Poplar
Lutsen ski hill to golf course bridge above Hwy 61 (2.2 miles)
| Difficulty | II-IV+(V) |
| Length | 2.2 mi |
| Avg Gradient | 170 fpm |
| Reach Info Last Updated | March 17, 2022 |
River Description
Put-in is via carrying down from Lutsen Ski Area parking lot, or (alternatively) by driving (or hiking) further up toward the Superior Hiking Trail (SHT) bridge and carrying down to wherever it looks survivable (an awesome stretch of serious cascades precedes the runnable reach).
Action starts with busy, technical, continuous class II+ water, with a few larger individual drops interspersed. The biggest drop is Bialek's Surprise (a fairly smooth sliding ramp) and the gorge immediately below. (The 1st descent was by a boater who failed to get out to scout it first ... Surprise!). The stretch below the initial slide earns the '(V)' in the rating at anything other than low water. Beyond this crux area is more fun boogeying until the golf course bridge. Just beyond this bridge a very significant drop exists. While it is runnable, many folks may pass since it puts the paddler into a deep gorge where they have to backtrack for egress.
River Features
Carry Down
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.
Alternate Put-in/First Bridge
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.
Fourth Bridge
After a good paddle (leaving the ski area), you encounter a fourth bridge, which marks your entrance into the golf course.
Seventh Bridge
Most folks will take out above this bridge. Per some folks, it's possible to run the next drop and take out before all H### breaks loose. The remainder of the run to the lake is the stuff only for the more elite (class V) boaters.
Trip Reports
Log in to add a reportThe 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.
Beiliks Suprise
Tony Skirvanek and John Kiffmeyer heading towards the main attraction on the Poplar.
A great, long waterslide, Bialek's is the highlight of this run. It is followed immediately by a constricted dells area which gets very 'meaty' (class IV-V)at higher water levels.