Cannon
B) Lake Byllesby to Third Street in Canon Falls (2 miles)
| Difficulty | I-II |
| Length | 2.2 mi |
| Avg Gradient | 15 fpm |
| Gauge | Cannon River at Welch, Mn |
| Flow Rate as of 1 hour | 386 cfsbelow recommended |
| Reach Info Last Updated | April 2, 2019 |
River Description
While not what one might think of as a 'whitewater river', the Cannon offers a fine beginner to intermediate swiftwater paddle trip, with a couple of wave/holes that may entertain more advanced playboaters.
The route takes 20 minutes if running straight through, with an easy shuttle that can be biked in about 20 minutes back if needed.
Places of interest are:
- At the put in: great eddy river right just below put in to practice peel-outs and eddy turns; additionally, at some levels, one big hole that may have concerns regarding rebar
- 5 minutes downstream: a fine wave-train, which can contain a great clean hole that is about 2 foot deep and 6 feet wide, as well as additional green-waves to surf
- just down stream of take out bridge at the confluence with the Little Cannon River (if at 7.7').
Most all features are accessible by a ferry and an easy peel out to get to them. If you swim there is plenty of room to collect your gear after each feature.
Put in: Lake Byllesby County Park (5 minutes west of Hwy 52). Park in the lot and walk toward the (60' high) dam and you will see the trail to it's base. (Careful: this is very steep and can be muddy or icy depending time of year and precipitation.)
Take out: I think 3rd street river right. It is the second bridge after the dam where the 'Little Cannon' joins the 'Cannon' Either one will work as long as your car is there and if not you can walk to the other one by a nice little paved trail.
On an associated matter, MnktoDave provides:
Located where the old dam USED to be (several years ago) on the Little Cannon river, Little Cannon Falls is a wonderful, sheer drop that can be run over and over with just a short carry back. It is located in the town of Cannon Falls, just a few hundred yards upstream of where the Little Cannon River dumps into the Cannon River, along Hwy 20.
It is hard to catch with water. Runs well, during snowmelt an
...River Features
Little Cannon Falls
Located where the old dam USED to be (several years ago) on the Little Cannon river, Little Cannon Falls is a wonderful, sheer drop that can be run over and over with just a short carry back. It is located in the town of Cannon Falls, MN. just a few hundred yards upstream of where the Little Cannon River dumps into the Cannon River, along Hwy 20.
It is hard to catch with water. Runs well, during snowmelt....and after heavy localized rains. Or, maybe whenever the Cannon is running a fairly high level.
Go over the falls pretty much anywhere, but it widens out considerably before going over the lower ledges. With good water, I'm sure there would be a nice surf wave at the bottom ledge.
The take-out has good parking, portapotties, and bike paths.
Put In
Take Out
Trip Reports
Log in to add a report3/31/13
Both the half way wave and the take out wave seemed a little small at around 2000 cfs. Probably a lot better to surf at around 2600 or so. The put is had a decent wave river left that might turn into a hole at higher water. Fun quick trip if your looking to get a beginner out. The bike ride is a quick 10 minute shuttle. You can easily PnP on the take out wave, eddy access isn't too bad at lower levels.
MnktoDave runs Little Cannon Falls
Intrepid boaters prepare for launch from below the (60') dam.
Close-up of the 'Midway' wave train. These may exist only at certain levels. (6.3' and 7.2' are good.)
The wave train, midway down the run. These may exist only at certain levels. (6.3' and 7.2' are good.)
Greg surfs the take-out wave.
Lars rudders out onto the wave.
This is the 'full-size' shot of the 'cover shot'. Greg surfs a sweet, well-formed wave at the confluence of the Cannon and Little Cannon Rivers.