I LOVE the St. Croix! I live within walking distance, and as an avid hiker and paddler (kayaking!), I spend a lot of time on and near our local National Park. My favorite stretch is a several house paddle (or all-day, if that’s your plan,) just north of the flowage at the Taylors Falls Dam. On one particularly eventful trip, I balanced a shivering and wet chipmunk, that we found mid-river, on my paddle, and spared it from being that night’s dinner.
On another trip- this one a glassy, calm evening paddle- we met two snakes crossing from one side to the other. Long run the St. Croix!