paddle. We researched the best place to start the trip . The Namekagon (pronouncedNAM-uh-Kah-gun) is 101 miles long and is located in northwestern Wisconsin. Its name is derived from the Ojibwe language Namekaagong-ziibi, meaning “river at the place abundant with sturgeons.” The first 35 miles of the river alternate between a narrow shallow river, and lakes and flowages due to dams. According to guidebooks, in the beginning stretch of the river we could “expect numerous beaver dams, downed trees, and low bridges. Water levels can be extremely low and impassable during dry conditions.” Most people we talked to suggested we start at Hayward Landing – which is what we did.
Dave and I are used to rustic camping conditions – sleeping on sandbars along the river. The Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway has campsites on average about every 3-4 miles. The campsites had a fire ring, table and basic throne in the woods. We found all three items made camping more enjoyable and we didn’t miss having to use a trowel to bury waste. There is no fee for the campsites and they are first come-first served. We only found a few of the campsites to be occupied. The visitor center warned us about increased bear activity along the river but we never saw any bears during our trip.
The gradient on the river changes frequently. The visitor center advised us to monitor this river gauge:
At the start of our trip the gauge read 141 cfs which was largely normal water flow.
Getting Underway
I spent the night before our trip at Dave and Karen’s house in St Paul. On the morning of August 31, Karen drove us to Trego, WI where we met Tom and John at Jack’s Outfitters. Jack’s is twenty minutes south of our put-in spot. Tom and John used them for canoe rental and shuttling. We got some last minute river tips from the outfitters. Dave, Karen and I then drove to Hayward and the outfitters shuttled Tom and John and their gear.
Day 1 – August 31, 2024
We put in on the Namekagon at the Hayward Landing – river mile 66.1. The river here is rocky, narrow, very clear with many Class I rapids. We put in around 1pm. The area had received six inches of rain earlier in the week so the current was high and strong. Perfect weather.
There is no development along the river and very few other paddlers. We passed under a few interesting train bridges over the river.
We paddled hard and stopped at a campsite at mile 53.5 having paddled 12 ½ miles for the day. We had Nueske’s smoked bratwursts (the best bacon and smoked meats in the world – https://www.nueskes.com/ ), snap peas and pistachios for dinner. I fished near the campsite with no luck. We heard a nearby train during the night.
Day 2 am – Sept 1, 2024
More great weather. We were on the river by 9:20AM. Lots of riffles and class I rapids. When Dave and I paddle together Dave is always in the stern. When John and I paddle together we switch off every few hours. We started the day with John in the stern and me in the bow. John is a strong paddler and enjoys “adventures on the water.” He spotted a tree hanging over the water and thought it would be fun to run under the tree. We paddled like crazy but alas the current was too strong for us to make it. Right before we crashed into the tree I had to dive into the water before getting speared by various branches of the tree. We had a short pause for a river safety briefing before we continued our journey. There were loads of kayaks and tubers. We made it to where our outfitters are on the river in the town of Trego at 1:20PM after paddling 17 miles. We had lunch at Riverbend Restaurant while we contemplated our afternoon plans.
Day 2 pm – Sept 1, 2024
We paddled hard that afternoon. We had to get past Lake Trego (6 miles long) in order to reach camping spots further downriver. Tom has some lingering effects from Lyme disease so he was not eager to paddle the flatwater of Lake Trego. The outfitter shuttled Tom and his gear to the other end of the lake. Dave, John and I paddled in one canoe to Trego Dam and the only portage of the trip. The carry was short and easy.
Day 2 evening – Sept 1, 2024
We stopped at a campsite at mile 30.2 having paddled 23+ miles for the day. We had a great campsite. Tom and I caught some small bass from the shore. Dinner was Nueske’s smoked chicken breasts. We weren’t hungry after a big lunch.
Day 3 am – Sept 2, 2024
Early in the morning I caught a walleye which quickly went into the pan for breakfast. Walleye is a very tasty fish and very popular in the Midwest. In many parts of Wisconsin they are hard to find because Native Americans exercise their resource rights and spear many of the fish every spring.
The picture below will give you the best sense of what the Namekagon River looks like.
Day 3 pm – Sept 2, 2024
We got a late start around 11AM. We stopped at Howell Landing (mile 16.9) for lunch snacks, water and a swim. We finished for the day at a campsite on a high bluff at river mile 12.5 after paddling 17+ miles for the day. Dinner was Nueske’s smoked pork chops, wild rice and grilled peppers.
Day 4 am – Sept 3, 2024
I fished with John in the morning with only a few strikes to show for it. We pushed off around 10 and paddled slowly 5+ miles to Nemakagon Landing (mile 7.7) where the outfitter picked up John and Tom. John and Tom savored their last few hours on the water.
Day 4 pm – Sept 3, 2024
We hit a challenging part of the trip where campsites were spaced much farther apart and determining where to stop for the night was going to be a dilemma. We paddled hard for a couple of hours. We hit the confluence with the St Croix River and the river was wider and slower. The Namekagon River meets the St Croix at river mile 135.5 on the St Croix River. The plan was to camp at St Croix River mile 129.5 which would have made for 18 ½ miles for the day. We arrived there late in the afternoon and the campsite was jam packed – one of the few campsites we found that was occupied. We paddled very hard for another hour to a campsite at mile 125.5. It was getting late and dark and the next campsite was a couple of miles downstream at mile 123.3. Our hearts dropped when we saw the campsite was already occupied by three female campers. We thought there would be no chance they would be interested in sharing their prime spot with a pair of scruffy looking males but they waved us to shore and graciously offered to share their site with us. What a relief!
Since it was getting late we had a cold dinner of bread and cheese sandwiches. Our new friends were quite excited to share in the small bottles of bourbon I had brought with us. When I offered to share my supply, I had to politely explain that my offer was for some of my stash and not the entire bag. They explained that their supply of booze had run out a few days earlier. Dave took his nightly swim. I fished from shore and had a muskie follow my bait a few times with no luck. We saw and heard large sturgeons jumping in the river. We went to bed around 8:45AM. We paddled 22 ½ miles for the day.
Day 5 – Sept 4, 2024
We woke at 6:24AM and I heard wild turkeys near my tent. We didn’t waste time with breakfast. We were eagerly awaiting a lumberjack breakfast in the town of Danbury (population 177) which was about 2 miles downriver at river mile 123.3. Danbury is a mile walk from the St Croix River. In addition, we planned to restock our supply of ice and beer. The Yellow River Landing in Danbury was awful. It wasn’t marked at all and was difficult to access. The Landing was listed as an official landing on the state maps but we noticed numerous “no trespassing” signs as we walked up the road. We don’t like to trespass but had no other choice. We stashed the canoe out of site and walked to town. The restaurant we anticipated didn’t open until 11AM, a massive disappointment. The gas station attendant told us Yellow River Landing was owned by Native Americans who didn’t take kindly to people using the landing. They explained that at one point a local outfitter had abused his landing access privileges. We decided not to linger and settled for gas station breakfast sandwiches and coffee. We procured a couple of gallons of water and bags of ice. Dave bought paddling gloves.
Like in the travel book, Blue Highways, one of the best parts of long paddle trips is the people we meet along the way. While we ate our breakfast sandwiches on a picnic bench outside the gas station, we struck a long conversation with two local fellows. One was an ex-Marine and the other appeared to be of Native American descent. They explained their life histories and shared local knowledge.
We walked back to the canoe after a disappointing visit to Danbury and Dave mumbled something about “two shits and Danbury”. I wasn’t quite sure if he was expressing his feelings about the town of Danbury or the number of bathroom stops he made. 😊
We got back into our canoe without specific plans about where we wanted to stop at the end of the day. It was close to 11AM and we had only paddled a couple of miles. We had a another glorious day of weather. The St Croix here was wide, shallow and slow. We had a strong headwind much of the time. At 2PM we took a short lunch break at St Johns Landing (near river mile 112), which is a private campsite. I went swimming and made a couple of casts and caught a 19” bass that was promptly filleted.
We paddled hard until 6PM and camped at Sand Creek Landing (river mile 104.7) having paddled 18.6 miles. At the landing were a couple of fisherman who had been out all day and we chatted with them for a bit. Dinner was bass, wild rice, bacon and snap peas. After dinner I paddled up to Sand Creek and caught a few small bass. A musky chased my bait. We heard wolves howling in the distance as we went to bed at 8:45PM
Day 6 – Sept 5, 2024
It had sprinkled a bit overnight which was the first rain we had experienced but it was a beautiful morning on the St Croix.
I paddled back up to the mouth of Sand Creek looking for a muskie or bass but instead caught a monster redhorse which resembles a carp. Redhorse are native species to North America, while carp are native to Europe and Asia. Redhorse are primarily found in clear, flowing rivers, while carp prefer murky and muddy lakes with lots of nutrients. All of the bass we caught were smallmouth bass. The National Park Service considers the St Croix some of the best smallmouth bass fishing in the Midwest.
It was promptly returned to the St Croix. We got on the river around 10am after letting our gear dry out a bit. We had a daunting day ahead of us – many class 1 rapids and a couple of class 2 rapids. We proceeded with caution and put on our life jackets. We spent a lot of time looking at maps and studying the river but we didn’t have any trouble with the rapids. The water level was slightly above average, which probably helped. The class 2 rapids were more like 2- or 1+. At no point did we feel like we were going to have a struggle on our hands. We stopped for lunch at Snake River Landing (river mile 93.6). Of course I had to wet my line. I caught lots of small bass and one keeper walleye at the mouth of the Snake River.
We paddled hard after lunch because our morning had been slow. Our plan was to camp at river mile 82.7 since Dave had hiked around there a few years before. Somehow, we missed it. We settled for camping at the County O Landing campsite at river mile 80.4 after paddling 23.4 miles for the day. For dinner we had walleye, wild rice, bacon and snap peas. Another beautiful day of weather and we had a tailwind for a change. Trumpeter swans flew overhead. It was our last night, so we made a roaring campfire and used up the Duraflame log we had brought with us in case of rainy weather. Dave has taught me “there is no shame in Duraflame”.
Day 7 – Sept 6, 2024
Today was out final day on the water. Karen was willing to pick us up anywhere along the river so our plans for the day could be flexible. Dave and I are a great balance. I tend to bite off more than I can chew while Dave is often the voice of reason. We debated whether we wanted to paddle super hard and try to end the trip at St Croix Falls (27 miles of paddling) or settle for stopping at Wild River Landing (18 miles of paddling). We decided to just set off and see what pace we could make but likely we would stop at Wild River Landing. A beautiful day, no wind and the river was like glass. We had a few sprinkles around lunch time. By midafternoon we reached Wild River Landing (river mile 62.5) and decided it was enough paddling for the week. Of course, as soon as we hit land I had to wet a line and I caught a few small bass. Karen picked us up around 4PM and we drove an hour to their house in St Paul.
Wrap up
Our trip was seven days on the water with a half day at the start and a long half day at the end so basically six full days of paddling. We covered 139 miles at a pace slow enough that we were able to have three meals of fish along the way. I might have a “recency bias” but this was my favorite long paddle trip so far. There was virtually no development in sight during our trip and very few paddlers. On an average day we might see one house and one other boat.
It was a good mix of rivers. The Namekagon is narrow with lots of small rapids and riffles. The St Croix is wider and slower with big rapids on one day. And the best thing– only one portage. Also rare for Wisconsin was the lack of industry along the river – no paper mills, logging mills, hydroelectric dams, etc. Can’t recommend this trip enough.
Trip Information and Resources
The riverway headquarters and main visitor center are located in St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin(https://www.nps.gov/sacn/planyourvisit/visitor-centers.htm),
An additional visitor center in Trego, Wisconsin operated during the summer
(https://namekagonriver.org/visitor-center/)
-Paddling Northern Wisconsin
https://www.amazon.com/Paddling-Northern-Wisconsin-Great-Trails/dp/1931599866
-Wisconsin Trail Guide
https://wisconsintrailguide.com/paddle/namekagon-river.html
https://wisconsintrailguide.com/paddle/st-croix-river.html
-Paddling Guide to the Namekagon River
https://namekagonriver.org/paddling-guide/
https://namekagonriver.org/river-maps/
ADDENDUM
In 1968, as part of the original act, eight rivers were designated as National Wild and Scenic Rivers (Clearwater, Eleven Point, Feather, Rio Grande, Rogue, St. Croix, Salmon, and Wolf). As of November 2018, 209 rivers, totaling 12,754 miles of river in 40 states and Puerto Rico, have Wild and Scenic status.
Blue Highways by William Least Heat-Moon. A classic American road story, the writer crisscrosses the backroads of the US in an old, balky van.
