Lower Kinni

The Lower Kinni:

Below the hydro dams of River Falls, the Kinnickinnic River flows swiftly through a twisting limestone canyon formed millions of years ago and untouched by the glaciers of 12,000 year ago. The “Lower Kinni canyon” begins about a mile below the City of River Falls and continues approximately 10 miles to the St. Croix River. It is an outstanding scenic resource with high cliffs, shaded rapids and numerous moss and fern clad rock outcroppings. Wildlife abounds including nesting bald eagles, herons, waterfowl, deer and the rumored cougar.

Within the canyon, are the “Weeping Cliffs” where underground aquifers intersect the canyon walls. Water seeps year round forming spectacular ice cliffs in winter.

The constantly discharging cold groundwater creates a unique environment for water loving plants including trees, mosses, and ferns. The rare boreal forest white pine and other plants are found on the north sides of the canyon, where cool, moist air sweeps across the rocks and land, creating a habitat and plant communities found much further north.

South facing cliffs are hotter and drier and the site of rare “goat prairies” on its steep slopes. “Goat prairies” are so steep that typically only goats would be able to traverse them. They are unique habitats for rare native prairie plants.

The Kinni enters the St. Croix River approximately 8 miles from the put-in point below the dam. The mouth of the Kinni is in the Kinnickinnic State Park, which features 7 miles of hiking trails through woods, prairies, and sandy beaches, and over 1,200 acres of land.

***

Also known as “The Canyon”, the Lower Kinni is:

more like a freestone stream – rubble-strewn with dark pools at the bends, long, challenging flats, and a succession of riffles.

- Humphrey and Shogren in Wisconsin & Minnesota Trout Streams

Although the occasional brook trout can be found, mostly brown trout inhabit the Lower Kinni with densities around 3,000 trout per mile of stream.

Geologist William Cordua portrays the main features of the Lower Kinni as:

“…the bedrock cliffs, the sands and gravels along the river banks, and the boulders on the hilltops … The bedrock has fossil stromatolites, ripples, and mud cracks from the ancient sea. The steep bedrock cliffs show springs emerging from caves. The meandering river sandbars contain rocks that have fallen from the cliff as well as sediments brought into the area by glaciers.”