Big Sioux River: Brandon-to-Brandon

Over the past weeks, I have watched the water level in the Big Sioux River diminish through the current drought.  As the river flows through Sioux Falls, much of the water bypasses the city through the diversion cannel located north of the airport.  Much of the flow through the city is from Skunk Creek as it enters the Big Sioux River off of Louise Avenue.

So, with the drought, I wondered what the river would look like as it moves south past Sioux Falls.  David Finck and I decided to take a short cruise on the Big Sioux River in what might be called the Brandon-to-Brandon stretch.  There is a public access area onto the river just off Rice Street, on the edge of Brandon, and the next “take-out” is at the Big Sioux Recreation Area, about 3.25 miles downstream.  This seemed like an ideal route to “test the waters.”

Today began with dark clouds and a teasingly short thunderstorm and rain.  By 9:30 a.m., the dark clouds had largely passed, and Dave and I met at the “put-in” off Rice Street in Brandon.  We shuttled his van and trailer down to the Recreation Area and came back in my Honda Civic.  We shoved off into the river about 10:00 a.m. or so.

The river has receded to a channel with wide sand bands and brush and tree remnants of past floods further narrowing the flow.

We decided to use an aluminum canoe of Dave’s for the cruise because of the anticipated shallows and the need to exit and reenter the boat multiple times.  We were surprised to find that this was not to be the case.  The river depth varied from four or five feet to only a few inches, but we were able to stay in the deeper channel most of the time.  We had to get out once to drag off a shallow sandbar and again to bypass a strainer that clogged the stream; generally, though, we were able to move smoothly down the river.

The landscape of the river is quite changed with the low water levels.  The normal water depth is a few feet higher than it is currently, and the driftwood and banks have taken on a definition that passes unnoticed during times of a swifter passage through a wider and deeper flow.

There were lots of birds visible as we cruised along, but they often flew off before I could fumble my camera out of its case.  We saw a large owl, a couple of great blue heron, and an America Bittern – at last a bird that stayed with us long enough for a photo.

The cruise was pleasant, a tranquil trip down the river in conditions that made such travel seem doubtful.  It was really a wonderful way to spend perhaps an hour and a-half moving along through interesting landscape.

Dave expressed the thought that perhaps kayaks would have not moved so easily down the river.  The canoe draws less water, and it is easier to get in and out of the craft while still on the water.  We lined the canoe through one set of strainers, exited the canoe twice, and once I got out and pulled it over a sandbar.  Getting in and out of canoes is an easier process to negotiate than in kayaks.

All too soon, we passed under the footbridge linking the two sides of the Big Sioux Recreation Area, and then came to the “take-out” just before the gravel road marking the end of the park. 

So, under the current dry conditions, it is still possible to travel down the Big Sioux River, at least on this “Brandon-to-Brandon” 3.25-mile section.  It was a great trip!

For those interested in the full set of photographs of this cruise, please access my Flickr account at the following URL:http://www.flickr.com/photos/jayheath/sets/72157630973893006/detail/