Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The National Park Service's website (
www.nps.gov
)
has excellent information on the
entire riverway, along with local links.
Upper St. Croix and Namekagon Rivers: Along the Route
The St. Croix River begins as a humble, ribbony creek flowing from Upper St. Croix Lake
in a muskeg forest between Gordon and Solon Springs. It navigates 102 miles on its course
to Prescott, but after just 20 miles it links with the Namekagon River, its main tributary.
The Namekagon starts as a chilly trout stream at a dam northeast of Cable, within shouting
distance of the Chequamegon National Forest. Both wend through forested valleys in relat-
ively primitive conditions. For pure backwoods isolation, the Namekagon can't be beat.
Near the St. Croix headwaters, a county park in Solon Springs contains Solon Springs'
claim to fame—the
Lucius Woods Performing Arts Center
(9245 E. Main St., Solon
Springs, 715/378-4272,
www.lwmusic.org
)
, a rustic outdoor amphitheater featuring estab-
lished musical acts on weekends.
The Namekagon changes from an icy, extremely isolated trout stream in dense conifers
to a wider channel through marshes and swamps. The river contains one hairpin turn after
another, and that's why canoeists love it so much—no boaters.
Hayward to Trego is the most developed 34 miles on the whole upper stretch. It has few
rapids, but these can be tough for novices.
Trego,
at the Great South Bend of the river, was once a ready-made campsite, used by
the original Ojibwa inhabitants. Jonathan Carver in 1767 and Henry Schoolcraft in 1831
also slept on sandbars here. A huge number of
river outfitters
are here, with rentals and
shuttles for a minimum of $19. The
Namekagon Visitor Center
(U.S. 63, 715/635-8346,
daily in summer, weekends only spring and fall) is north of town.
Below Trego, a narrow-channeled, twisty trip of 40 miles spins to Riverside. The most
backwoodsy part of the entire system, it's thus the most popular weekend excursion.
Conluence
Near Riverside, the two rivers join and form the Upper St. Croix National Scenic Riverway
proper, a wider, more sedate, but no less scenic stretch leading to St. Croix Falls. Just south
of Danbury, and stretching all the way past Grantsburg, is the long, sinuous
Governor
Knowles State Forest,
with33,000acresofgreatcanoeingandhiking(about40milestotal
ontwo20-miletrailsthattracetheblufflineabovetheriver),andsomeprimitivecampsites
along the river.
