Paddling in Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway

The St. Croix National Scenic Riverway is a federally protected river corridor straddling the Wisconsin-Minnesota border, built around two rivers: the St. Croix and its tributary the Namekagon.

Together they account for 252 miles of moving water, ranging from swift and rocky whitewater in the upper reaches to wide, placid flowages downstream.

This is one of the original eight rivers designated under the National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968, and the largest scenic riverway east of the Mississippi — which means the paddling here happens inside a managed landscape, not just near one.

The Namekagon runs entirely through Wisconsin, beginning near Namekagon Lake where it flows through the Chequamegon National Forest before joining the St. Croix.

It's a northwoods river — forested banks, primitive campsites along the shore and on islands, and the kind of quiet that makes multi-day trips worth planning. The upper St.

Croix picks up at Gordon Dam and moves south, with the character shifting as the river widens. The lower St. Croix, from roughly Highway 8 south, is broader and more developed in feel, with wooded bluffs and historic river towns marking the banks.

NPS divides the paddling into three named stretches — Namekagon, Upper St. Croix, and Lower St. Croix — each with its own river description and distance chart. Rangers at the St.

Croix River Visitor Center (715-483-2274) and the Namekagon River Visitor Center (715-496-5539) can match a stretch to your skill level and current conditions.

River levels matter here; check them before you go, and know that cell service is unreliable on some stretches. Overnight trips on the Lower St. Croix require a camping permit for stays between Highway 8 and the High Bridge — the NPS issues these.

If your put-in or take-out is at a Wisconsin state park landing, you'll need a state park entrance sticker unless you're launching through an outfitter.

Campfires are permitted only at designated campsites in the provided fire ring; below the Soo Line High Bridge, fires in rock rings on islands are also allowed.

Outfitters operate throughout the riverway and handle shuttles for paddlers with their own boats as well as rentals. Vehicles can be left overnight in Riverway parking lots. Children under 13 are required to wear a life jacket on the water. The St.

Croix corridor rewards the paddler who slows down — a river system old enough to have carried voyageurs, wide enough to lose yourself in for a week, and protected enough that it still feels like it.