Amnicon

Spring run down First Falls at Amnicon State Park 4/6/13. Lower Falls and Snake Pit were not runnable due to ice.

Used to hike here all the time while in college in Superior. Great river with some big drops. I recall the first waterfall to have rock in the base but with high flow it could be o.k. the other one is a slide and it was very clean. I have heard that there are more big drops upstream (south) of the park.

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!

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.

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.