Top Ten Canoeing and Flatwater Rafting Trips

Difficulty: Class I to III

Season: April through October

Trip Length: Half-day to several days

The St. Croix River is one of the Midwest's paddling gems, a long ribbon that defines most of the border between Minnesota and Wisconsin. Mostly this is a flatwater destination, but there's plenty of rambunctious whitewater to be found. With much of the lower St. Croix officially designated a National Scenic Riverway, paddlers won't be disturbed by the encroachments of civilization as they float past sandstone banks and thriving hardwood forest. Many rustic campsites along the way make the latter option an enticing possibility.

Class I to II whitewater can be had in the upriver from Gordon Dam to the CCC Bridge, or farther down between Norway Point to Soderbeck Landing.