Hi my name is Branda Thwaits and I am the District Interpretive Ranger for the Namekagon District of the Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway. This district includes the entire Namekagon River and the upper stretches of the St. Croix River (from Gordon Dam to Riverside Landing).

Throughout the summer, as the Namekagon Interpretive team paddles the rivers, talks to other Riverway staff, and talks to visitors, we will be posting information about the river conditions.  This information is subjective, please use caution when paddling the rivers. It is always a good idea to wear your life jacket, pack dry clothes, paddle with a buddy, and let someone know your trip plans. 

• Namekagon Dam Gauge as of 09/09/2009 is 1.29
• County T Gauge as of 09/05/2009 is 0.7

For gauge descriptions visit www.nps.gov/sacn/planyourvisit/riverlevels

It is always helpful to hear from visitors, please share your comments and questions at e-mail us or call the Namekagon Visitor Center at 715-635-8346.

Happy Paddles!! 

Please scroll down to the bottom for the most recent entry.

May 17, 2009

We are preparing for seasonal training this upcoming week and will be out on the Namekagon River quite a bit.  Please check back for updated information after our training.

May 23, 2009

What a fantastic week of paddling the Namekagon River!! This week was dedicated to training the new seasonal employees, it was a week of learning about the Riverway and there is no better way to do that than paddle the river. The seasonal employees in the Namekagon District are Joan Jacobowski, Jamie Lund, Joshua LeDuc, and our Student Conservation Association Volunteer, Molly Cook.

We started out paddling County K Landing to Howell Landing on Wednesday, May 20th, it was extremely windy, but thankfully the wind was usually at our back. We left County K at 11am and after one lunch break and a stop at Whispering Pines Landing we pulled into Howell Landing at 4:30pm. The water levels on this stretch are good (and the water levels usually remain this way throughout the season), I walked once but it could have been avoided if I read the river correctly. Along the way we saw amazing wildlife. The highlight of the trip was definitely seeing three bear cubs and watching one of them climb down a tree.  We lost count of the number of eagles we saw during the paddle. At one point there were five eagles directly in front of us, both mature and immature.

The second day of training part of the group paddled from Stinnett Landing to Groat Landing. It was another wonderful trip on the river. Always be careful when starting at Stinnett, there is a chute right after the put-in. The water conditions are a little low in this section, but no one had to get out of their kayak and walk. This is a beautiful short paddle on the river.

The third day of paddling was on the upper Namekagon River, starting at County M Landing and ending at Cable Wayside Landing. This stretch of river is incredibly beautiful, it is much narrower than the lower stretches and feels very "northwoodsy". The water levels were still navigable for our kayaks and our canoe, however, we were not carrying any camping gear. We did get out and walk periodically and with a loaded down canoe this stretch will most likely require some walking. We put on the river around 10am, took a lunch break at Phillipi around 12:30, and finally pulled off the river at 2:45. When paddling this stretch of river keep your eyes on the river and you may spot a brook trout, brown trout, or a sucker. The suckers in this river are an indicator of good water quality. You may also notice a native lamprey on some of the fish. 

Enjoy your time on the river.

May 29, 2009

On May 23rd and 24th, two of our River Rover volunteers, Tom and Jane Gerber, paddled the river collecting information for the National Park Service. Below is the information they wrote up about water levels and wildlife for the stretch of river they paddled from Phillipi Landing to Trout Run Landing on the Namekagon River. Thanks so much Tom and Jane!

From Phillipi Bridge to Pacwawong Lake, it was very low with lots of rock gardens. You had to stay in the current as it crossed back and forth across the river. With a loaded canoe, we had to pole in some areas. Canoeists or kayakers should expect to walk portions if the level drops any more. After the Pacwawong dam, the water level was still low but overall higher, although you needed to stay in the current. There were still some shallow rocky areas. If the water level drops, you could expect to walk in the shallow areas. 

There were some strainers all along this section of the river. They were usually along one shore and did not obstruct the river. Often, the river split around an island and due to the downed trees, you were automatically forced to the other side to avoid the trees. There were also a lot of tip ups that had fallen on the shore. There are also logs submerged in the water at different points.

There were lots of birds singing and flitting in the trees and brush along the river. We saw belted king fishers, great blue herons, green herons, osprey, bald eagles, mallard ducks, mergansers, blue jays, robins, a redstart, red winged blackbirds, and warblers. We saw one larger turtle, and one painted turtle. We also saw several deer. Fish were seen in several sections of the river. Wood ticks are out but not too bad yet. There weren’t any mosquitoes or flies. There was a mayfly and caddis fly hatch at the Pacwawong dam. Dragon flies were mating. Lots of flowers are in bloom along the river. We saw marsh marigolds, blue and yellow violets, gaywings, trillium, buttercups, and wood anemone. The iris will bloom soon. Trees and shrubs are leafing out. Ferns are up.

June 5, 2009

During the last week many members of the Riverway staff paddled the rivers and talked to visitors, below is a short description of their trips throughout the Riverway.  The updated gauge readings show the water levels are low in some stretches.  Be careful if paddling the Namekagon River at Namekagon Dam, also be aware of low water conditions on the Upper St. Croix, above CCC Bridge Landing.

Two staff paddled from Groat Landing to Earl Landing on Saturday, May 30th. The trip is 13.7 miles and took the rangers approximately five hours to paddle, this included stopping at campsites and talking with other paddlers. The water levels were fairly good on this stretch, they did not have to get out of their kayaks and walk. They saw a baby merganser and a beaver. They contacted one visitor who had flipped his kayak in the set of rapids before Groat Landing. The visitors they contacted were really enjoying this beautiful stretch of river.

Another ranger paddled from Earl Landing to Trego Landing on May 30th in a kayak. He did not get out and walk during his trip. He saw lots of wildlife including green frogs, turtles, osprey, eagles, and lots of red winged blackbirds. 

On May 31st two rangers paddled from CCC Bridge Landing to Riverside Landing on the St. Croix, and said the water was okay, but starting to get low. They had to get out of their canoe and walk a couple of times. They only saw one other person during this trip, a fisherman at Riverside Landing. They also saw swans and lots of geese with their goslings.

On the same day, May 31st, another ranger paddled from Namekagon Trail Bridge Landing to Riverside Landing. She reported good water conditions, with water starting to get low at the confluence of the Namekagon and St. Croix Rivers. She reported lots of hatching dragonflies. 

Also on May 31st another ranger paddled the upper stretch of the Namekagon from County M Landing to Pacwawong. He reported scraping bottom but he did not need to get out of his kayak and walk. The trip took a total of three hours.

Please feel free to call or e-mail us for more information. We also love to hear about your trip on the river. I hope this information is helpful, enjoy your time on the river.

June 21, 2009

Summer is finally heating up and I am sure many of you are excited to get out on the river and paddle. As you prepare for your trip it is always a good idea to know the river conditions. This year, as in the few years past, low water can be a concern in some stretches. I was just scanning the water discharge data on the USGS website for the upper stretches of the Namekagon River and found that overall the river is lower than last year, and currently comparable to last years mid-July levels. Can you still paddle the Namekagon River? Yes, just be aware that certain stretches of the river are fairly low, and you might need to get out and walk; other stretches remain fairly good even when the river is low, for more information call the Visitor Center at 715-635-8346.  At the current water levels I would not paddle the stretch from Namekagon Dam to County M. Right now there are Rangers paddling stretches of the river above Hayward and between Hayward and Trego, if you are planning a trip in the next few days make sure to call the Visitor Center at 715-635-8346 and speak to a Ranger for the most up to date information. I will also do my best to post their experiences on the blog later this week. 

There were Rangers paddling yesterday from Whispering Pines to Fritz Landings, and they had a wonderful trip and found the water was still navigable. 

One of our Rangers participated in our annual bird survey this last week. She said there is nothing like being on the river at dawn, with the fog and the sun rising, it is a magical and mystical place. What an incredibly special place these rivers are, I hope all of you enjoy your trip on the rivers, please do not hesitate to call or email if there is any way we can assist in making your trip more enjoyable.

Take care and Happy Father's Day.   

July 7, 2009

I hope everyone had a great 4th of July weekend. It was a wonderful weekend to be on the river. This last week I had the opportunity to paddle a couple of stretches of river. On Wednesday (a very cold day) I paddled Earl Landing to the Visitor Center Landing. That was a great day to paddle since the water levels were up briefly due to rain the previous couple of days. I was out again on the river on Saturday paddling County K Landing to Whispering Pines Landing Overall the river is low, in many stretches you can expect to get out and walk periodically, but most of it is still navigable. On Saturday from County K Landing to Whispering Pines Landing I got out and walked three times (two of which were definitely my fault - I did not follow the channel). Each time I had to walk less than twenty feet. Even though it was July 4th I did not see a lot of people on that stretch of river. Even when the river is busy you often feel you are the only one out there. The visitors I ran into were having a wonderful time. I saw a ton of redhorse suckers (an indicator of high water quality) and some smallmouth bass along with an immature bald eagle.  

If you are headed out on the river in the upper stretches it is a good idea to call the Visitor Center and get the most up to date information. I would not paddle Namekagon Dam to County Road M, the water level is very very low in that stretch.

I hope to see you all out there on the river. Please feel free to e-mail or call for more information. 

July 15, 2009

We are lucky enough this summer to have Molly Cook, a Student Conservation Association (SCA) volunteer, working for us. She has spent a lot of her summer out on the river and wrote up the following report on river conditions:

So "the" question to know the answer to when you work here at the Namekagon River Visitor Center is, "what are the water levels like on the river?" Well I will tell you everything I know from recent trips on the river, and everything I’ve heard from other rangers and river-goers. Unless otherwise noted, all trips have been completed in kayaks.

I will start at the beginning of the river at Namekagon Dam Landing. About two weeks ago one of our rangers decided to put in at the dam landing and take advantage of a recent rain. To give you a brief idea of what it was like, the first thing I said when he showed me the pictures was, "it looks like a rock garden." Water levels on the upper Namekagon are very low and full of large rocks and beaver dams. The ranger said he spent a lot of time walking and that overall it was "miserable." In short, we are not recommending doing the upper stretch until the water levels get at least a couple inches higher.

A few weeks ago I did a nice short four mile stretch from Larsen landing to Phipps landing. At the beginning it was very shallow and I was getting discouraged. After about ten minutes the water got deeper and it turned out to be one of the prettiest stretches I’ve done. The water was deep enough for me to relax and float quietly as I saw lots of wildlife including a fawn resting in the water and tons of dragonflies! So if you’re looking for a short peaceful stretch I recommend this- just push your way past the first few minutes and it will pay off. (Note - conditions on this stretch may be significantly lower by now, we will try to have someone paddle this stretch in the next week, call for more information).

Another ranger did the Hayward to Stinnett stretch last Sunday and said that he only scraped a bit around Hayward landing and after that water levels were enjoyable and navigable. I did Springbrook landing in a canoe to Trego Visitor Center landing and aside from the very beginning, the water levels were excellent and even deep in some parts. I have heard from visitors that they have also enjoyed all the stretches from Hayward to the Trego landing. There are also some fun (but small!) rapids shortly after Earl landing.

Finally, the lower stretch of the Namekagon is what we have been recommending the most. The levels on this part of the river tend to stay deep enough to navigate with a kayak or a weighted down canoe with camping gear. Many people choose to do this stretch because the water levels are so nice and it is also farther away from the road so who knows what kind of wildlife you may see!

The water levels are continually changing, so keep in touch! Call the visitor center for more detailed and up to date information.

July 28, 2009

Summer is passing so quickly, it is hard to believe it is already the end of July. What a great year, we have talked to so many visitors who enjoyed their time on the river. There is still plenty of time if you are thinking of taking a trip down the Namekagon or St. Croix. The upper stretches of both rivers are low, call the visitor center for more information (715-635-8346).

One of our Rangers, Joan Jacobowski, paddled the river from Hayward Landing to Stinnett Landing on Sunday, below is a synopsis of her trip.

What a perfect day on the river! Sunny, not too windy,gorgeous! I kayaked from Hayward to Stinnet. Water levels weren't as bad as it looked. It's real shallow in Hayward, but as soon as you get past the houses it's fine. In Hayward I was careful to follow the fastest channel meandering back and forth. I was surprised! Although I scraped a lot, I only got stuck three times and was able to easily push off. I never had to get out and walk. With the low wind and sun shining, the visibility was perfect! I saw tons of suckers and a big musky! I even saw 2 mussel displays! Yay! My first! ...The purple fringed orchids are blooming! Yay! There were 7 at the 1st campsite! Wow! The fishermen reported excellent fishing. We all saw several families of mergansers: both common and hooded. Lots of green heron. I saw an osprey and an eagle and a turtle. Visitors saw deer. I was too focused on watching the fish. ... While grabbing a water bottle from the edge, I startled a little musky(16"?). It waited for me to leave! I would definitely recommend this stretch for wildlife viewing! Stay in the fast channel and you'll get through the shallow riffles just fine.

August 11, 2009

Ranger Joan Jacobowski had another exciting trip down the river, read her report below on her trip from North Springbrook to Trego:

Water Levels: I scraped a little here and there but only had to walk twice between N. Springbrook and Springbrook and after the Springbrook islands [I did] not [walk] at all until twice after Earl. Not bad! I got stuck on a rock, turned and swamped just north of Springbrook. Nice to know the handpumps work with enough elbow grease :)

Wildflowers: The purple fringed orchids are at their prime! I saw 4 or 5. Turtlehead chelone is blooming! Lots of greenheaded coneflowers, Joe Pye weed and some swamp milkweed. The blue vervain is starting. Wapatoo  or Indian potato is also blooming. I saw lots of spotted knapweed but no purple loosestrife. The jewelweed is also in full bloom.        

Wildlife: Lots of mergansers-both common and hooded. the mallards are starting to flock up-I saw 2 groups. It was so cute! the duck on the end was the watch duck, standing at attention while 6 others all snuggled down in a perfect row on a log! A doe and 2 fawns let me get surprisingly close! Lots of cedar waxwings, belted kingfisher, many green heron, 4 or 5 great blue heron, mourning dove, swallows, saw 2 or 3 osprey and 2 or 3 eagles. fun drifting right under them. 

September 1, 2009

I had an opportunity to get out on the river last week on Friday the 28th and paddle from Earl to Trego. It was a gorgeous day I saw three eagles, an osprey, and a group of twelve mergansers. I did not see anyone else during my paddle. The water levels were good, I scraped a few times (mostly because I did not follow the channel), but overall the levels were good. 

Our volunteer river rovers, Tom and Jane Gerber, paddled the stretch from Stinnett Landing to Springbrook Landing on Wednesday the 26th. Their report is below. Thank you Tom and Jane for the great information!! 

Note: The river has dropped some from last week.

Water Conditions:  The water level was adequate throughout this stretch. The current was brisk most of the way. In a few areas where the river widened or split around an island, the level dropped to about 6 inches. In these areas, it is important to read the river and stay in the current to avoid scraping bottom on rock shoals. The water in the chute below the Stinnett landing was fast and plentiful. Be prepared to read the water and navigate the chute immediately after putting in at Stinnett to avoid tipping. The rapids below E Bridge were also fast with lots of exposed rocks that need to be navigated around. The current in the rapids above Groat Landing was swift and care needed to be taken to avoid exposed rocks. The current was strong and wanted to carry one past the Groat Landing. The rapids below Groat Landing were still swift and care needed to be taken to avoid the exposed rocks but it was easier than the one above Groat Landing. 

Human Activity: We encountered only one canoe on this stretch. They were enjoying the day and had taken that stretch several times over the past few years. They commented that they thought the water level was lower than in previous years.

Wildlife:  There were a lot of birds along the river. We saw belted kingfishers, green herons, osprey, bald eagles, vultures, mallards, mergansers, blue jays, warblers, and cedar waxwings. We heard pileated woodpeckers. There was a young bear in the crotch of a tree after the rapids below Groat Landing. We saw a couple painted turtles sunning themselves around mid-day and some frogs. We saw lots of fish in the river in all sections. They were mostly suckers (red horse), one musky, and minnows. We did not see many mosquitoes, flies, or ticks. There were a few dragonflies and bees. We saw freshwater mussels and shells along this stretch of the Namekagon.  

Plant Life:  There are indications that fall is on its way. A few branches on maple trees have turned red-brown. The sunflowers, asters, goldenrod, and jewelweed are in bloom. We saw some Indian pipe.

September 14, 2009

On Saturday Ranger Joan Jacobowski kayaked on the Namekagon River from Stinnett Landing to Big Bend Landing, below is her report:

Another gorgeous day on the river!      

Water levels: Stinnett to just past Springbrook is shallow and rocky. There are lots of shallow riffles. My kayak scraped alot. I had to get out and walk (never more than 20 ft.) 4-5 times.  When you get to the islands south of Springbrook, stay to the far right. After 1 more riffle, it's fair sailing and no more scrapes until downstream of Earl. To enjoy Stinnett to Springbrook, you need to be able to "read" the river, keep a sharp eye out for the fast channel and have excellent steering skills.  But, if you don't mind jumping out here and there, it's still a beautiful stretch of river!         

Wildlife:  The fish watching is fabulous! My favorite! Tons of red horse sucker (please note they are suckers, not carp- we have no carp), the occasional hog nose sucker blending perfectly into the rocks, fish watching is endlessly fascinating! I also saw a painted turtle sunning on a rock, 2 different muskrats , great blue heron, crows, blue jays, lots of belted kingfisher, common mergansers, mallards, hooded mergansers and many more birds I don't know. I was happy to see a northern leopard frog, though he wouldn't let me get close enough to snap his pic. I spotted a porkie at watersedge and watched him amble up the bank.        

Plant life: The colors are brilliant! Scarlet highbush cranberries, poison ivy, virginia creeper or woodbine and, of course, the maples! This is a bumper year for chokecherries and black cherries. The bears are feasting! Watch your step!  The goldenrod and compositae (daisy-like forms) are blooming. The Joe Pye weed is fading. Lots of asters.