Namekagon River Canoe

TYPE OF TRAVEL/DISTANCE: You will travel in 17-foot Wenonah Champlain canoes, which hold two to three paddlers, plus all necessary gear. An average days’ travel consists of 3-6 hours of paddling, depending upon the weather. Travel distances vary from 5-15 miles per day. No previous experience is needed to complete this trip. To protect the environment, WI uses Leave No Trace camping techniques.

WEATHER: Temperatures in the summer months range from 45 F to 95 F. Rainfall can vary and you should expect one or two days of rain.

YOUR GROUP: The group size ranges from 8 to 11 individuals, plus 2 or more Wilderness Inquiry staff. Each group consists of individuals of various backgrounds, ages, and abilities. Our trips are cooperative in nature. WI staff will assist you in whatever areas you need, however most people pitch in where they can.

ACCOMMODATIONS: At night you will sleep in a comfortable 4-person tent with 3 people (although other arrangements can be made). Bathroom facilities consist of an outhouse or a foldable commode chair set up in a privacy tent.

MEALS: Enjoy preparing meals together using fresh, healthy ingredients for bountiful dishes. Rise to the smell of breakfast and pack trail lunches with hearty snacks before heading off to explore. In the evening, we’ll prepare our dinner together over stoves and campfires and then finish with s’mores. If you have special dietary restrictions, be sure to list them on your registration.

EQUIPMENT AND CLOTHING: Wilderness Inquiry will provide all group equipment. You will need to provide your personal gear as outlined in the packing list. If you are new to outdoor activities, you do not need to spend a lot of money. Wilderness Inquiry can usually arrange for you to borrow most items.

FISHING: The fishing is excellent! Northerns, small mouth-bass, muskies all make their homes here! The water is so clear that you can see them swim underneath your canoe. We encourage you to bring a collapsible pole and your own tackle. Don’t forget a Wisconsin fishing license.

The river starts out as a small cold-water trout stream below Namekagon Lake near Cable, then meanders, narrow and intimate, through a varied landscape of northern lowland forest, bog and fen, and open marsh. Below Hayward, the river rushes through several low-hazard whitewater runs between narrow, wooded banks. Numerous islands populate the river. Occasionally the Namekagon settles into a lake environment, wide and slow through open wetlands where bird life is abundant.

As the river approaches the confluence with the Saint Croix River, nearly all signs of development disappear. Beautiful stands of quaking aspen, birch, oak and maple dominate the surrounding forest along with tall pines and spruce, which often canopy high sandy banks. This river presents a fantastic, mainly quiet-water float through the northwoods for single and multi-day excursions!

Congress designated the Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway system as an original river in the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System in 1968. This designation protects 255 miles of river corridor for its scenic and recreational values, including the Saint Croix and its major tributary, the Namekagon. While paddling this river system visitors experience several ecosystems and abundant plant and animal life.

Aquatic mammals such as otters, mink, beavers, and muskrats make their homes in the riparian zone and feed on the river’s fish and vegetation. During the mornings and in the evenings paddlers may glimpse white-tailed deer, or the shy black bear, as they forage along the riverbanks. Overhead visitors can spot eagles, osprey, hawks, and vultures.

Human occupation began as early as 10,000 years ago. Burial mounds, campsites, chipping stations, quarries, wild rice processing areas, rock art, and village sites offer evidence of the seasonal and complex nature of prehistoric life along the rivers. Historic American Indian archeological sites also tell of the coming of European people and culture. Native peoples and early fur traders alike liked the Saint Croix River/Brule River as a favored fur trade route from the Mississippi River to Lake Superior. Interaction took place between traders and Dakota and Ojibwe and other Indians as they traveled the rivers and traded. In 1837 a treaty opened the area to settlement by Euro-Americans.

A mixed forest of maples, cottonwoods, willows, and pines attracted 19th century loggers to the region. They cleared much of the timber and used the river to transport the logs. In 1872, for example, 3,500 men, 1,600 horses and 250 oxen logged off 35,000 acres cutting some 200 million board feet of logs, according to the Taylor’s Falls Reporter. In 1883 the Boom in Stillwater, Minnesota, which collected logs coming down the Saint Croix River, reported 1,397,417 logs for 217,045,647 board feet.

In the early 20th century, farming provided the livelihood for most settlers as the forests were all but cleared. The farming industry lasted only a short time due to poor soil conditions and the ensuing Great Depression. In the mid-1930s government relief programs assisted the farmers and the failing local economy by purchasing their lands and creating recreation areas. Acquired farmland became known as the Saint Croix Recreational Demonstration Area and an era of preservation and conservation followed.

Most of the Namekagon today remains entirely undeveloped, offering canoeists a genuine wild experience. Paddlers enjoy the riverbanks’ abundance of deer, muskrat, beaver, turtles, blue heron, and even osprey and bald eagles. The Namekagon offers everything from rapids for the experienced canoeist to wide quiet flowages.

The National Park Service manages the Namekagon River as part of the Saint Croix Riverway, and seeks to preserve, protect, restore, enhance, and interpret the riverway’s exceptional natural and cultural resources for the enjoyment of present and future generations. With the 1968 National Wild and Scenic River designation, the Saint Croix and Namekagon Rivers will always be preserved as a ribbon of wildness for all to enjoy.