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For more information about the Namekagon River and the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway visit: www.nps.gov/sacn/index.htm
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The river conditions were posted as "Extremely Low" during this trip. As you can see, we made it down the river. However, we scraped bottom a lot and had to walk the boat often, especially north of Hayward Lake. Keep this in mind while planning your trip.
Day one started off rocky--literally and figuratively. We had a late start after forgetting (and remembering) to pack some necessary items. Then, once we finally hit the road I got an email reminding me to turn in some over-due assignments. We decided to keep on driving, though, and counted on having cell service at camp. The river was deep, slow, and marshy for the first few miles, until we passed a beaver dam and the water levels plummeted. After that, it was miles of extremely shallow, rocky conditions that required a lot of walking and pushing the canoe. We found camp early that day so that I could complete those assignments. For dinner we cooked over the fire with tin-foil pouches.
Day two was our most trying day. It was shallow and rocky for most of the day. We walked the boat a lot and collected several scrapes and bruises on our feet and ankles. Eventually it did get deeper and we spent the second part of the day paddling through slow moving lakes. We portaged the Hayward Dam and then had a really short jaunt over to our campsite for the night. At our site--which doubled as a landing and was right in downtown Hayward--we met two wonderful people who offered to take us into town and restock on some supplies. We got more ice, butter, and some extra beer. For dinner we cooked over the whisperlite and made burritos with rice, beans, cheese, and veggies. That night we took some time to stretch before going to bed.
Day three was a joy. We hit the river early feeling strong and chipper and were greeted by some flowing rapids that were deep enough that the boat didn't scrape! From this point on the water levels were deep enough that we didn't worry about hitting the bottom. It was a fun, fast paddle for most of the day, broken up by stretches of calm, slow water. We passed several anglers and tubers. We found a beautiful site pretty early and set up camp, cooked dinner (spaghetti), and got ready for bed. Then, I heard some rustling near the river. I went to take a look while E cleaned up camp and when I looked through the binoculars I saw the face of a big cat staring right at me. I told E that I thought I saw a cougar and we both went into a panic. We packed up camp in a matter of minutes and got back on the river where I was able to do some research and found that I likely saw a bobcat. We then felt safe enough to land at the next campsite and set up our tent for the night.
After a long night we got up and started day four. It was a cloudy day and we expected rain to come in around 4:00. Paddling was slow but steady that day, no rapids and no shallow bottoms. We passed under highway 53 and got into Trego Lake when the clouds started to get dark. We checked the weather around 12:30 and it said storms were due to hit at 1:15. We pulled off at a boat landing on Trego Lake, set up a tarp, and waited out the storm. This turned out to be a much needed mid-day siesta which, despite our loss of time, we did not regret at all. Once the storm passed we got back on the lake, portaged the Trego Dam, and were back on the river. We made it to our next camp, set up, and started to cook. The whisperlite malfunctioned so I spent about 45 minutes doing repairs, and then we had ramen for dinner.
Day five was warm and sunny and all-around fun. We rationed extra beer for our last full-day and had a relaxing end to our trip. We saw lots of sturgeon that day and made a drinking game out of it. That night's camp was the most picturesque of all and we ate mac & cheese.
On day six we paddled down the final 5 miles of the Namekagon until we reached its confluence with the St. Croix. Then, we had about 5 miles of paddling to get to Riverside Landing.
Experiencing a river from its headwaters to its final confluence was indescribable. The fluidity of the water and riverbed were perfectly complimented by the dynamic and ever-changing shoreline. The bounty of plants and animals that find refuge and home on the river were stunning. The opportunity to see and travel on a river with such rich history was a humbling honor.
Over the course of our trip, we saw (at least) the following animals:
Deer, beavers, otters, a bobcat, bald eagles, great blue herons, green herons, king fishers, cedar waxwings, red-winged blackbirds, mergansers, greater yellow-legs, plovers, painted turtles, white suckers, walleye, trout, and sturgeon.