Amnicon,

Anderson Hill Rd to Cty U (5.7 miles) (Amnicon Falls)

Gauge Information

River Description

While the Amnicon is overshadowed by "bigger and better" runs to the north, it holds features which will be interesting to the intermediate as well as the advanced paddler. Though the traditional put-in is at the Hwy 53 bridge, a somewhat less busy access point at the start of the gradient (as listed here) adds another 1.7 miles to the run.

The early portions of this reach consist of class II-ish rockbed rapids with one larger drop, a class III, located about midway between the Hwy.53 and Hwy.8 bridges. The pace picks up below the Hwy 2 bridge as the river enters Amnicon Falls State Park. Intermediate paddlers and those unfamiliar with the reach would do well to get out to scout upon reaching the road bridge in the park. There are several hundred yards of class III-III+ here before the falls sequence proper and a mistake could quickly turn epic, not to mention dangerous.

A footbridge and split channel mark the beginning of the falls sequence. Take-out to scout above the footbridge, river right. The right channel carries the most water and is most commonly run. Below the bridge is a steep drop of perhaps 15' which may generate an aggressive hydraulic at its base. A short distance downstream, the river twists and drops off a second falls of about 15'.
Note: there are splines of rock in the pool below, running parallel to the face of the drop and fairly close in. (These were no doubt formed as the falls, over time, has receded upstream, apparently in uneven 'chucks'. The resulatant bottom contour is like the corrugated layer of a corrugated cardboard box.) These usually preclude runs of this drop at moderate to high flows.

The third falls is more user friendly and a highly scenic photo op. After passing under the Horton covered bridge, the river drops over a medium-angle slide of perhaps 8'-10'. Watch the hydraulic here at elevated flows, though there's a big pool below for recovery if necessary. Below this point, the Amnicon resumes a pace very similar to that of above the falls sequence. The gradient gradually lessens until the CTH.U bridge is encountered.

There is actually more than one falls sequence in the park, as the river divides at the footbridge which marks the start of the serious gradient. The secondary (left) channel through the sequence of drops known as the "Snake Pit" has also been run with elevated flows. I understand that there is also a tertiary channel that is not commonly viewed because of its location behind the pit toilets.

Due to liability concerns, Amnicon Falls park rangers do not wish paddlers to access the river from within the park, citing concern over a "monkey see, monkey do" reaction from park visitors to boaters challenging these drops. Try to avoid running when there are non-paddler spectators present, especially in quantity. Access from outside of park bounds and boaters passing/portaging through are not a problem. Please read Dirk's comment on this below. However, others have reported rangers citing fines of $250 for boaters accessing the river within the park.