Big Sioux River – Brandon-to-Brandon: Fall 2012

A little over two months ago, Dave Finck and I canoed down the Big Sioux River from the new put-in along Rice Street at the edge northeast end of Brandon to the take-out at the Big Sioux Recreation Area, a river-distance of about 2.5 miles. The river level was quite low in the first week of August, and we wondered what it would be like now after more than two months with only a very little rain over the intervening time.

We set off from the developing SDGFP launching site near the Brandon bridge over the Big Sioux River at Rice Street.  The river looked much as it did two months ago; as the drought has continued, the river has tended to become narrower.  Still, there is a channel that provides enough depth to easily float a canoe or kayak.  The problem, of course, is to find and keep to that channel going downstream.

The temperature was in the 30s as we set off under sunny skies with no noticeable wind, and it climbed to about 50 degrees as we finished the cruise.  The width of the water flow varied from 50 feet or so to perhaps 6 feet in narrow passages.  In those narrow slots, the depth would sometimes reach deeper than the length of a paddle and the velocity of the flow would markedly increase. 

At other times, the width would increase with a corresponding decrease in speed and water depth.  On the wider stretches, we would sometimes miss the channel and find ourselves scrapping along in water only a few inches deep.  On a couple of occasions, we jumped out of the canoe to drag it off a bar and into deeper water.

The banks of the river, the temporary beaches along the lower shore, and the tangle of dead trees that could be strainers during times of high flow were all highlighted during this time of exceptionally low water during the drought. These sights offered a marked contrast to the spring and summer landscape when the river is fuller and faster.

The fall is rapidly descending across the landscape.  It has been a couple of weeks since the first “killing” frost, and the leaves are dropping from the trees.  The landscape is assuming the bland winter look along the river. 

We saw a mink and lots of birds.  A few fish were jumping.  But, I didn’t see any bugs.  Perhaps the arriving frost and the first temperatures into the 20s has caused the insect population to burrow down for the next months.

The South Dakota Department of Game, Fish, and Parks is further developing the two launch sites along this 2.6 mile section of the river.  I would think that this short cruise will become increasingly popular over time.  The river flows through park-owned land, and this provides the background for a scenic cruise and the likelihood of wildlife sightings.  It really is a pleasant one-hour cruise that I will probably take many times over the years. 

For a contrast in the appearance of the landscape from mid-summer to mid-fall, you can check my last Brandon-to-Brandon cruise.

Those interested in viewing the complete set of photos of the cruise can access them at my Flickr set.