Rivers are a reflection of who we are. Whether we are drawn to them to paddle, fish, camp, or to just sit and watch moving water. Follow this blog for updates on park programs, current events, and the changing seasons of the St. Croix.
Posted: September 26, 2011 | posted by: Dale Cox!
"... and the unhurried theme of autumn
now reminds me of the need
to accept changes in myself as I age:
calendars were invented
to convince man that time
is cyclic,
not linear."
So Much Of Fall
Posted: September 19, 2011 | posted by: Jean Schaeppi!
Fox Landing to Highway 70
Last Thursday I paddled from Fox Landing to Highway 70 on the St. Croix. In the areas marked as rapids on map 6, the water was very low. Mostly, they're big, wide, shallow, rocky, bends in the river. I scraped a lot but was able to avoid actually having to stop and walk, by being very vigilant about searching ahead for the deepest channel. The rest of the river on that section was deep enough, but you really notice how the level's gone down at the edge. Funny to think how high the water was in early August.
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Read More About Scraping over the rapids by Ranger Joan
Posted: August 16, 2011 | posted by: Jean Schaeppi!
After the recent flooding, water levels are definitely on our mind, so Ranger Seth Spencer and Law Enforcement Ranger, Dean Rinehart paddled from Gordon Dam to County T Landing this past weekend. They reported excellent water levels within the normal range. It's relatively high for this time of year, but well within the normal range. The reading at T was 1.4. They had a great time and perfect water levels for getting over and around all the rocks.
By the time I got to County T yesterday afternoon(8/14), it had dropped to 1.28. 1.1 was excellent when we went through fish trap rapids on the bird survey in June. So, if we're lucky, Gordon Dam to CCC might stay high enough to do through the weekend. Just check the gauge under the bridge on Highway T. 2-3 is scary, 1-2 is excellent,
Posted: August 08, 2011 | posted by: Jean Schaeppi!
 Wow! What a week! After the heavy rain last Tuesday, the Upper St. Croix went into flash flood mode. The landing at County T was underwater to knee depth. The river was all the way up to the bottom of the bridge at CCC.Whole trees were uprooted and went down river, on top of the water and under the surface. Several campsites were flooded.
One group had stopped to eat lunch and noticed their bag starting to float away. More
Posted: August 04, 2011 | posted by: Dale Cox!
Upper parts of the St. Croix River watershed received between 2.5 and 6 inches of rain in just a few hours during the night of Tuesday, August 2. Falling on already saturated ground, this water is now flowing downstream and setting records for peak flow for this time of the year.
A U.S. Geological Survey gage on the St. Croix north of Danbury, Wisconsin, shows the dramatic climb in river level from approximately 1.5 feet to over 6.5 feet. For the date of August 4, the river peaked at a maximum flow of 7,330 cfs this morning, or close to 55,000 gallons of water per second.To put this in perspective, since records have been kept at that location since 1914 this the highest recorded waterflow for this date, and on only eight other dates has the river ever exceeded this level.
Posted: August 01, 2011 | posted by: Jean Schaeppi!
 Last Sunday I paddled from Riverside to Thayers landing. The current on St. Croix is slower than the Namekagon so it took me awhile, more time to enjoy the scenery! The water levels were excellent! I didn't scrape or drag in the sand at all! Yay! I could see the bottom most of the way, so if it stops raining regularly, you might have to pay more attention to following the current. From what I could see with the anglers, the fishing was excellent!
Posted: July 18, 2011 | posted by: Jean Schaeppi!
 Whoa! What a storm on July 1, 2011! Winds uprooted and broke off trees and limbs creating quite a mess.Yay maintenance! They've been working non-stop to clear all the landings and campsites for you. A big thank you to WI Youth Conservation Corps (WisCorps)! They cleared the St. Croix Trail from the Snake River Landing to the Marshland Center on Hwy. 70.
As of today all of the landings and campsites are open and useable except Riverside
Posted: July 15, 2011 | posted by: Dale Cox!
With the water level finally dropping (at least for now) the park has undertaken a new effort to protect the natural environment and water quality of the St. Croix River. This week the three sets of floating toilets were installed in separate locations in the Stillwater Islands area.
Two floating platforms with a total of eight toilets are now located on the shoreline of Mile Long Island across from the Boomsite Wayside Rest Area. While both of these are accessible by a ladder for boaters, one of these platforms also includes a 40 ramp making it accessible for visitors on the island as well. The ramp is solar powered.
Three fully accessible toilets are available for day use boaters in the no-wake zone channel on the Minnesota side of the river at mile 27.5. At this location,
Posted: July 12, 2011 | posted by: Jean Schaeppi!
Last week I had the privilege of tagging along with the Natural Resource team (Michelle Prosser, Jim Bryce, Kathy Kafura and Emily Heezel) on one of their bird surveys. Park biologist/ Acting Chief of Natural Resource, Robin Maercklein told me they survey every stretch of the river every other year. It was hard getting up at 2:30 in the morning to be on the river by 5:30, but well worth it! The quarter moon rising over the visitor center at 4:30 was spectacular. I wish I had the self discipline to experience early morning every day.
I was excited to go (and nervous about Big fish trap rapids). Unfortunately, in the dark, we chose the wrong canoe, the one you're never supposed to take. At county T, Robin said, "oh no, not that canoe". Yes, that
Posted: June 28, 2011
Rangers Katie Hanson and Jamie Lund enjoyed high water levels last week and had no troubles kayaking through the Kettle River slough. But by last Sunday, the St. Croix had dropped a foot and Ranger Dan Ott and I scraped a bit.At this point I wouldn't recommend taking the slough until we get enough rain to raise the water levels.
It's certainly very pretty and the smallmouth fishing is excellent on this stretch.I was surprised how many folks were out fishing on a Sunday evening. We stopped to visit with a family on one of the many islands. Again Dan and I had the task of telling small children that they had to put the pretty shells back.
Remember, all the mussels (commonly called clams) are protected throughout the St. Croix National Scenic
Posted: June 12, 2011 | posted by: Jean Schaeppi!
In my previous post I noted how the St. Croix has been experiencing unusually high streamflow this spring. There has been a LOT of precipitation falling from the sky, a continuation of a trend that started last summer and continued through the fall and winter. Paddling conditions have been exceptional.
There is a downside to of all of this moisture however.
The lower twenty-five miles of the St. Croix River, from
Posted: June 08, 2011 | posted by: Jean Schaeppi!
It is not unusual to experience high water on the St. Croix in March or April, as winter snows in the watershed melt and merge together. This spring, however, has been a surprise. After a number of years of low water levels, due to minimal snowpack and overall dry years, the river has been running higher than normal, with water temperatures also slow to
Posted: June 06, 2011 | posted by: Jean Schaeppi!
In the last couple of weeks new and returning summer rangers have been exploring the Riverway in preparation for the season. Yay! Rangers from the Namekagon Visitor Center in Trego got together with rangers from Headquarters in St. Croix Falls. Together we kayaked, camped and bonded as a team over "pudgie pies" around the campfire.
We kayaked from Gordon Dam to T on the upper
Posted: May 09, 2011
As the next part of our preseason training we were thinking of doing County T to CCC. This is the stretch that includes fish trap rapids, the most challenging rapids in the whole Riverway. Not being a thrill seeker, I always approach this stretch with a mix of trepidation and determination- just like the stretch below Namekagon Dam. But if you are a thrill seeker and an experienced kayaker/canoist, now's the time to do it while the water's high. Just remember to pack your extra dry clothes and your water pump. See my blog entry for the Namekagon 4-30-11 for my safe dumping protocol. Usually, the water levels are high in the spring, sometimes in the fall and whenever we get several consecutive days of rain. The
Posted: May 09, 2011 | posted by: Jean Schaeppi!
 The park boundary of the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway starts at Gordon Dam. So, naturally, I've always been curious about the 19.5 miles of riverway north of the Park. Well, on Wed. May 4 the returning interpretation /education staff as part of our training got to learn more about it. Scott Peterson, executive director of the Friends of the St. Croix Headwaters took us on a guided kayak tour. Thank you, Scott! We paddled from Cut
Posted: May 03, 2011
 Hi! I am Joan Jacobowski, seasonal park ranger on the upper St. Croix and Namekagon rivers. I will be one of the voices adding to this blog, welcome.
If you love wildflowers like I love wildflowers, drop everything! Run, don't walk; to the St. Croix River! The spring ephemerals are spectacular! Bloodroot and hepatica (or liver leaf- for obvious reasons) are up, but only actually open their petals when the sun is shining. The dutchman's breeches are "out on the line" in rocky areas.
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