The Big Sioux River: Canton to Newton Hills

Today, I joined with a fleet of eight kayaks paddling from Canton to Newton Hills, a distance of nine miles along a full, deep, and fast Big Sioux River.

This was a cruise that had been planned by David and Mary Finck and Larry Braaten, board members of the SDCKA, and had also been postponed a number of times due to high water.

The cruise today began just above the park in Canton in an industrial type parking lot with a ramp leading down to the river. A set of rapids, formed as the river flows through the debris of a low-head dam dismantled long ago, faced us within just 100 feet or so from the put-in. We all stood on the high bank looking out at the rapids considering the best approach. The ramp leading into the river at the park was closed due to earlier flooding and damage. The passage through seemed okay to all of us, and we moved through without incident.

We had gathered at the prearranged put-in by 1:00 p.m., and David Finck provided a shuttle for all of us. That, of course, is the advantage of going on a river cruise with others, especially a cruise that is planned by the SDCKA. By 1:50 p.m., we had all shoved off and were on our way down the river.

The current was swift today on the Big Sioux, the water was deep, and the river was wide. I tried to find bottom with my double-bladed paddle several times along our cruise, and I never touched it. The water was over six feet deep along nearly the entire width of the river.

The temperatures were in the high 50s for our afternoon cruise, and this follows a cold snap yesterday that had high temperatures in the 40s. The skies were cloudy during the entire afternoon. Winds were not a factor at all on the cruise.

With the eight kayaks moving along, there tended to be a couple of conversation groups, and then some of us moved along the edge or behind the pack to commune with nature in near solitude. These configurations of paddlers were fluid; at times I found myself bringing up the rear and cruising along the shore, and then at other times I found myself engaged in conversation. Generally, paddlers string out on these river cruises, sometimes for over a mile. A smaller group, as we had today, tends to be more bunched up as it moves downstream – at least everyone in sight.

The change in seasons is readily seen in the changing colors of the trees. The banks of the Big Sioux tend to be wooded, most often with large cottonwood trees. On this stretch, one can see the drying corn fields through the tree stands along the shore. The approach of fall was apparent as we moved along the river.

The river and the banks were deserted during our trip. I didn’t see another person or hear any machinery. There were only isolated buildings visible along this part of the river.

We did not see much wildlife; groups tend to cause most wildlife to lie low until the boats and talk pass. We did see a large group of geese at one point. Many migratory birds have already left for more attractive feeding areas south of here.

We stopped about halfway down our planned course at a gravel beach. Since we really had not worked terribly hard on the trip, we spent only about 10 minutes stretching. From there, it was another easy 45 minutes or so until we reached the take-out. Our trip concluded at a public access area just across the highway from the Newton Hills Trail Camp. We zipped down the nine miles in two hours today, including our brief rest stop.

This was another of those many segments along the Big Sioux that are pretty easy to paddle. I can’t remember being on this stretch of the river, although club cruises have given me the opportunity over the past couple of years to paddle nearly from Flandreau to Newton Hills. As I paddled along, I thought about Brian Gundvaldson and his trip through these waters just a couple weeks ago. Brian is the young guy who left Egan, SD, on September 3 heading for the Gulf of Mexico, a trip of 2,100 miles. As of yesterday, he had reached Kansas City and will be on his way to St. Louis next. Like many, I am following his trip on Facebook.

Changing of the Seasons: Lake Alvin, Sept. 2010

The nighttime temperatures here on the northern plains have dropped into the 30s at various places and have been in the low 40s here in Sioux Falls. It is apparent that the end of summer is upon us and that the fall is at hand. The trees and bushes seem to have lost their luster, some leaves are falling, and a frost could happen at any time. Also, the hunting season is rapidly approaching and with that greater care in kayaking on isolated waterways is warranted. When hunters are toting shotguns, I tend to limit my kayaking to waters bordering state parks and protected areas.

Sometimes I feel that I have to constantly paddle a variety of waterways in order to present a range of locations on this blog. That feeling sometimes inhibits my spontaneous paddling opportunities on familiar and often described waters. Going to familiar and local waterways seems “lame,” and I feel sort of a sense of duty to move out on the edges of my paddling circle so that the narratives seem fresh. But, today I beat that feeling down and returned to Lake Alvin, only 15 minutes from our eastside Sioux Falls home.

I got a late start today because of lingering too long with my coffee and novel at Bagel Boy on East 10th Street and arrived at the public access area on the southwestern end of the lake just before 11:00 a.m. The lake was crowded today with perhaps three fishing boats out and a few guys fishing from the shore near the state park and at the public access area. I felt the press of this teeming mass of people and headed in solitude up into Nine Mile Creek. There was plenty of depth to the water, and I was able to continue upstream to the usual point where navigation is halted because of a set of low rocky rapids. This trip is perhaps a mile upstream and is my favorite part of the lake. Motorboats cannot make it up Nine Mile Creek. This is also the part of Lake Alvin where wildlife might most easily be observed.

Today was largely overcast with moderate wind out of the north and temperatures in the low 50s. Going up Nine Mile Creek, the wind was not noticeable. On the way back up the main body of the lake, there was a fairly stiff headwind and choppy conditions. I moved up the lake and greeted a couple of fishing parties. Along the way, I picked up my self-imposed quota of floating trash – mostly bottles and cans. I carry a plastic bag in the kayak and expect to pick up from 5-10 items on each cruise. This isn’t much, but it is a minor contribution to a cleaner environment and provides me an opportunity to practice maneuvering my kayak in along the shore and into foliage as I grasp the offending pieces of trash.

On the way back down the lake to the public access area, I set the umbrella and sailed the complete distance, perhaps a mile or so. I am able to take photos while sailing when the wind is not too strong. When it gusts, however, I need both hands on the umbrella as I steer with my feet on the rudder pedals. So, taking photos while sailing is a bit tricky; using an umbrella sail adds some additional risk to kayaking

Today was a day for exercise and contemplation. Traveling with a group, as on river cruises, is really an enjoyable experience. I also like to move along through the lake by myself, observing the grasses, the bird life, the wind across the water, while searching for wildlife.

Today, all I saw was a single great blue heron, some jumping fish, a few turtles, and very few perching birds. I guess that much of the bird life knows when it is time to go, time to move away to sunnier and warmer climes for the winter. They want to get out before the freeze. The older I grow, the more I share that sentiment.

The Rock River near Rock Rapids, Iowa

A few days ago I was pleased to learn that David and Mary Finck, along with Larry Braaten, were planning to lead a cruise along the Rock River, in Iowa, today. All three of these paddlers are officers in the South Dakota Canoe/Kayak Association (SDCKA), and they frequently announce and lead cruises within the area.

At 1:00 p.m. today, Sunday, thirteen paddlers with their kayaks gathered at Island Park in Rock Rapids, Iowa. Rock Rapids is about 30 miles east of my Sioux Falls home, east on Highway 9. After arranging a shuttle and leaving most cars just south of the bridge along Highway 75, about 7 miles south of Rock Rapids, the thirteen kayaks left a launching point within the park and headed south along the river.

The Rock River is a tributary of the Big Sioux River and wanders for about 100 miles from near Pipestone, Minnesota, to near Hawarden, Iowa, where it flows into the Big Sioux. Many years ago I paddled a stretch of the river from near Steen, Minnesota, to Rock Rapids. The river is aptly named; there are plenty of rocks scattered along the bed of the river, and there are also three or four sets of rapids south of Rock Rapids. None of the kayaks tipped in the rapids; still, they were enough to give a person pause, especially if cameras were not protected – as none of ours were. I shipped water over the bow and up along the cockpit of my kayak. I think that all of us got a little wet in the rapids.

Heading south out of Rock Rapids, there are some very nice homes built up on the high banks. After leaving the city, the river was generally deep enough to avoid any difficulties, especially in the northern half of our trip. Perversely, the river tended to have more shallow gravel bars along the southern half of our trip. Generally, the depth seemed to be about three to four feet. Like most waterways, though, there were deep channels and shallow shelving at times. As we moved closer to the Highway 75 bridge over the river, most of us had to get out of the kayaks at some point to drag them over gravel bars or shallow spots. That was not, however, much of a problem; mostly it involved just moving the boat a few feet into the deeper current.

The river flows through farm country, and the banks are not heavily wooded. We occasionally ran into people, friendly people who would wave and shout out a greeting. People stopped along the way to watch the flotilla pass.

We came across several electric fences across the river. Fortunately, these wires were noticed early and they were high enough to permit passage close along the bank. None of us received a shock from the fences.

About half way through the 3.5 hour trip, Dave called a halt along a beach so that we could stretch, take off the life jackets, and have a sip of water.

With such a group of kayaks, there was little chance to see any wildlife; even birds seemed scarce to me. People chatter as they paddle, and the group stretched out for a few hundred yards – plenty of time and warning for any wildlife to sit tight and wait for the fleet to pass. This sort of trip is social in nature, and on this cruise people helped each other and kept the conversation going.

The hazards encountered today included the several sets of rapids, a tree that had fallen across nearly the entire river,a few electric fences, and shallow gravel bars that left boats stranded in fast running current and insufficient depth.

Although we did not have a gps among us, we probably traveled about 12 miles on the river. The road distance from the put-in to the bridge over Highway 75 was about 7.5 miles. The take-out under the bridge requires a long carry, although it did not measure up to the portages I experienced in the Boundary Waters last month. People helped each other carry their boats up to the highway, and then the trip was over. We all got into our vehicles and headed home for our separate Labor Day festivities.

The Rock River seemed to be about 75-80 feet wide along most of our trip today, and the depth was nearly always four feet or less. Veterans of this river cruise said that we would not have been able to make it this late in the season expect for the unusual rains that we have had over the summer. This is another paddling option that the paddlers around Sioux Falls might keep in mind. While it is not as easily kayaked as the Big Sioux River, it is a very pleasant cruise through farm country and an easy opportunity to expand kayaking into western Iowa. I’m very glad that David, Mary, and Larry organized and led the cruise today.