Estabrook Park Rapids ("EPR")

Width: 175', Length: 40-80' Those of us who frequent this river tend to just initialize each of the main drops and playspots. You will notice these initializations in parenthesis on the headers and in the descriptions of this feature and most which follow. Beginning back in 2020, MMSD headed a coalition of entities to modify the riverbed to enhance fish passage for Lake Sturgeon and Northern Pike. At initial planning meetings, public input strongly suggested many people wanted the 'falls' to remain intact. In 2025, two channels (river-left and river-right) were excavated from well-upstream, virtually eliminating any vertical jump (no ledge, no falls). While the project documents repeatedly promised to keep *'some semblance'* of the falls, the results completely belie those claims. This project destroyed *most* of the interest here for whitewater boaters. All the features which formerly existed (*Big Dog, the Micro Wave, Little Dog, Beer Garden Chute*, as well as the fun short 'boof' off the main drop) are gone. At some low flows, some waves and holes will allow some play. Stronger paddlers may be able to actually do repeat play on a few of them, but that will be a challenge at most flows. **To the left:** about 15-20' of bedrock alongside the vertical stone wall shore was untouched, and will be dry shoreline at low to moderate flows. Bedrock in he next 40-50' of width was removed. Early in this stretch, a small, shallow wave (*'False Hopes'*) might allow surfs at a very limited range of flows, but has no eddy for repeat play. This is followed by a pool area until where the ledge used to be. A bit of the lip of the falls was left in place, but not enough to make any meaningful feature at nearly any flow. (I call this area *'Broken Promises'*.) At flows under 400 cfs, this channel will be scrapey (nearly impassable). As flows rise above that point, this channel will be the better choice for novice paddlers, as they will not have to avoid the two features in the right channel. **To the right:** the bedrock slopes gradually to meet the bottom pool (with no ledge remaining). Two or three playable features can exist down this stretch. Just as the current quickens, just right-of-center, *'Entrance Wave' (or 'EW')* is a shallow breaking wave that will allow tame surfs and flatspins at flows in the 400's(+/-). This will be COTF (catch-on-the-fly) one-shot (no repeat play), since there really isn't any eddy here. About midway down, in the right half of this right channel lies *'Mid Wave' ('MW')*. This is somewhat bigger a breaking wave, but also generally quite shallow. It has a small upstream 'staging eddy' against the right shore, and there can be slackwater to river-left. Strong paddlers may be able to power up that slackwater for repeat play. Recreational paddlers not willing to risk getting wet or possibly capsizing should likely stay right of 'EW', but aim to get left of 'MW'. Finally, about where the ledge/falls used to be, at some moderate flows, a possibly surfable green wave *('Bottom Wave', or 'BW')* can occur, with good eddy service river-right. At high flows, nearly all of these just wash-out, leaving nothing worth calling whitewater. **Between river-left and river-right:** parallel to the flow, a fairly straight ridge of bedrock (mostly vertical but occasionally slightly 'stepped') was allowed to remain. At some low flows, water trips across this from left channel to right channel. While this may present some odd play or alternate routes, mostly it will be shallow/scrapey at low flows (as nearly all water will be in the right channel), and will be awash enough at higher flows as to minimize or completely eliminate any meaningful opportunities. **Boaters (and fishermen) need to be aware that a lot of rocky rubble remains in the pool downstream of where the main ledge used to be.** Anyone upside down or out of a boat will very likely have an unfortunate encounter with some of these rocks. This location can be done as a park-and-play (PnP), using the parking lot near Estabrook Beer Garden, carrying down (as described previously), running and playing whatever you may find worthwhile here (multiple times, if desired, carrying up the river-right portage path), finishing by coming ashore river-left at the end of the boardwalk, to carry back up the steps to the parking lot. It may also be worth doing a short shuttle (or boat down / carry-up+paddle-up) to catch this area and the next (U-Park Ledge) in a short (0.8 mile) run. Fishermen have long visited both shores in this area (while the falls were in place, blocking passage at most flows of all but the strongest swimming fish). With destruction of the falls now facilitating passage for nearly all fish at nearly all flows, concentration of fish will diminish significantly. (Concentration of fishermen may eventually diminish a bit, though good parking and good access will still draw them here, especially during seasonal spawning runs of trout and salmon). My experience has been that summer fishermen (primarily for panfish and bass) tend to be fairly amused by and tolerant of our presence, whereas (with unfortunate regularity) the spring and fall sport fishermen (for trout and salmon) more often tend to be less tolerant, less willing to share the river. We've been told (by fishermen) that WE are breaking the law by 'interfering' with their fishing, been threatened with calling police or DNR-wardens, been intentionally cast-at with fishing hooks, and had rocks thrown at us. (I'm not saying every sport fisherman is so belligerent, just that some are.) It should go without saying to try your best to be observant of their lines and avoid interference as much as reasonably possible. Often if you calmly and politely talk with them and 'negotiate' a bit, they'll (willingly, or begrudgingly) share the river. If/when you encounter someone fishing, who seems less willing to share, it may be best to just move on rather than pushing the issue into further conflict and potentially making matters worse, not only for yourself, but for all paddlers.