Anderson Hill Rd to Cty U (5.7 miles) (Amnicon Falls)Class II-IV+
5.7 Miles
Avg Gradient 54 fpm
Max Gradient 129 fpm
Gauge Information
Amnicon
River DescriptionWhile 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 drops at moderate to high flows.  A summer photo of these drops (from TravelWisconsin.com). 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. For additional description, see Upper Midwest PaddleGuide For some photos, see Midwest River Inventory. StreamTeam Status: unverified
Last Updated: 2007-04-20 09:46:59
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NEMADJI R NR SOUTH SUPERIOR [ WI ] |
Current Conditions
Station Graphs |
| Level Legend: | Running | Below Minimum Recommended Flow | Above Maximum Recommended Flow | Unknown |
| State | River Name/Section | Class | Level | Rel. Level | Updated | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WI | Amnicon— Anderson Hill Rd to Cty U (5.7 miles) | II-IV+ | 3.91 ft* | low | 8/19 23:30 |
| AW Gauge ID: | 1818 |
| USGS Station: | 04024430 |
| HUC: | 04010301 |
| Latitude: | 46.6333 |
| Longitude: | -92.0939 |
| Class: | -1 |
No guide books for this stream. If you know of a book that describes this stream please contact and advise the StreamTeam member for this run. User Comments |
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2008-06-05 02:48:53 (76 days ago)
Mark Stuber
This used to be one of my favorite spring runs. I dont know the date when the park opens but many times the river is at peak flow when there is still snow on the ground. This is the ideal situation for this run, no rangers to fuss with & if you go when raining no public either. At these elivated flows the "normal line" becomes incridibly scary however the snake pit really goes off. If you live near by this little section is sweet!
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2003-10-21 04:08:23 (1765 days ago)
Rob Smage
Many years back (long before being a boater), I swam in the pool at the base of the larger falls in the park. As briefly mentioned in the text above, my recollection is that the pool actually contains multiple 'splines' of rock parallel to the face of the falls (perpendicular to the flow of the river). Walking/swimming toward the falls from below, one goes from knee-deep to over-your-head to knee-deep to over-your-head almost literally from one 'step' forward to the next. (Essentially a rather exaggerated, 'corrugated' bottom.) Thus, depending on where one lands (and how deep they go), there is potential for great pain here.
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2000-10-17 19:43:18 (2863 days ago)
Dirk Fabian
I talked to the rangers at Amnicon Falls this summer about the run. They said they didn't want people putting in from the Park, but you could start further up. According to the ranger I talked to, everything below the high water mark is public, so it would be possible to scout the drops - some of which looked quite nice. However, they were understandably concerned with liability and the possibility that this would encourage unskilled spectator-type people to attempt this run, as it is a popular park. While that ranger did not say it was forbidden or illegal, I think it would be a good idea to discuss your plans with them beforehand.
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No rapids entered. If you know names, and locations of the rapids please contact and advise the StreamTeam member for this run. 
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