Interstate Park Offers Stunning Kayak Opportunity Even For Beginners

I am not someone who has a lot of experience kayaking or canoeing. I've spent a lot of time on a boat, just usually the ones with motors. We were camping for one final summer trip this last weekend and I went out of my comfort zone and rented a kayak.

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We were camping at Taylors Falls, which has the Interstate Park. Both Minnesota and Wisconsin sides of the St. Croix River are part of the Interstate Park. The campground we were at (Wildwood) also rented kayaks and canoes featuring a one-way trip. Perfect, right? The shorter trip was 7 miles down the river to Osceola, Wisconsin. From there, they pick you back up and bring you back to your car, or in our case - the campground.

Only two of us in the group signed up to go kayaking. Some people worried it would be too much paddling, or uncomfortable. I was up for the 2-3 hour adventure. But, I was still a little nervous. I haven't kayaked really any kind of distance before.

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The biggest thing that I was worried about was what kind of kayak it would be and if it would be tippy. We got to the river and we picked up a kayak from the beach (which came with a life jacket). They were sit-on-top kayaks, so you couldn't get stuck in them if you tipped over. That was a relief. After about a mile of paddling, I got pretty comfortable with the kayak and never really came close to tipping over. There was a beverage holder between your legs, and a mesh net on the back to store any gear.

We didn't have much wind that day, but when we did it was a headwind. There were only a couple of short stretches where we had to paddle against the wind, the rest of the time the current would keep you moving. We made the 7-mile trip in 2 hours. Some people say that it sometimes takes longer depending on the wind.

YouTuber Babysteps To Bushcraft had a suggestion that you stay to the Wisconsin side of the St. Croix River if you want to ride the current.

My arms were a little sore by the time we were done, but it really wasn't that hard at all. We saw a bunch of people of all ages and abilities kayaking down the river. It's really something that just about anyone can try.