St Croix/Wild River State park

Going to be heading down to the park for 4 days over Memorial Day weekend. Never been down that way, and was wondering what the Croix is like in that area? Planning on hauling kayak’s as we will be pulling the camper. How is the current there in late May usually? Any areas to avoid or watch for?

Any general information on the river in that section would be a help. No serious fishing, but I’d like to be able to give it a shot for a couple hours at a time here and there while we’re camped.
Thanks in advance.

It can be a great stretch of river to fish. And quiet. Kayaks or canoes are definitely doable in the area. Lots of good fishing to be done around there. I live just a couple minutes down the road.

There is a big charter boat that goes out of Taylor Falls so things can’t be to rough. You can always bring the canoes above the dam on ether side there are boat launches in the parks (city / county parks not state or federal)

Great to hear!
The campground is a couple miles from the boat landing, so I’m hoping I can just carry-down the kayak to the river from our campsite.

It’ll depend on the weather prior to your trip. The river is generally high in May. If it’s been a wet spring it could be very high. When it’s high, the current is pretty strong. Floating down river in a kayak would be fine but I doubt you’ll be paddling too far up river. It’s a great stretch for pretty much everything that swims though. Find deeper areas and soak a crawler on bottom and you’ll catch all kinds of fish.

The canoe charter that runs out of Wild River drops people in above Sunrise, MN and you float to the park landing area. That part of the river can be pretty shallow. We have beached our canoes and had lunch on a sandbar on that stretch. Very few fisherman the days I have floated that stretch. I did not fish it.

I think Dutch is thinking more of Interstate Park and Taylor’s falls. There is multiple canoe outfitters and indeed a large boat that traverse the stretch of river below TF. I would say that area is a bit deeper stretch of river

I have also been on the St Croix south of Marine and have walked stretches along the river in Pine County. That area is very remote …

I am familiar with area on both sides further north, but have not fished that stretch even though I have the right small boat and friends that want to fish it. They have done well on smaller smallmouth bass and an occasional walleye … other river fish will bite live bait.

Get BearCat to share with you via PM.

Dutch is thinking of the park North of Taylors Falls on the way towards Wild Mountain. The other is the Lions park North of St. Croix Falls on Hwy 35. Both are above the Dam.

Thanks for all the info.

Yea that was my concern for late May was how much current ran thru that area and if I could navigate upriver or not. Might PM you or Bearcat closer to then and get a first hand report on river levels and flow.

I’ll bring the yak, the stretch above the campground looks kinda remote, but I think but going all the way upstream to Sunrise creek landing is a bit more than I want to do.
Worse case I can always find a deeper run and throw out a crawler off the bank. Looks like there’s a hiking trail along the river in both directions.

xplorer wrote:

Thanks for all the info.

Yea that was my concern for late May was how much current ran thru that area and if I could navigate upriver or not. Might PM you or Bearcat closer to then and get a first hand report on river levels and flow.

I’ll bring the yak, the stretch above the campground looks kinda remote, but I think but going all the way upstream to Sunrise creek landing is a bit more than I want to do.
Worse case I can always find a deeper run and throw out a crawler off the bank. Looks like there’s a hiking trail along the river in both directions.

If anything, have your wife or who ever drop you at sunrise and then yak down to the camp ground.
Alot of those camp grounds are just in the woods and not on the river so definitely check your map. We go on family bike rides at the park a couple times a week. It’s a really nice place.

I don’t know if this would interest you (I don’t know if the wife or girlfriend will be with) but above the dam is the St. Croix Scenic Waterway, camping is allowed on the islands and river banks. It’s primitive, no bathrooms or showers. I’m sure somebody here will be on that stretch and could pull the Yaks up past Wild Mountain by boat if you wanted to get up where theres few if any boats.

I love that area in the summer when you can wade across the river and hang out on the sandbars. Haven’t done that for years but maybe we need to this summer.

Funny story…we were camping there when we were kids. I was probably 12 and we were canoeing with my brothers and cousins. My brother (18 months younger than me) thought it would be funny to slap the canoe paddle off my back. Instead, he hit me at a slight angle and the corner of the paddle took a chunk out of my back. Still have the scar.

My uncle also jumped a battery by taking a good battery and touching the two together because no one had cables. It was a “hold my beer” kinda moment but it worked.

Dutchboy wrote:

I don’t know if this would interest you (I don’t know if the wife or girlfriend will be with) but above the dam is the St. Croix Scenic Waterway, camping is allowed on the islands and river banks. It’s primitive, no bathrooms or showers. I’m sure somebody here will be on that stretch and could pull the Yaks up past Wild Mountain by boat if you wanted to get up where theres few if any boats.

Wild River actually is north/above Wild Mountain, and a week’s trip to Namakan/Rainy is about all the boat-in camping the FW will put up with these days

We bought a 24′ camper Fall ’23 and took 8 trips in it last summer/fall. Hit 6 MN State Parks but all up on the Range or North Shore. Decided to try one south for the early trip this year hoping for a little warmer temp’s and maybe a swim.

My bad, I thought you were talking about Interstate Park.

Dutchboy wrote:

My bad, I thought you were talking about Interstate Park.

We looked at Interstate, Wild River and St Croix State parks for our early trip and picked the middle one.
Planning to stay at St Croix state park next Memorial day weekend I think.

Interstate offers the best fishing spot but also can be a zoo.