Poplar
Lutsen ski hill to golf course bridge above Hwy 61 (2.2 miles)
| Difficulty | III-IV+(V) |
| Length | 2.2 mi |
| Avg Gradient | 170 fpm |
| Reach Info Last Updated | July 10, 2026 |
Much of the Poplar is made up of Class III-IV boulder gardens (IV at high water). But the easier terrain is interrupted by Bielik’s Surprise, a multi-step cascade that descends about 150 vertical feet and warrants a Class V rating at all but the lowest flows.
The most common put in is carrying down from the Lutsen Ski Area parking lot. Alternatively, boaters can drive or hike higher towards the Superior Hiking Trail bridge and carrying down to whatever looks reasonable - a set of larger cascades precedes the normal run, and a number of them are runnable.
Action starts with busy, technical, and somewhat continuous Class II+ to III boulder garden whitewater, interspersed with a few more significant ledge drops. Difficulties here can get to Class IV with high spring flows. A double ledge followed by a footbridge signals that it’s time to scout Bielik’s Surprise, a slide that drops nearly 150 vertical feet in multiple tiers. So named because Ted Bielik managed to run the drop blind after flipping and rolling up above it. Scout and/or portage river right.
After Bielik’s comes more read-and-run Class III+ to IV boating until Amren’s Stump, a final Class IV-IV+ constriction above the golf course’s pedestrian bridge, which serves as the take out for the standard run.
Those looking for more excitement can scout the drop below the golf course bridge, which can be run separately from the gorge below thanks to a river-left eddy and egress. The gorge below the golf course bridge and the lake involves more serious whitewater, and has been descended at lower summer/fall flows. Sauza Falls is directly under Hwy 61, and warrants setting safety with high angle rope work.
There are a couple of choices for your put-in. The easiest is if you park at the ski lodge, where you can carry/drag (or snow kayak?) down the ski slope to the river. Otherwise, our coordiantes are based upon driving about 1/4 mile up the road to park in a (maybe 3 or 4 vehicle sized) pull-off. You will bushwack about 125 yards downslope to the river to be rewarded with an incredible view upstream of a steep rock-filled cascade. (A bridge for SHT (Superior Hiking Trail) crosses at the head of this suicidal gradient.) Put in where meet the river (or as high up as you feel comfortable), to have a great rip-roaring class II technical start.
If you park/start from the base of the ski area, carrying/sliding downslope under a ski-lift, you'll come to a bridge across the stream for your put-in. This skips about a quarter-mile of fine technical warm-up rapids.
Not far downstream, you pass under a second ski-area bridge.
Fine rapids continue and precede the third ski-area bridge.
After a good paddle (leaving the ski area), you encounter a fourth bridge, which marks your entrance into the golf course.
As you round an 'S' bend, passing a clearing in the golf course, you encounter the fifth bridge.
Almost just around the corner from the prior bridge, as you see this sixth bridge, you will probably wish to get out (river-right) to scout Bilek's Surprise, a somewhat steep sliding drop, often with a pretty good wave/hole at its base.
Not far below Bialek's, you enter a gorged out section of river. At moderate-to-high flows, this is heavy-duty technical water, IV to IV+
The usual take out is above this bridge, with serious hair boating between the bridge and the lake.
Sep 1, 2014
Tony Skirvanek and John Kiffmeyer heading towards the main attraction on the Poplar.
Sep 1, 2014
The drop after the golfcourse bridge is run fairly often and there exists an eddy below on river left where the paddler can easily (with adequate technical skills) can egress back to the vehicles on a trail.
The Gorge below (under hwy 61) has been run by a variety of paddlers usually at lower flows (late summer/fall). John Kiffmeyer and a SE crew first descended this section and gorge in the early 2000's, naming the feature drop directly under Hwy 61, 'Sauza Falls.' Safety is best set directly under the bridge either with climbing anchors (cams/nuts into features) or with extra rope, a harness, etc for the person with the bag. It's sporty.
