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Rapid MN Class IV

Octopus

St. Louis - E) CR210 to Oldenburg Point (3.25 miles) (MN)

Gauge Conditions
Runnable: 3,000.0 – 4,500.0 CFS

Likely 'fish flow' of 350 cfs.

Photo
Octopus
Photo courtesy of American Whitewater
Description

After the second sister, you will see a horizon line which signals Octopus, a class V puzzle best scouted (or portaged) river left.

Octopus starts off with a transverse dike of rock funneling most of the water off to river left, where a slot exists through which the river is twisted and falls into a pool below. Some boaters may choose to run this route (known as "The Beak"), but most will slide down a (often barely water-slicked) steep-faced rock far to the right, into a pool below.

Following this, the river is immediately funneled down between parallel splines of rock leading off to the left. Numerous routes are possible, though tight right (staying high, then 'boofing' into a potentially sticky hole) or well to the left (losing a bit more elevation, with tricky 'trip-rocks' en route, before dropping over a slightly smaller ledge into a slightly smaller hole (beware the rock slightly underwater in the hole).

As I understand it, the name "Octopus" derives from (by some count or exaggeration) as many as eight different holes, one waiting to catch you virtually no matter where you run this drop.

Downstream, wide easy rapids and flatwater lead to the island above the Swinging Bridge at Jay Cooke State Park.

Location
Type
Rapid
Difficulty
Class IV
Mile Marker
1.0 mi
Directions
View Full Run
E) CR210 to Oldenburg Point (3.25 miles)
St. Louis
II-V 3.3 mi
Current Conditions
5-Day Forecast
Whitewater data from
American Whitewater