Totogatic

Totogatic Flowage to Colton Flowage (8.9 miles)

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DifficultyII-III
Length9.4 mi
Avg Gradient16 fpm
Reach Info Last UpdatedDecember 28, 2021

River Description

An oft overlooked early season/high water run with a fair amount of light boulderbed rapids interspersed with two larger drops.

We thank Jake for providing the following (slightly edited) info via the comments section:

Jake Ring
Nov 20, 2020

Paddled from Duck Dam (the listed put-in here), all 60 miles to the Namekagon. High Falls is the first of 3 larger named rapids.

The 2nd largest is Buck Falls, a sloping slide with a piton rock in the pool, very runnable but avoid the rock by riding the slide from left to slightly right.

The last named one is called Small Falls and is smaller than the other 2, but larger than the rest of the rapids you'll encounter.

After Colton Falls the entire river slows down and there are 2.5 million trees to portage over the next 30 miles ... don't do it!

After the Minong Flowage dam there are 19 miles of lazy river with great northwoods scenery and no portages all the way to the Namekagon.


River Features

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Distance: 8.9 mi
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Jake Ring
Jake Ring

Nov 21, 2020


Paddled from Duck Dam, the listed put-in here, all the way 60 miles to the Namekagon. High Falls is the first of 3 larger named rapids, the 2nd largest is Buck Falls, a sloping slide with a piton rock in the pool, very runnable but avoid the rock by riding the slide from left to slightly right. The last named one is called Small Falls and is smaller than the other 2, but larger than the rest of the rapids you'll encounter. After Colton Falls the entire river slows down and there are 2.5 million trees to portage over the next 30 miles, don't do it. After the Minong Flowage dam there are 19 miles of lazy river with great northwoods scenery and no portages all the way to the Namekagon.

DJ
Dave Jergenson

Apr 9, 2011


This is the view from the top, looking down. Photo by Jim Blake.

DJ
Dave Jergenson

Apr 9, 2011


This photo shows the water level below the dam, the day we ran it...there was plenty of water for a nice run, but more water would have been nice...our run was a bit on the lower end, and all our photos were from this same day.

DJ
Dave Jergenson

Apr 9, 2011


This is the Duck Dam...the closest access road in comes from the east, but the road and culvert sometimes gets washed out by heavy rain. If that's the case, you can still take the much longer small fire road from the southwest, to access the run...providing it's not flooded.

DJ
Dave Jergenson

Apr 9, 2011


Jim runs a small ledge

DJ
Dave Jergenson

Apr 9, 2011


Photo by Jim Blake

DJ
Dave Jergenson

Apr 9, 2011


Photo by Dave J.

DJ
Dave Jergenson

Apr 9, 2011


This is also known as Small Falls.

DJ
Dave Jergenson

Apr 9, 2011


A Typical Rapids

DJ
Dave Jergenson

Apr 9, 2011


Jim runs a small beaver dam