Wisconsin | Northwest Wisconsin

St. Croix River

Fox Landing to Highway 70

Check current paddling conditions for this St. Croix River route, including water level, recent gauge trend, weather, and route details.

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Start with the verdict, current conditions, route plan, and quick facts before you commit to the drive.

Level Checking Checking
Trend Checking Checking 24h change
Weather Loading Air: No reading
Rain Loading Recent rain: Checking

Recent trend

Checking preferred range.

Checking trend.

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Best window today

Checking weather.

Short-route forecast

Checking the next several hours.

Checking the best short-route window.
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Difficulty moderate Intermediate day trip with multiple channels, boulder gardens, and level-dependent rapids. A workable gauge does not erase the need for route-finding and wind judgment.
Permits None noted No route-specific paddling permit is known. Follow Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway rules and any posted landing restrictions.
Camping Options nearby Camping rules vary across the Riverway, so do not assume the landings themselves allow overnight use.
Season May-Sep Late spring through early fall is the main window. Wind matters almost as much as level on this broader channel, and cold shoulder-season water raises the cost of mistakes.

Dial in the shuttle, distance, and access.

Use this section once the route looks viable and you need to turn it into an actual trip plan.

Access, shuttle, and map

Use Fox Landing as the put-in and Highway 70 as the take-out. The gauge tells you when the route stops being too scrapy, but wind and broad-channel effort still shape the day.

Start

Put-in

Fox Landing Open map

Both landings are backed by Wisconsin DNR inventory records, but the inventory is not a full landing-rules page.

Finish

Take-out

Highway 70 boat launch Open map

The Fox Landing approach road is rougher and steeper than a typical flat park launch.

Pulling access map tiles. Usually under 5 seconds.

Access caveats

  • Both landings are backed by Wisconsin DNR inventory records, but the inventory is not a full landing-rules page.
  • The Fox Landing approach road is rougher and steeper than a typical flat park launch.

Watch for

  • Low-water scraping and channel-picking around islands and boulder gardens.
  • Wind on the wide channel, especially if it turns into a long headwind day.
  • Level-dependent rapids that become more serious than the score alone suggests.

Check the data behind today's call.

Use this section when the page shows stale data, limited confidence, or a call you want to verify before driving.

Read quality
Checking live inputs.

Pulling the latest gauge and weather. Usually under 10 seconds.

Gauge input Checking

Waiting on the gauge read.

Weather input Checking

Waiting on weather.

Next step Checking

Waiting on enough data to give the next step.

Today's data confidence is checking

Data confidence mostly comes down to three things: how direct the gauge is, how clear the range is, and how fresh the data is.

  • Checking data confidence notes.
Tomorrow and weekend

This is a cautious early look. If the data is too thin, we leave it out.

Tomorrow Checking

Waiting on forecast.

Weekend Checking

Waiting on forecast.

Gauge, thresholds, and timing

These are the live readings and threshold notes behind today's score.

Gauge site St. Croix River near Danbury, 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
Ideal range Needs paddler reports
Known low-water floor 1,000 cfs
High threshold Not calibrated yet
Data confidence behind the range Local route guidance
Gauge observed Checking
Paddle Today updated Checking
Main source behind this score MilesPaddled St. Croix River III minimum-flow note
Gauge source Checking
Weather source Checking
Rainfall source Checking
What to know before you go

These notes cover the access details, route quirks, and source caveats most likely to matter once you get there.

  • Low-water floor ~1,000 cfs

    Miles Paddled recommends waiting for at least about 1,000 cfs on the Danbury gauge for this Fox Landing to Highway 70 section.

    Source

  • Too low reference 720 cfs

    The same route report describes 720 cfs as too low for a worthwhile run.

    Source

  • Access confidence Verified

    Fox Landing and the Highway 70 landing are both backed by Wisconsin DNR boat-access inventory records.

  • Primary caution Wind on a broad channel

    Even when the gauge is workable, headwind and crosswind can dominate the effort on this wide upper St. Croix reach.

Check the source links

Use these links to double-check the gauge, route details, and access notes before you head out.

Photos, paddler notes, and updates.

See what others have shared, then add a condition report, upload photos, or flag anything that needs fixing.

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St. Croix River paddling FAQ

What water level is good for paddling St. Croix River?

Paddle Today watches St. Croix River near Danbury, WI and uses 1,000 cfs as the conservative low-water floor for this route. The ideal range still needs more paddler reports.

Where does this St. Croix River route start and end?

This route starts at Fox Landing and ends at Highway 70 boat launch, about 9.75 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.

See something outdated?

Access, hazards, wood, and shuttle details change. Send a quick correction if something looks off.