A) Little Falls to Pike Hole (2.2 miles)

This stretch of the Apple River is well upstream of the popular 'tubing' area near Somerset, and is one of the first runs in the area to open up for the year so area paddlers use it as a 'tune up' for the coming season. Put-in is at a county park, from which you'll have about 1.25 miles of warmup water. Just downstream of CTH.C bridge, the river makes a couple twists and turns, then drops into Pike Hole Rapids and Little Falls, each of which is class II+/ III-. (There appears to be ~30' of drop in about 0.8 miles through here.) Take-out is immediately after the two main drops on the run. Those who have never done the run are advised to walk down the hill from the take out parking area to have a look at the main rapid. You'll hear it before you see it. Medium level will have some water coming around the tiny island pourover. This is run by locals (from the Amery area) at normal summer flow, but it's a bone run, park and play at first big rapid only (the waves will be mushy at usual summer flow). Aluminum canoes scrape, grind, and groan their way down the first drop at low water. That said, a 'banksfull' level tends to wash out a lot of features above the big drops, and the eddies get tiny at the first big drop. A longer trip my be had by paddling to the next bridge crossing.