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Minnesota | Lower St. Croix
St. Croix River
Highway 70 Landing to Sunrise Landing
Route planning details, access notes, and local verification guidance.
Route location
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Need to know
Why this call
Conditions
Gauge history and hourly forecast
Use the gauge context and hourly forecast to verify local conditions before launching.
Gauge detail
Gauge history & hourly forecastDetailed view
Gauge
Recent trend
Checking preferred range.
Checking trend.
Gauge source
--Checking timestampMN DNR provides the current paddling level here, but not chart-ready recent samples.
Weather
Hourly forecast
Checking weather.
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Next 8 hours
Short-route forecast
Checking the next several hours.
Route overview
Quick facts and what's next
Distance, difficulty, shuttle basics, and the near-term outlook before you commit to the drive.
Quick facts
Plan ahead
Upcoming outlook
These are early planning reads. Re-check live conditions before you commit to the drive.
Waiting on forecast.
Waiting on forecast.
Plan
Plan your trip
Launch points, shuttle details, distance, and access notes.
Route logistics
Access and shuttle
Consolidated NPS Map 7 St. Croix Riverway route from Highway 70 to Sunrise Landing, with Stevens Creek retained as an intermediate public access near the short rapid sequence.
Plan a shorter segmentOptional
Access planner
Pick a shorter segment
This changes launch and take-out logistics, not today's river score.
Peltier Lake to Long Lake is the full route. Shorter access pairs are useful when wind, time, or group energy changes the plan.
Prepare this trip
Take the plan with you
Download the canonical route, add a calendar hold, or send a simple float plan to your group.
Put-in
St. Croix River, Highway 70 LandingMinnesota public-water-access GIS resolves Highway 70 as WAS00085 near river mile 89.5 and Stevens Creek as WAS02204 near river mile 84.6.
Take-out
St. Croix River, Sunrise Public Water Access SiteThe St. Croix Falls gauge is downstream of this split. Use it as the official corridor check, then make a local visual call for shallow bars, rapid shape, and wood.
Plan this segment
Access caveats and watch for
Access caveats
- Minnesota public-water-access GIS resolves Highway 70 as WAS00085 near river mile 89.5 and Stevens Creek as WAS02204 near river mile 84.6.
- The St. Croix Falls gauge is downstream of this split. Use it as the official corridor check, then make a local visual call for shallow bars, rapid shape, and wood.
- Do not treat private banks or unsigned shoreline as bailout or camping options.
- Minnesota public-water-access GIS resolves Stevens Creek as WAS02204 near river mile 84.6 and Sunrise as WAS00299 near river mile 71.9.
- The St. Croix Falls gauge is downstream of the route, so local depth, wood, and landing checks matter before launch.
- Keep stops to legal Riverway sites and public landings; much of the shoreline cannot be used as an improvised exit.
Watch for
- The short series of rapids around Stevens Creek Landing noted by NPS Map 7.
- Shallow summer bars, channel reading, and possible walking when St. Croix Falls is below the official floor.
- Fallen trees, cold water, private banks, Riverway campsite rules, and changing current after rain.
- Fallen trees, strainers, cold water, and remote rescue spacing.
- Shallow bars or walking in summer low water, especially when St. Croix Falls is below the official floor.
- High or rising water, wind, private/restricted banks, and Riverway campsite regulations.
Route gallery
See this route on the water
Photos help show what the access looks like and what the route actually feels like on the water.
Score & sources
Data and sources
See the gauge, weather, and source notes behind today's call.
Why this scoreToday's evidence strength is checking
Evidence strength mostly comes down to three things: how direct the active gauge is, how clear the range is, and how fresh the data is.
- Checking evidence-strength notes.
- Checking evidence cautions.
Data behind the scoreGauge, thresholds, and timing
These are the live readings and threshold notes behind today's score.
| Gauge site | St. Croix River at St. Croix Falls, WI |
| Discharge | Checking |
| Gauge height | Checking |
| 24h trend | Checking |
| 24h change | Checking |
| Current band | Checking |
| Rain last 24h | Checking |
| Rain last 72h | Checking |
| Air temp | Checking |
| Water temp | Checking |
| Wind | Checking |
| Gusts | Checking |
| Rain timing | Checking |
| Target band | 3,000 cfs to 8,000 cfs |
| Low threshold | 2,000 cfs |
| High threshold | 11,000 cfs |
| Evidence strength behind the range | Official data source |
| Gauge observed | Checking |
| Paddle Today updated | Checking |
| Main source behind this score | MN DNR river-level interpretation bands for St. Croix River at St. Croix Falls |
| Gauge source | Checking |
| Weather source | Checking |
| Rainfall source | Checking |
NotesWhat to know before you go
These notes cover the access details, route quirks, and source caveats most likely to matter once you get there.
- Route shapeAbout 4.9 river miles
Minnesota public-water-access GIS places Highway 70 near river mile 89.5 and Stevens Creek near river mile 84.6 on the NPS Map 7 corridor.
- NPS Map 7 safetyShallow bars and Stevens Creek rapids
NPS Map 7 warns that shallow water can create sandbars in summer and that a short series of rapids exists around Stevens Creek Landing.
- Official DNR bands2,000 / 3,000-8,000 / 11,000 cfs
MN DNR interprets St. Croix Falls as Scrapable below 2,000 cfs, Low from 2,000 to 3,000, Medium from 3,000 to 8,000, High from 8,000 to 11,000, and Very High above 11,000.
- Current gauge check1,900 cfs at 2026-07-24 00:00 CDT
The current MN DNR feed placed St. Croix Falls below the official scrapable floor during this run, so this card should score as too low until flows recover.
- Camping postureDesignated Riverway campsites only
NPS Map 7 allows camping only at designated first-come sites and lists limits for group size, stay length, fires, sanitation, trash, and food storage.
- Route shapeAbout 12.7 river miles
Minnesota public-water-access GIS places Stevens Creek near river mile 84.6 and Sunrise near river mile 71.9 on the NPS Map 7 corridor.
- NPS Map 7 corridorHighway 70 to Highway 8 section
NPS publishes Map 7 as the detailed current Riverway section map for Highway 70 Landing to Highway 8, with access, campsite, low-water, fallen-tree, and current-condition guidance.
- Official DNR bands2,000 / 3,000-8,000 / 11,000 cfs
MN DNR interprets St. Croix Falls as Scrapable below 2,000 cfs, Low from 2,000 to 3,000, Medium from 3,000 to 8,000, High from 8,000 to 11,000, and Very High above 11,000.
- Current gauge check1,900 cfs at 2026-07-24 00:00 CDT
The current MN DNR feed placed St. Croix Falls below the official scrapable floor during this run, so this card should score as too low until flows recover.
- Camping postureDesignated Riverway campsites only
NPS Map 7 restricts camping to designated sites with stay, group-size, fire, sanitation, trash, and food-storage rules.
Verify it yourselfCheck the source links
Use these links to double-check the gauge, route details, and access notes before you head out.
Paddler reports
Recent notes from paddlers
A few quick notes from people who were on this route recently.
Reports
Paddler reports
See recent photos and notes from people on the route.
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More routes to check next
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Quick answers
St. Croix River paddling FAQ
What water level is good for paddling St. Croix River?
Paddle Today watches St. Croix River at St. Croix Falls, WI and treats 3,000 cfs to 8,000 cfs as the target band for this route, with weather and recent trend included in the final score.
Where does this St. Croix River route start and end?
This route starts at St. Croix River, Highway 70 Landing and ends at St. Croix River, Sunrise Public Water Access Site, about About 17.6 mi on the water.
Is this St. Croix River route good for beginners?
This is listed as a moderate route. Expect more planning than an easy float, and use the live score, route notes, and source links before committing.
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Access, hazards, wood, and shuttle details change. Send a quick correction if something looks off.