2010 Fall Canoe Trip Planning

The canoe outing will be Oct 8, 9 and 10 for a stretch similar in length and difficulty to our previous trips, i.e. some easy C1 and few if any portages. So far, we have confirmed five intrepid paddlers:

Joel Alter
David Hest
Ben Lexau
Craig Shanks
Christian Franken

That leaves one possible spot for a sixth person.

River options:

1. Upper St. Croix River, from Gordon Dam to Riverside Landing, N of Danbury, WI., the northernmost part of the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway.


View Larger Map

Pros: 155 miles to put-in. We are familiar with the general area. On our list for several years. As a National Scenic River Way, the St.Croix/Namekagon system is maintained by the National Park Service. Campsites are well-maintained and comfortable and the NPS website is an excellent source of information
Cons: iffy water conditions, meaning possibly too little water. That's why it has been on our list for so long. The NPS maintains information on the water levels. Real-time data is available from NOAA, like for the Danbury gauge.

2. North Fork of the Flambeau River, near Ladysmith, WI.

View Larger Map
Pros: steady water. This is the river level gauge at Bruce, which is quite a bit further downstream from where North and South Forks merge.
Cons: about 176 miles drive, I initially thought it was farther than just 20 additional miles. Craig, take a look at the map to make sure I have more or less the correct put-in. This doesn't seem that bad when compared to the drive to the St. Croix.

The thought is to shoot for the St. Croix and us the Flambeau as a back-up if water is too low. Christian will research the Upper St. Croix and Craig will collect information on the Flambeau.

I'd be driving the family van having everyone except Craig, who hails from Washburn, WI. Thus we'd have enough entertainment because of the associated banter. We can (and will) carry two canoes.

As we get closer, we'll make lists on who brings what.