Cannon River, Minnesota, United States

5CaptTrouble 5:00 PM Sep 30, 2020

Good canoeing and great bird watching!
My husband and I and some friends went canoeing here one afternoon. We have canoed the Cannon many times before, usually when the water levels are high. This time they were about 6 to 8" low, so there were multiple series of rapids. We put in at Riverside Park in Cannon Falls. Normally we canoe down to Welch, MN, 12 miles, but apparently there are new owners at the bar and tube rental businesses. They have put up No Trespassing/No Parking signs on all of the parking areas near the river which is new. When we parked near the bar (and we made sure we were as far as possible from the door), we made sure to go in and buy a meal and some beers as compensation. We've been doing that since the 1970's... they have lost us as customers for good (and we ski at Welch). The food wasn't very good but we always made sure they got the price of about 4 meals plus beer and tip. There are signs up that you can pay $5 at the bar to park, but it was closed and there was no way to pay. To top it off, some woman stalked us while we were in Welch.... Creepy experience. So we took out at Miesville Ravine Park Reserve, which has a mud bank and a rock beach, about 8 miles downstream from Cannon Falls. The map for Miesville says admittance is free, but always check the website (Dakota County). There are a lot of bald eagles on the Cannon. One swooped down to look at my husband in his solo canoe just ahead of me; the bird was huge. What a sight, and close! We also spotted Kingfishers feeding too. There were some drunk people at cabins and ATV trails but they were pretty friendly. As I mentioned earlier, the water is low now but if you can shoot Class 1-2 rapids you're good. There are some stretches of still water but it can get windy. Overall a good trip, but we will be looking for another takeout beyond Welch and just leave earlier.

5Tim W 5:00 PM Jun 15, 2022

Fun kayak trip
We kayaked down the Cannon River from the public access at Sunset Trail to the access at Hwy 61. It took about 3.5 hours. The water levels were perfect and the water was beautiful and clear. We saw lots of fish underwater and saw dozens of eagles as we paddled along. This would be an easy kayak trip for beginners. The only struggle was getting out of the water at Hwy 61. The bank is fairly steep and very muddy. We biked back to our car along the Cannon Valley trail that parallels the river.