Looking at paddling and camping this river. Anyone else done this? Any info to share?

a couple of times. in low water the last ten miles to the st croix can be a rock garden, in higher water it is a nice stretch of easy class 1 rapids. the section south of magrath has a few stretches of whitewater, one stretch actually requires a bit of precise paddling or luck to negotiate the current.

if i was considering this river i would also consider the kettle, it is a much wilder river, the rapids at banning can be portaged, if desired, the section of easy whitewater to the st. croix is prime, so is the st croix river at st ctoix state park.

I was considering the Kettle as well. I have been to Banning during the spring melt and it seemed like a pretty fast river with some pretty good rapids. I haven't been there during any other time of the year. I'll have to check that one out as well.

Thanks for the information.

I haven’t taken a canoe on the Snake, but fished and boated from Pokegama Lake to Cross Lake in Pine City. That part may not be the most enjoyable for canoeing. There is quite a bit of development and sometimes heavy boat traffic in that stretch.

I fished/canoed a couple of stretches of the Snake but not the entire length. Now you have me thinking...I'd be more interested in just paddling from Pine City down into the St. Croix and take out at the state park just upriver from Wild Mtn. Looks like a one day trip or 2 if a guy fishes abit.

As mentioned the last stretch can be a rock garden. But, if you have an old beat up canoe? It depends on time of year & other factors but, fishing can be excellent along this stretch. There is a nice State forest campground about a mile above the confluence with the St. Croix. I used to camp there then bike back to get my vehicle if there was still daylight, otherwise I got it in the morning (Obviously I was solo) Also, there is a lone riverside site at the confluence.

If you do the stretch above Pine City? Check out the old NW Fur Trading post that is located right along the river. Very interesting. IMHO

I am going to try the lower section tomorrow putting in at just below the Cross Lake dam and taking out at Wild River State Park. Looks like 12 miles on the Snake and 31 miles on the St Croix. The USGS website says the river stage at CR 9 is at 4.2 feet. Hopefully the water is high enough to breeze over most of the boulder fields others have commented on. Anybody know?

Anyone that wants to join me for a day trip let me know. I'll be putting in at about 8 am. I'm estimating about 7-8 hours paddling as long as the water depth is good- it should be.

So I paddled the 43 miles as described in my previous post yesterday. The Snake River portion was a fun paddle with Class 1 rapids mixed in throughout this stretch. The USGS river stage online said it was at 3.9 feet. The bridge pier on CSAH 9 read about 3.5 feet. Either way this was plenty of water to run this lower section. You can access the USGS water level data from a link from the "Friends of the Snake River" web site.

The next part of the trip on the St Croix was a bit of a challenge due to the strong southerly winds. No rapids on the St Croix, but without the bad winds, this too would be enjoyable with surprisingly few people around. Total paddle time was 9.5 hours.

Friends of the Snake River

Sounds like a great trip.
Were the winds affecting you pretty bad? We sure had some good gusts yesterday. I heard up around 60 mph in the Hugo and Forest Lake area.

quote fitgers1: "Sounds like a great trip.
Were the winds affecting you pretty bad? We sure had some good gusts yesterday. I heard up around 60 mph in the Hugo and Forest Lake area."

Yes, it was pretty disheartening when I reached the confluence with the St. Croix to see the wind whipping up waves traveling upriver. I stopped paddling to eat a quick bite here in the strong current and the wind had more force on the canoe than the current did.
For the first few miles I hugged the shoreline to avoid the worst wind but then there is little current there. Eventually, I found I had more speed staying in the strongest current even with the wind blowing in my face. The river current kept the wave heights to less than a foot high.
If not for the low profile design and rudder of the Kruger Sea Wind, I think I would have been windbound.
Definitely a fun run down the Snake worth doing again as long as river water levels are high enough. I think this river is a great place for someone without any whitewater canoeing experience. There are lots of easy class 1 rapids to run with little danger to self or gear.

Man, 43 miles in 9.5 hours into a headwind! If I had taken up your offer and gone along, you'd still be waiting for me at the take out! That is some distance in that length of time! You rock!