St Croix National Scenic Riverway in Wisconsin

Trip Overview

We left the Chicago area around 5:15am on Friday June 20th and arrived in Grantsburg, WI around 1:00pm. We used Wild River Outfitters on Highway 70 about a 1/2 mile from the St. Croix. We drove our truck, with one of their drivers to the Riverside Landing about 35 miles north of Grantsburg. We unloaded our gear and the driver took off. We arranged to have them drop off our truck at the Highway 70 Landing on Monday the 23rd.

Before we could pitch the tent, it started to rain, so we started gathering fire wood. There was plenty to be had. The rain stopped after about 30 minutes and we set up camp.

We launched the next morning (The Solstice). This is a beautiful River. If you go to their website, detailed maps are printable. All of the campsites are well marked with amenities available. All include picnic tables and fire rings with grates. Nelson's Landing, however was marked as having water but the pump was turned off. We ended up pumping some water from a nearby stream and were just fine.
Eagles, ospreys, mergansers, turtles and deer were spotted.

On the second and third days we hit some rapids, mainly Class I or II with one Class III. We stayed primarily to the Wisconsin side when approaching the islands leading toward the confluence with the Kettle River. We were told by the Outfitter, that on the Minnesota side along this stretch, there were mainly Class III rapids.

We arrived at Highway 70 Landing about 1:30 pm on the 23rd and our truck was waiting for us. Wild River Outfitters are good people to deal with and are very accommodating. All in all the weather was beautiful. Mosquitoes were present, but not many black flies.

Great trip. I will definitely go back some day.

Accommodations:

Campsites are well kept with individual and group sites, some with water and vault toilets or rough boxes. Well marked on maps with GPS mileage.

Stayed at Wood River Motel in Grantsburg before heading home on the 24th.

Outfitting:

Old Town Penobscot 17RX

Fees:

No fees on Wisconsin campsites.

The Minnesota side charges a fee for camping but there was no where to pay. Livery cost is in the $75.00 range. If you fish you'll need a permit.

Directions:

From Chicagoland take I-90 to I-94 all the way to St Paul then east on Highway 70 to Grantsburg, WI.

Resources:

St Croix National Scenic Riverway website