Area canoeists: Barriers inevitable along Sauk River
Todd Foster and Scott Miller have canoed the Sauk River many times, but never from one end to the other until now.
Last week, they paddled from its beginnings in Lake Osakis to its confluence with the Mississippi.
They lost a video camera in the water but gained a wealth of information they’ll turn over to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Perhaps the most valuable news they can pass on to canoeists and others who use the river is that there are only a few fences barring canoe traffic, and the water quality and clarity appeared very good.
Obstructions
They estimated there were more than 30 obstructions from downed trees and other natural hazards, though these hopefully will be cleared by the Minnesota Conservation Corps, which contracts with the DNR every few years to keep open designated canoe routes such as the Sauk River. The heaviest concentration of those was between Spring Hill and Richmond.
“Our criteria was there was an obstruction if we had to get out of the canoe,” said Foster, a St. Cloud resident who serves on the board of managers for the Sauk River Watershed District. “I don’t think we ever experienced as many pullovers on a designated canoe route but, for the character of this river, you’re never going to totally get rid of them. You can clear them away, and in a few years there will be more downed trees to take their place.”
Scott Schroeder, District VI supervisor of parks and trails for the DNR, said the Sauk River is one of seven water trails in the area that are serviced by the MCC.
“It’s not feasible to clear the river every year,” Schroeder said. “We hope to get to it soon, but the other thing is what constitutes a snag this week might not even be there next week. The river is in constant flux. But to put it in perspective, what (Foster and Miller) found sounds very encouraging. Thirty-some snags on the entire river. I can tell you on the Rum and Crow rivers you could probably find 30 in a one-mile stretch. So what they’re telling us is encouraging for canoeists.”
Foster and Miller, who have undertaken many lengthy canoe trips — including one from St. Cloud to Hudson Bay a few years ago, were pleased to find only five fences crossed the river.
Three of those were in the first quarter-mile of the trip, and two a little farther on were well-marked, single-strand fences that could be navigated without much difficulty.
“That’s a surprise to me, and it’s very good news,” Schroeder said. “I’m not sure what has helped forge that change, but that’s a lot fewer than we’ve had in the past and a lot fewer than I would have expected. I guess the word is getting out.”
Previous trips by canoeists documenting the length of the river in the 1970s and again in the 1990s discovered dozens of fences across the water — which are illegal.
“Anything like that we found is all upstream from Guernsey Lake (northwest of Sauk Centre) and you can clearly see them — they’re not a danger to paddlers,” said Miller, a massage therapist from Minneapolis. “So the vast majority of the river is clear, and it’s entirely so from Sauk Centre on down. (Fences) are basically a nonissue, and we didn’t expect to find that.”
‘Somewhere else’
What they found was much more than they expected. Foster and Miller launched their trip June 12 and arrived early last Sunday afternoon in St. Cloud. They spent seven nights along the river in various stages of camping and also endeavored to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Sauk River Watershed District and publicize the opening of the Friends of the Sauk River Canoe Library, which offers canoeing equipment free to area residents who want to paddle portions of the river.
“The upper part was amazing,” said Foster, 35, who is the membership director for the Friends of the Sauk River. “I’ve lived on the river for 30-some years. But if you blindfolded me and took me up there, I’d have been convinced I was somewhere else.”
The first day, they canoed four miles to Todd County Road 4. They found people hunting carp with pitchforks and bows and arrows as they launched. Soon after, they also documented water clarity greater than one meter.
On the second day, they portaged their canoe around a small pedestrian bridge and stepped carefully around a large snapping turtle.
Later, they experienced rapids heading into Guernsey Lake.
On the third day, they covered almost 15 miles and made it to Sauk Centre before rains came.
“There was only one day where it rained steady,” Foster said. That was the fourth day, when they paddled from Sauk Centre to Melrose. “Other than that, we had great weather for it — cool and there were no bugs.”
Rains in the evenings canceled all three of their meet-and-greets along the way, however.
They plan to reschedule these with the help of the watershed district, which will use the meetings as an educational outreach to the public as well.
Exact dates aren’t set yet, but you can visit www.paddlethesauk.comto find out more and see photos from their trip.
On the fifth and sixth days, from Melrose to Richmond, they saw a lot of wildlife — including a deer swimming in the river.
On the seventh day, they navigated the Horseshoe Chain of Lakes, and they finished with the 22-mile jaunt from Cold Spring to St. Cloud on day eight.
5 sections
“There are five distinct sections,” Miller said. “The uppermost is choked with downed trees, and you’d expect that since the river is only about 30 feet wide in some places. Then you go through this stretch of huge open vistas and wetlands for about 17 miles. From Melrose to Richmond, it’s very remote and there’s sometimes a canopy of trees over the water. The Chain of Lakes is a maze, but it’s kind of Boundary Waters-esque with 80 miles of shoreline. It was cool, even with all the boats and Jet Skis we saw. And then from Cold Spring to St. Cloud it’s very family friendly — an easy day’s trip for someone who just wants to try it.”
Somewhere along there, Foster hopes someone will come across his waterproof video camera that got knocked out of the canoe by a tree branch. Other than that, it was a successful trip, he said.
Foster estimates he has received more than 25 emails and half as many phone calls inquiring about the Canoe Library. The first users took to the river Monday after Foster and Miller returned. Foster says they should be pleased with what they find.
“The river is trending well,” Foster said. “If you look back to 1978 and what it’s been like at intervals since, it’s getting better. It’s going in the right direction.”
Last week, they paddled from its beginnings in Lake Osakis to its confluence with the Mississippi.
They lost a video camera in the water but gained a wealth of information they’ll turn over to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Perhaps the most valuable news they can pass on to canoeists and others who use the river is that there are only a few fences barring canoe traffic, and the water quality and clarity appeared very good.
Obstructions
They estimated there were more than 30 obstructions from downed trees and other natural hazards, though these hopefully will be cleared by the Minnesota Conservation Corps, which contracts with the DNR every few years to keep open designated canoe routes such as the Sauk River. The heaviest concentration of those was between Spring Hill and Richmond.
“Our criteria was there was an obstruction if we had to get out of the canoe,” said Foster, a St. Cloud resident who serves on the board of managers for the Sauk River Watershed District. “I don’t think we ever experienced as many pullovers on a designated canoe route but, for the character of this river, you’re never going to totally get rid of them. You can clear them away, and in a few years there will be more downed trees to take their place.”
Scott Schroeder, District VI supervisor of parks and trails for the DNR, said the Sauk River is one of seven water trails in the area that are serviced by the MCC.
“It’s not feasible to clear the river every year,” Schroeder said. “We hope to get to it soon, but the other thing is what constitutes a snag this week might not even be there next week. The river is in constant flux. But to put it in perspective, what (Foster and Miller) found sounds very encouraging. Thirty-some snags on the entire river. I can tell you on the Rum and Crow rivers you could probably find 30 in a one-mile stretch. So what they’re telling us is encouraging for canoeists.”
Foster and Miller, who have undertaken many lengthy canoe trips — including one from St. Cloud to Hudson Bay a few years ago, were pleased to find only five fences crossed the river.
Three of those were in the first quarter-mile of the trip, and two a little farther on were well-marked, single-strand fences that could be navigated without much difficulty.
“That’s a surprise to me, and it’s very good news,” Schroeder said. “I’m not sure what has helped forge that change, but that’s a lot fewer than we’ve had in the past and a lot fewer than I would have expected. I guess the word is getting out.”
Previous trips by canoeists documenting the length of the river in the 1970s and again in the 1990s discovered dozens of fences across the water — which are illegal.
“Anything like that we found is all upstream from Guernsey Lake (northwest of Sauk Centre) and you can clearly see them — they’re not a danger to paddlers,” said Miller, a massage therapist from Minneapolis. “So the vast majority of the river is clear, and it’s entirely so from Sauk Centre on down. (Fences) are basically a nonissue, and we didn’t expect to find that.”
‘Somewhere else’
What they found was much more than they expected. Foster and Miller launched their trip June 12 and arrived early last Sunday afternoon in St. Cloud. They spent seven nights along the river in various stages of camping and also endeavored to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Sauk River Watershed District and publicize the opening of the Friends of the Sauk River Canoe Library, which offers canoeing equipment free to area residents who want to paddle portions of the river.
“The upper part was amazing,” said Foster, 35, who is the membership director for the Friends of the Sauk River. “I’ve lived on the river for 30-some years. But if you blindfolded me and took me up there, I’d have been convinced I was somewhere else.”
The first day, they canoed four miles to Todd County Road 4. They found people hunting carp with pitchforks and bows and arrows as they launched. Soon after, they also documented water clarity greater than one meter.
On the second day, they portaged their canoe around a small pedestrian bridge and stepped carefully around a large snapping turtle.
Later, they experienced rapids heading into Guernsey Lake.
On the third day, they covered almost 15 miles and made it to Sauk Centre before rains came.
“There was only one day where it rained steady,” Foster said. That was the fourth day, when they paddled from Sauk Centre to Melrose. “Other than that, we had great weather for it — cool and there were no bugs.”
Rains in the evenings canceled all three of their meet-and-greets along the way, however.
They plan to reschedule these with the help of the watershed district, which will use the meetings as an educational outreach to the public as well.
Exact dates aren’t set yet, but you can visit www.paddlethesauk.comto find out more and see photos from their trip.
On the fifth and sixth days, from Melrose to Richmond, they saw a lot of wildlife — including a deer swimming in the river.
On the seventh day, they navigated the Horseshoe Chain of Lakes, and they finished with the 22-mile jaunt from Cold Spring to St. Cloud on day eight.
5 sections
“There are five distinct sections,” Miller said. “The uppermost is choked with downed trees, and you’d expect that since the river is only about 30 feet wide in some places. Then you go through this stretch of huge open vistas and wetlands for about 17 miles. From Melrose to Richmond, it’s very remote and there’s sometimes a canopy of trees over the water. The Chain of Lakes is a maze, but it’s kind of Boundary Waters-esque with 80 miles of shoreline. It was cool, even with all the boats and Jet Skis we saw. And then from Cold Spring to St. Cloud it’s very family friendly — an easy day’s trip for someone who just wants to try it.”
Somewhere along there, Foster hopes someone will come across his waterproof video camera that got knocked out of the canoe by a tree branch. Other than that, it was a successful trip, he said.
Foster estimates he has received more than 25 emails and half as many phone calls inquiring about the Canoe Library. The first users took to the river Monday after Foster and Miller returned. Foster says they should be pleased with what they find.
“The river is trending well,” Foster said. “If you look back to 1978 and what it’s been like at intervals since, it’s getting better. It’s going in the right direction.”