Reasons to kayak the Upper Kinni

A great place to first try river kayaking is on the upper Kinnickinnic River.  It is fairly calm on this section of the river and winds through farmland, woods, and passes by some houses.  It is not as remote as the lower Kinnickinnic River, so help isn’t far away.  There are also a few different exit points if you need to leave the river earlier or choose a shorter trip.   This section of the river has more people kayaking on it than the lower part.

The river

The Kinni is what the local people call the river.  It travels through the town of River Falls, Wisconsin.  The upper part of the river that people normally kayak is before the river enters the town.  If you continue to kayak through the town eventually you will come to a wide lake area and then a dam.    The other side of the dam is where the lower Kinni kayaking trips start.  If you’re interested in kayaking the lower Kinni then check out my other post on that.

Description of the upper Kinni

This beautiful section of the river winds its way through canopies of trees, farm fields, and prairies with tall grasses and flowers most of the way to the exit point.  Once in a while you will pass by a house.  You might also pass by people fishing for trout in the river.    Wildlife is everywhere if you take the time to look for it.  Many different birds live along the river.  Ducks can be seen with their heads tucked into their feathers sleeping.  Great blue herons stand in the water, but normally fly away when they see you coming.  Belted kingfisher is a bird I’ve seen swooping down to the water and then back up to a tree, fishing for its dinner.  Turtles bask on logs.  Frogs can be heard singing in the spring and early summer.

As you paddle down river, you can determine how fast you want to go.  Either let the current take you down river and just paddle when you need to steer around obstacles or paddle the whole way for more of a workout.  The more you paddle the faster your trip down river will be.  The more rain that has fallen recently before your kayaking adventure, the faster the current of the river will be.  This will then cause the trip to be over faster as well.

This is a trout stream, so the water is always cold.  It will never freeze in the winter because the water stays the same temperature year-round.  It is fed by an underground spring.

 

Starting Point

Most people start their journey kayaking the upper Kinni about 3 miles out of town north on highway 65.  There is a small parking lot on the right side if coming from River Falls or east side of the highway with a sign.  This is also the same spot the local companies that outfit people with kayaks start their customers out at.  The path leading to the river here is an easy short sloping path, so it’s easy to get your kayak to the river.  The water here tends to be over a foot deep right at the edge of the riverbank.

Exit Point

The main place people exit the upper Kinni is at a parking lot right across from Aldi’s grocery store in River Falls, Wisconsin.  A little bit before the exit point, you will go under two bridges right next to each other.  These are the bridges for the north and south bound lanes of highway 35.  As you continue a little bit more you will exit on the right side of the river before you get to another bridge.  The path leading from the river to the parking lot is about two or three times as long as the entrance point path.  The path to the parking lot is a slight incline.  There is not a lot of room for a bunch of kayaks to sit on the riverbank here, so it is important that you pull your kayak out of the water and not leave it there for a long time.

 

Other access points of upper Kinni

• Liberty road has an access point with a parking lot.  Liberty road is a little further north on highway 65.  You will turn right onto Liberty Road and the access point parking lot is on your right, after you go over a bridge.  This is almost right after you turn onto Liberty Road.
• County Road JJ is another access point.
• Quarry Road has a parking lot and access to the Kinni on it.
• Heritage Park is in the town of River Falls.  There is plenty of parking here.
• Highway 65 about a mile north out of River Falls, there is a driveway with a parking lot at the end.  It is on the right side if you are coming from River Falls or the east side of the highway.  This is a place to try a really short trip down the Kinni.

What to bring

• Lifejacket
• Water bottle with water in it
• A snack
• Waterproof bag to store anything you don’t want to get wet such as a phone, camera, or car keys. (If you don’t have to bring your car keys or phone with you, I wouldn’t.)
• Sunscreen
• Bug spray
• If it’s cold outside, a sweatshirt or something to keep you warm.

Things to consider

• There are no bathrooms anywhere along the river.  The entrance and exit points also do not have any bathrooms at them.
• Most of the land around the river is privately owned, so make sure you are not stopping at anybody’s private property.
• Cell service shouldn’t be a problem on this section of the river.
• If you have your own kayaks, make sure to park a vehicle at the exit point or get someone to pick you up.
• If you need to rent kayaks, there are two main companies that outfit the Kinni River.

  • Kinni Creek Lodge and Outfitters has a variety of options for different trips down the Kinni. They even offer the lower Kinni to Prescott trip.

  • River Guide Kayaks has different trip options down the Kinni. They even offer a guide to go with you for a fee if you want one.

More information about Kayaking the Kinni

Read about kayaking the lower Kinni, safety when kayaking, and things to do when kayaking down the Kinni in my post called Kayaking the Kinnickinnic River.