We had a great experience with Jack's Canoe Rental yesterday morning. Dave, our driver to the…read morestarting point, was friendly, helpful, and got our trip off to a great start. We also appreciated chatting with him and learning about his longtime involvement with The American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars. Thank you again for a wonderful morning -- and thank you for your service!

After telling my son and a friend about a canoe trip I took as a teenager down the Namekagon and…read moreSt. Croix rivers 30 years ago, they both said they really wanted to do something similar. After reaching out to multiple outfitters in the region, I choose Jack's and I'm glad I did. I didn't want to transport my 17 foot Grumman aluminum to upper Wisconsin and take it through the rapids. We were also going to need to rent a second boat anyways and needed a shuttle. I started looking into local outfitters. They were quick to respond to my inquiries and answer my questions. They also were willing to not only rent us a canoe and a kayak and provide shuttle service, but they answered my questions about what I'd need to do for a multiple night trip down the river. We camped at their site for the first night and put in right there so we could paddle down the river, across Trego Lake, portage the dam, then continue down the Namekagon and St. Croix Rivers over the next couple of days. The equipment they rented us was in good condition. We had no issues with the paddles, PFDs, or boats. The shuttle van was clean and well maintained. When we looked at the camps all of them where in nice, clean conditions. The port-a-poties were clean. They have a store on site to purchase any items you may need to go down the river. The staff was friendly and nice. It wasn't busy when we arrived and was able to chat with some of them. It's a family own and operated business. We had scheduled a 3pm ride back to our vehicles on our last day but due to our underestimating how fast our trip was, we got there around noon. I called Jack's and inquired if there was any way they could pick us up early. Knowing they're busy I highly doubted it. Their response was they didn't have any drivers available right then, but if one becomes available early they would send them our way. We really didn't expect anyone to get there until 3pm. However, around 2pm the shuttle arrived. If we had to wait until the scheduled pick up time that would be understandable, but because they had the availability and could come early, that was pretty awesome in my book. If you're looking for an outfitter to go down the river either via canoe, kayak, or tube... I can't recommend enough Jack's.

Great views, easy hike, and lots of fun things to learn on the trails right in the heart of Taylors…read moreFalls. Currently the visitors center is closed for the season but the trails are still accessible. We did the glacial potholes trails which was full of rock climbers. Great views of the St Croix River. Probably spent 15-20 minutes at this trail. Then we did the Walter F Mondale trail till we decided to turn back. Lots of nature to see including hawks, robins, chipmunks, squirrels, etc. Lots of great photo ops too! Probably spent 30-45 minutes on this one. Also they have port a potty's at the parking lot which is helpful while the restrooms are closed for the season.

This is a great nature park. I've loved it every time we have come (beware it's extra busy when…read morethe leaves change color!). I visited this most recent time with a four year old who absolutely loved clambering and climbing around the unique rock formations. The park had some great views over the river which come fall are even better. I am awaiting the day we get to make use of the campgrounds!

We were able to have some fun, never having kayaked a river in my life. It was sooooo much fun. We…read morebrought our lake kayaks and survived the class 2-3-4 rapids. I would highly recommend for the whole family.

We reserved the easiest route down the river. It was the Stone Bridge to Winiboujou landing. It…read morewould be a three to four hour trip. About an hour and a half in we hit some mild rapids and it got worse from there. I am a beginner, but we should have been informed about the class two rapids. I was thrown out of my kayak three times and smashed on the rocks. We eventually had to portage the kayaks past the other rapids. There are also a lot of fallen trees on the river. You have to navigate around them, and some are close together, in fast moving water. It was a horrible experience for me. Don't think of bringing young kids on this route if they have no experience. Same for adults. I've been on kayak trips that are easy, and this wasn't one of them. Their website doesn't mention the rapids at all for this segment, if it did, I would have passed.

I was really looking forward to going white water rafting, especially after speaking with the…read moregentleman on the phone. He was patient, informative, and took the time to answer all my questions, which gave me a lot of confidence before we even got there. When we arrived, the three ladies at the sign-in shack were just as friendly and helpful. What stood out most to me was how focused they were on making sure everyone understood the process--not just for fun, but also from a safety standpoint. I really appreciated the way the staff in kayaks guided us, giving us clear heads-ups and reminders throughout the trip. That kind of attention helped a ton. The experience itself was absolutely exhilarating--riding through the rapids with friends was so wonderful. Our guides, Margo and Thea, were incredible. They were both friendly and supportive the whole time. At one point, during the last rapid, my friend lost his balance and fell into me, and almost knocking me out of the raft. Thankfully, Margo and my wife reacted quickly and grabbed me before I went overboard. Special thanks to Margo for that! Honestly, the whole trip was so much fun I was ready to go again immediately, but we had to check in our hotel and grab dinner. I just wanted to say thank you to the entire team, especially Margo and Thea, for making our first rafting adventure such a great one. We'll definitely be back soon.

This was super fun and a lovely adventure with a group of teens! The people who work here are…read morefriendly and helpful. I like their website. Rafting is always fun! Only four stars for two reasons. If you've never been rafting before, you will love this! If you have done some rafting in other states, this river will feel tame. Swiftwater adds in some time at a nice little beach where you can ride over a small rapid and hike up and the guides will show you berries! This makes up for the less exciting rapids. Also, and I'm sure this rarely happens, but the camera malfunctioned the day we were there and we didnt get pictures of our group. Bummer.

Tony knows his stuff and this river is a hidden gem. If you live kayaking and unspoiled nature,…read morethen put this on your list

I had such an incredible experience Ice climbing. Tony, our guide and shop owner, was incredibly…read moreinformative, easy going, and truly made the experience enjoyable. He even worked with my limited availability. You can tell he is passionate about what he does. He provided me with quality gear to use! I would come back ! Highly recommend.

Very fun float kayak paddling trip! We rented kayaks and they helped us put in and take out along…read morewith a quick bus ride back. It was about 8 miles on the river with a few small rapids. The water was fairly shallow and easy to navigate. It took us maybe 2.5 hours for our kayak trip with beautiful scenery. We saw deer, 2 fawns with spots and a doe. We saw two bald eagles and 1 golden eagle, blue herons, turtles, kingfisher, turkey vulture etc. The parking is free; there is a bathroom where you put in. You need to sign waivers before going. They offer PFDs to everyone; under 18 must wear PFD.

We love the town of Cannon Falls. We decided to plan a Kayak trip with some family and give this…read moreplace a try. This area is beautiful and we saw many Bald Eagles as we strolled down the Cannon River. I don't think this was too expensive and it was a lot of fun. We had not been kayaking before and my wife was clueless. I had used canoes when I was a kid and had been up to the Boundary Waters, I felt okay. We told the people that it was our first time and without much of any instruction, they put her in the kayak and away she went. I felt like they could have done anything to make her more comfortable. The rental area is a shack, basically. They put you in kayaks and then pick you up in an hour from departure at the pick up point. Look for the large pink rock, that is where you exit the river to be picked up. We had the last time slot with several people overturning and having to empty their kayak, not me, I stayed dry. The people that had to drain their kayak wasted a lot of time and we were late to our pick-up at the end of the day when you know they wanted to go home and start their weekend. I felt bad but it wasn't my fault. This was a fun time. I would recommend that you have some experienced people to help you if you are new at this. The people running this place are not interested in spending time teaching you how to stay dry. That is up to you.

We just did the canoe/kayak rental to go down the river but the resort looks really nice as well…read more I believe the owners were who helped us and they were so cool. Very friendly, informative and helpful. What a nice little place.

It is great to see a family that works hard together. We were made comfortable and we were helped…read moreto plan two trips on the river, one tubing and one canoe. Both throughly enjoyable. Camp ground is quite and we reserved a site right on the river which made it really nice. Great short, close get away before the end of summer. Thanks for a great stay !

Awesome! You must do this!!! Tried this for my birthday and will do it again when the leaves are…read morechanging. We did the Minnetonka to Edina section. Had some nice ripples in several areas. What an incredible view of nature right in the city. Fabulous!!!! Service superior-instructions and ready and waiting for us. Thank you!

From the owner: This small, female owned business was started in 2019.read more

I might have a slight bias, because Riverwood has been a supporter of the community in Osceola and…read moreI love seeing their vehicles around town. But if you are going to go down the St. Croix you need to go with Riverwood! The shuttle ride at the beginning left promptly and got use to the launch. The team at Riverwood were carrying boats down and had some already staged. I enjoy the beauty of being launched at Wisconsin Interstate Park! Once on the water we saw bald eagles, turtles, fish & geese. We even had a floating lunch! At the end we actually ran over to the WI side of the river to explore cascade falls in Osceola before paddling back to the landing on the MN side where they were waiting to drive us immediately back to our cars! I love the river and how Riverwood makes it easy & affordable for so many to enjoy it!

A local friend (Jan) recommended Riverwood while traveling through WI. Great recommendation. Had…read moreto call to make a change to my reservation, call promptly answered and accommodated. Crew were great, nice and friendly. We had a beautiful time kayaking down the river, it took us about 3 hours. Beautiful day, river was absolutely wonderful and very scenic. Highly recommend Riverwood.

Kerri still amazes me with genuine outstanding kayak adventures! Today our large group kayaked…read morefrom William O'Brien State Park to Nita Mae's Scoop & Marine General Store in Marine on St. Croix. It was extremely hot but on the river it was cooler. The ice cream treats were just what we needed! The waterfall stop was perfect (no photos-sorry).

From the owner: Stillwater Scheduled Kayak Tours Learn to Kayak Classes -…read moreIndividual or Groups Special Occasions - We can entertain up to 12 people Haunted History Trolley Tours in Stillwater Winter Snowshoe & Luminary Events.