St. Croix
C) Taylors Falls (PnP)
| Difficulty | II-III |
| Length | 0.1 mi |
| Avg Gradient | n/a |
| Gauge | St. Croix River at St. Croix Falls, Wi |
| Flow Rate as of 1 hour | 2020 cfsII-IIIlow runnable |
| Reach Info Last Updated | July 25, 2015 |
River Description
A couple hundred yards of 'big water' waves, swirls and boils. A kayak rodeo is held here each year in August.
Note: Make certain to go to the 'Flow Info' tab to read about the 'split' range of flows which make this reach most playable.
River Features
Put In
Head to the Taylor's Falls Boat Tour ticket booth. From the ticket counters, turn around and follow the paved path under the bridge. You'll come to the gravel path at the big yellow chair. Head down the gravel path. Just before the covered bridge, there is a gravel path to your right that takes you down to the rocky bank. (approximately 1/4 of a mile from ticket booth).
Helmet Cam footage @2300 cfs
First person view of a whitewater kayaker at Taylor's Falls on the St. Croix River at the Wisconsin/Minnesota border.
Take Out
Trip Reports
Log in to add a reportWent out at 2020 CFS and it was great. I added information about access in the 'Put-In_ section. Suppose you can park anywhere in town without paying the $7 fee to park in Interstate State Park on the Minnesota side. But it does give you a quick 1/4 or less walk to the put-in.
The waves were great and I toppled in the big eddy to left side of the pour over at this level while attempting a boof.
Some great eddy and ferry work. Playing in some of the boils and surfing.
Would have liked to run into a kayaker who had more knowledge. If you keep yourself upstream of the last big boulder on river left, there is good slow water to take you back up to the bridge. Some attainment work was needed at this level to get up the lower half. If you go downstream of said lowest boulder, the hike back up the rocks on river left is a little tricky. Wear good soled shoes! Right side will not take you back up to restart the section.
Regarding being upside down: I was rolled after the pour over till the still water and did not come in contact with any rocks. Which if the sharp edges of the large rocks along the banks of this section are any clue at to what is under there, I was grateful to report. All in all - absolutely wonderful play area. Give you a chance to practice your skills in some bigger water situations.
***Only 60 minutes from Minneapolis/St. Paul ta boot!
What exactly are the put in and take out locations for this reach? I figured the MN side for the put in but not real sure on the recommended takeout.
The island hole is great. It might be in as low as 7000cfs, is for sure in by 7500cfs, 8500cfs was a level I personally enjoyed (hole is deep and more on the friendly side), around the 10,000cfs the hole is great but the river left side is sticky. It sounds like the hole stays up to 11,000 cfs or so.
Many Minnesota paddlers head over to Taylor's Falls (T.F.) after work on Wednesdays to paddle, grill out and drink beer.