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Trip Reports and Photos |
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| Root River Middle Br downstream of Fillmore | Root River near Moens Bridge |
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2010 Paddling Season July 2010 Paddling Highlights
June 2010 Paddling Highlights
April & May 2010 Paddling Highlights Even with deep snow on the ground all winter the spring thaw was mostly a non-event because the early snow kept the frost level from going very deep so most of the melt run-off went into the ground with little run-off. Most of the area rivers were below bank level during the late March warm up. Even though the rainfall was almost 2 inches below normal the major routes on the Root, Zumbro, Cannon and Whitewater rivers had plenty of water for canoeing and kayaking. Some of the routes I paddled this spring: Root River, North Branch, Fugles Mill to County Road 116 bridge, Zumbro Middle Fork, Whitewater River, Bear Creek Cr1 to Cr38, and the Root South Branch from Cr5 Bridge to Forestville State Park.
**************************************************************************** 2009 Paddling Season
October/November 2009 Paddling Highlights October 2009 brought a change in the weather pattern for Southeastern Minnesota. A lot of rainy cold days meant that paddling outings had to be prepared for the weather conditions. The first part of November has some mild weather that we took advantage of. 11/02/09. Route: Root River, North Br CR 116 (Sucker Bridge) to Rattlesnake Crossing. 4.06 miles.
§ GPS data: 4.06mi; Avg speed: 4.5mph moving; Overall 2.6 mph; Trip total 1.37 hrs; Trip moving 52 min; trip stopped 45 min. We all had to get back before 3:00pm so we chose this short route. The water level was on the high side but we had no problems navigating the river, No obstacles that we had to portage around. Only one fence, well marked and we could float under it. The ripples had some good waves to bounce through. Stopped for lunch on a gravel bar. Short but sweet trip!
10/07/09. Route: Root River, North Branch: County Road 1 (Fugles Mill) to County Road 116 (9.6 mi)
We agreed to meet at Jim’s house at 10:30 am, loaded the kayaks on my van and we set off with the temperature at 47 degrees. We left Jims car at the takeout at the CR116 bridge. The river there looked OK but on the low side. When we got to the put in at the CR1 bridge Jim thought the river looked high, but I didn’t think it was because the river narrows just downstream of the bridge giving the sense it is higher than it really is. When we launched and made our way down the fist few turns in the river it became apparent the river level was on the low side. This confirmed what the downstream Pilot Mound gauge indicated – 8.00 ft, when below 8.3 is low enough that kayaks and canoes will scrape on the rock bottom. But we did not have to get out at all. There were two recent tree downfall across the river but we could just get by both of them.
Stopped for lunch at the Fritz’s place and after lunch decided to try and find the old (1850's) wagon trail and bridge that the caretaker of the Fritz’s land told us about last time we came through. We found it with no trouble and I tracked and marked waypoints of the trail and bridge on my GPS and took pictures. Really neat!
****************************************************************************************************************************************************************** September 2009 Paddling Highlights
Jim Moran and Kristin Welch near the Green Bridge access on the Zumbro River.
The Whitewater River Between the Elba access and the County Road 30 access has good water level and water flow even in drought conditions. Jim Moran and Dave Lind paddled this route the 2nd week of September and had a great time winding through the valley observing many species of birds and ducks as well as spotting a couple of deer by the river bank.
****************************************************************************************************************************************************************** August 2009 Paddling Highlights Date: 08/28/09. Route: RootRiver, Parsley Bridge (Hwy 52 south of Chatfield) to Allen Bridge (8.1 mi)
River levels are low, can’t go on the smaller forks, branches, creeks so decided on this route since there is usually enough water to float through the shallows. We used hwy 40 as the shuttle route as it is now blacktopped – shorter than the hwy 30 route. We put in at Parsley Bridge at 10:30 and reached Allen Bridge at 2:00pm with a 45 min lunch/talk break on a gravel bar. Ran into a couple of guys fishing in a canoe at about the 4.5 mi point. They had put-in at 7:30 at Parsley Bridge and were basically just floating and fishing – not much paddling. Names were Jim and T. J. They had caught a couple of small bass, a couple of trout and a carp. This is a nice scenic route. The two DNR campsites are not too good though.
************************************************************************************************************************************************** Date: 08/10/09. Route: Zumbro River South Branch Middle Fork, Mantorville to Oxbow Park (9.7 mi)
Although the summer rainfall has been below normal there was a nice 2 inch rainfall the first week in August that brought my hopes up of paddling the Middle Fork South Branch of the Zumbro River from Mantorville to Oxbow Park, a distance of 9.7 miles. I checked the online stream gauge data and although the river level and flow was still below normal, I thought we might drag a bit now and then but it shouldn't be too low. Well, I was wrong!!! As Robb Welch, Jim Moran and I arrived at the Put-in at Mantorville, we noticed there was only a trickle of water coming over the dam. Not a good sign! We decided to run the route anyway and even though the pool below the dam had plenty of water, once we rounded the first turn of the river, we knew we were in for a long trip. Countless times we had to line the kayaks through the shallow riffles. We averaged less than 2 MPH moving - this in comparison with 3.5 to 4.0 MPH with normal water level and flow.
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July 2009 Paddling Highlights No significant rain the last couple of weeks so river levels are dropping making running the small forks, branches, and creeks tough. Decided on the Whitewater River since it has a consistent flow even through near drought conditions. Nice trip with the twists & turns keeping you busy with the tree logs contently needing avoidance. Great day! Date 07/08/09 South Branch of the Middle Fork of the Zumbro River, Genoa to Oronoco (8.5 mi)
The forecast was for a chance of showers and as Jim Moran arrived at my house it was just beginning to spit some raindrops. We loaded my Pirjon and gear on Jim’s car and we set off on Hwy 52 N towards Oronoco. I was driving my van and Jim was behind me. As we left Rochester it began to rain hard and continued the 10 miles or so to Oronoco. We left my van at Allis park boat landing just upstream from the dam and then continued in Jim’s car on the shuttle route back on Hwy 52 S to 75 St (CR14) and headed west to Genoa (9 mi shuttle route). The put-in at Genoa is on the west end of the bridge. There is a steep path to the river under the bridge where we launched the kayaks. A light rain fell for the first 1 ½ hours of the trip. The current was good due to over 2 inches of rain in the Dodge Center area that feeds the river on this route. This route does have some tree strainers, but they can be avoided by experienced paddlers. This is a good route if you want to test your skills on a small river with good current. There are many gravel bars along the way offering spots to take a break.
_________________________________________________________________________________ Also spent 10 days at the cabin on Lake Bertha, kayaking every day! And spent 5 days in the BWCAW with my daughter, son-in-law and three grandkids. Great times! June 2009 Paddling Highlights Deer Creek - Root River Date: 06/24/09. Route: Root River: Deer Creek Cr1 to Masonic park
Had to drag the canoes downstream of the CR 1 bridge about 60 yards to a safe launching spot. Water level/flow was about perfect, only bumped rocks a few spots. Had several short portages around tree jams. The fences on pasture land at mile 2 and mile 3 were washed out by last weeks high water. Very busy route with short drops at almost every turn. Very scenic with both small limestone bluffs covered with vines to tall bluffs. Found the stone remains of an old mill building from the 1870’s. The low snowmobile bridge near Masonic park is gone (GOOD!!). Very nice busy enjoyable route!
May 2009 Paddling outings This spring has been very dry and the SE Minnesota area rivers are well below normal. However, by choosing routes that have good water flow and current we were able to get in some good paddling. The following are two of the paddling outings during May. Date: 05/28/09. Route: Bear Creek (Fillmore County). CR38 Bridge to CR5 bridge (8.6mi)
Water level and flow were about perfect. We did bump rocks throughout the route but nothing too rough. Had to get out once for a tree across the channel. A few tight squeezes around other obstacles. Boulder field in one spot was tough to get through. Had about ½ to ¾ in of rain the day before and the river was rising throughout the day. Encountered at least 4 fences, could get under all (a couple were close). Hard to see the fences as none are marked. I ran into one (went under the kayak) but Jim had to had feed it over his head (it was not barbed). The recent rain caused numerous small water falls along the limestone bluffs. This is not a DNR maintained route so the accesses are rough and you are on your own for watching for hazards on the river. This route is for experienced paddlers.
Date:05/14/09. Route: Zumbro, Oronoco to Sandy Point
This is a great route that has an intimate, small stream experience that is an easy paddle even for family outings. The Middle Branch of the Zumbro River flows through a beautiful wooded valley with good current and a few ripples to make it interesting. This is a great route for wildlife viewing with bald eagles, hawks, herons and if you are paddling quietly you may see deer crossing the river or along the river banks. The accesses at Oronoco and Sandy Point are convenient.
April 2009 Paddling outings 4/09/09 First paddling outing of the season - Zumbro South Fork from CR 3 Bridge near Rock Dell to Jim Moran and I have always wanted to explore the Zumbro South Fork that originates southwest of Rock Dell and winds through a mix of forest land and farmland and continues on to Mayowood, and through Rochester on it's way to the Mississippi River The section from Rochester, Mn. to the Mississippi is well documented as a paddle route. However upstream from Rochester the South Fork of the Zumbro River is quite narrow and shallow. We scouted the route by
driving the back roads and viewing the river from the
bridges between Rock Dell and Mayowood Lake. At each bridge
However as we proceeded
downstream from the put in at CR 3 by Rock Dell we knew we
were in for a tough trip.
Tree jams and shallow gravel and
rock ledges made for slow travel and lots of short portages.
We traveled 8.5 miles from CR 3 at Rock Dell to the 60th Ave Bridge in a grueling 4 hours and 45 minutes with no rest stops! Tough and Rough!
January 2009 Paddling in Castaway Cay, Bahama Spent some time kayaking the crystal clear waters on the coast of Castaway Cay. Took a guided hiking tour to get to the kayak launch and learned a lot about the history of the Bahama Islands and Castaway Cay, now owned by Disney. My wife Colette, grand daughter Colleen and myself were the only ones signed up for the nature/kayaking tour and we had two guides for the three of us. The kayaks were Hobie Sit-on-tops so they were quite seaworthy, but big and slow. First time on the ocean for my wife and grand daughter but they did great! The guides commented "you guys know how to kayak"! We paddled a little on some choppy ocean waves and went into a mangrove bay as the tide was going out and had to watch for shallow spots. Saw bonefish and stingrays plus the guides tried to point out some sharks but we could not see them. All in all we had a great time paddling the unbelievable clear waters.
2008 Paddling Season Fall 2008 The water levels of the forks and branches of the Root and Zumbro rivers remained too low to paddle as southeast Minnesota remained in near drought conditions. Most of the paddling trips were on the lower portions of the Root and Zumbro. The Whitewater River from Elba to the Mississippi always has good water flow and depth even in dry conditions as we went on several outings.
The Whitewater River from Elba to County Road 26 is a very nice route that can be run from spring into late fall. The middle, north, and south forks of the Whitewater River all meet at the small town to Elba providing good paddling. This is a narrow river route that keeps you busy with the constant twists and turns in addition to the many tree snags that could upset your canoe or kayak on almost every turn. Robb, Kristin, Tom and I paddled this route mid October.
Late October Robb, Tom and I ran the Zumbro route from Millville to Theilman, a 12 mile route. The morning was frosty with temps in the high 30's. As you can see we were bundled up for the cold paddle.
The current was fast and we were comfortably warm paddling. Total trip time was 3 hours and 15 minutes including a stop for 45 minutes at a DNR campsite to eat lunch. With the good current, we averaged 4.6 mph.
The first week in November Robb Kristin and I went from the Theilman access to Kruger Park, a route of 11 1/2 miles. The morning started out with the temperature in the mid 30's but it warmed up to the low 40's. On the drive from Rochester to the put-in access it was raining hard but by the time we shuttled the cars and gear it had stopped. This stretch has a lot of tree snags stuck in the sand bottom. With the fast current it's sometimes tricky to navigate through them. The ones that are just submerged can easily upset a canoe or kayak. We made it with no problems - don't want to go for a swim with the cold water temps.
Robb and Kristin getting ready to launch at the Theilman DNR access. The high water last spring caused landslides like this in places where the river made a sharp bend. In a few places new channels were cut by the high water over the last few years. 5 years ago this route was 12 1/2 mi. My GPS tracked this trip at 11.49 mi.
Summer 2008 In August I paddled with Jim Moran and his granddaughter Chris on the Mississippi backwater area called Indian Slough between Wabasha Mn., and Nelson Wi. This time of year this area becomes choked up with green algae, lilly pads and other vegetation that makes paddling this area interesting and sometimes challenging.
The first week in July Jim Moran, Robb Welch
and I went on the Deer Creek route beginning at the County
Road 1 bridge downstream about 5.7 miles to Masonic Park by
County Road 38.
This is not a DNR maintained route so there are not easy accesses to the river by the County Road 1 bridge. This is a rugged route even for experienced paddlers especially if there has not been recent rains. On this trip we had to portage six times to get around fallen trees that blocked the channel on this narrow twisty route. The scenery is beautiful but is a challenge to get to-- and get through!
Spent 10 days at the cabin on Whitefish Chain of Lakes. Youngest grandchild loved to sit in the kayak with her dad holding on near the beach. Colleen, the oldest granddaughter went on a neat river trip on Hay creek.
Colleen did a great job getting the kayak around this fallen tree on Hay Creek and did a great job paddling the big open water of Whitefish Lake over 10 miles.
Whitewater River, Elba (County Road 26 access) to Beaver (County Road 30 access). We are in a near drought situation here in SE Minnesota and most of the smaller creeks are too low to canoe or kayak. However the Whitewater River downstream form Whitewater State Park at Elba has good current and depth even during dry periods. This route is narrow and winds through the Whitewater Wildlife Management area. There are some hazards such as trees fallen across the channel. The day we went on this route it started out with light rain and some fog on the river which added to the tranquil atmosphere on this route. Many wildlife sightings such as deer, eagles, ducks, mink, and others.
Spring 2008 The first week of May
the sun finally made it's appearance with the temperature
The water levels of the area rivers stayed at a medium high level throughout most of may. In mid May Robb, Kristin and I paddled the Zumbro South Fork from Rochester to Sandy Point, a distance of 15 river miles, we made it in 4 hours even with a couple of breaks. The river gauge at Rochester was 3.87 ft, and flow (CFS:433). At this level we had to be careful and not get swept into tree strainers that were frequent, especially in the first 8 miles of the route. This is a DNR maintained route but the crew had not been through yet.
By the end of May the river levels began to drop somewhat so Jim and I went on the Root Middle Branch from the County road 5 bridge, just north of Fillmore, to the County road 7 bridge a distance of 13 miles. This route is not a DNR route and there are hazards such as tree strainers and possible fences. This route is not for beginners. On all the paddling routes wildlife sightings are frequent. This spring we observed many immature eagles (under 3 years old) and do not have the white feathers on their heads or tails yet. The mature eagles often perch in trees next to the river watching for fish,
Between June 6 to June 13 the area had over 6 inches of rain
which brought the rivers to bank full or above. The DNR put
out warnings that the rivers were too dangerous to paddle.
So I had to be content with paddling the reservoirs.
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inally
had some rain that brought the area streams up a bit
to allow us to run some of the less traveled, fun
routes of the driftless area here in Southeastern
Minnesota. The North Fork of the Zumbro river from
Zumbrota to Mazeppa is a moderate difficulty route
and even though this is a DNR maintained canoe/kayak
route it is not regularly maintained. There may be
tree strainers and log jams to contend with. The
route is tree lined and gives the feeling of
isolation most of the way. You will pass by the
remains of old railroad bridge abutments and also
may see deer, ducks, geese, blue herons and eagles
along the way. Note that the put-in at Zumbrota may
be closed because they are building a new bridge. We
put in at the Forest Mills bridge (2 miles East of
Zumbrota) on County Road 4. The Forest Mills access
is rough but we put in on the upstream north end of
the bridge. The take out access is just downstream
of the Mazeppa bridge.
No
rain since mid August so river levels are really low.
However there were plenty of good paddling opportunities.
Chester Woods Lake is always a good place to paddle for
wildlife viewing. A mature eagle was standing guard
near the eagle nest. 
The
banks are mostly wooded with some sections offering
views of small limestone bluffs. The history of the area
includes a gold rush back in the 1850’s near Oronoco. A
couple of gold mines were built after someone found some
gold, but after a couple of years when the buildings
were wiped out from the spring floods they gave up.
But---if gold was found there, then there must be more –
but where?? Maybe after the dam is gone and the river
returns to it’s natural state—well it may be worth
searching! 
we stopped at the river looked like it would easily float a
solo canoe or kayak easily and we did not observe any
obstructions.
We thought this route should be called 100 feet creek,
because it really was so twisty and narrow that being able
to paddle 100 feet without portaging or scraping through the
shallows was a treat!
s
in the 70's and with no significant rain for two weeks the
rivers were great for paddling. Jim Moran, Robb Welch and I
paddled the 9 mile route on the North Branch of the Root
River beginning at County Road 1 (Fugles Mill) to County
Road 116 (Sucker Bridge). The The Pilot Mound gauge showed
the water level at 9.14 ft, and flow
(CFS,959) and the water was perfect for experienced river paddlers on
this route. This route is not a DNR maintained route so the
accesses are rough and there are hazards such as tree
sweepers.
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| 2008 Paddling Season Early Spring-April Spring in Southeast Minnesota this year has been cold, wet and dreary. With the snowmelt runoff and above normal rainfall the rivers have been running high. I have been lucky and have been able to paddle a the few times when the weather was nice and sunny! I always begin paddling in the spring on quiet waters like Chester Woods Lake east of Rochester, MN to make sure all my gear is ready for another paddling season. Here are some pictures of April outings on Chester Woods Lake, Root North Branch, and a route on the main part of the Root.
Made a few trips out to Chester Woods Lake. The ice was late in leaving and the water was very cold. As you can see the paddlers Chuck, Kristin and Robb are dressed for the cold temperatures.
The water level was high on the Root North Branch. We put in at the County Road 1 bridge near Fugles Mill and took out at County road 116 bridge There were many tree snags and strainers that combined with the fast water were a challenge to avoid.
This is typical of the bluff lined valley on the Root North branch.
The main part of the Root was also very high the last week in April when we went from the Parsley Bridge Access to Allen Bridge.
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On these creeks it's not unusual to have to portage around 4 to 6
obstacles each trip! It's guaranteed you will get scratches
on your boat as the shallows are limestone rocks. If your quite you will
see wildlife such as red tailed hawks, blue herons, ducks, geese and
sometimes deer. We had 3 deer stop in mid channel looking at us as we
slowly floated within 25 feet of them before they continued across the
stream (I forgot my camera on that trip)! 
