Zippy's Final Plunge (Zippy's)

Best choice is to scout this rapid from the take out parking area before you run the river.  Debris sometimes lodges on the abutments and may cut off a channel. Also if you are paddling during the winter months, ice shelves can form on the abutments and in the calm water below the drop sometimes all the way across the river. If you are paddling in high water (>1800 cfs), this section should be considered class IV. At levels above 2400 cfs the current can rise up above the abutments and sieve through the wooden bridge supports. 

There is an important medium sized eddy to catch on river left just above Zippy's that can hold about 6-8 boats to prepare for the final rapid.  There is also a large  hole at this spot that offers rough play.  Downstream the river gets more turbulent as you run.  Stay in river center-left and catch the eddies behind the rocks which are located about every 50 yards apart just left of center. This will allow you to control your speed and do a bit of boat scouting from each eddy. After the last boulder you will see a horizon line at river center and the bridge will appear.  Head directly down the center-left main current, but be prepared to maneuver through a turbulent drop before the bridge.

Immediately downstream from this drop the river passes under another railroad bridge with abutments at an angle to the current. This results in a sudden shift in current direction that requires caution. There are three abutments with five channels. The two channels on either bank are usually clogged with debris so they must be avoided. The second channel from the left bank is usually the easiest and the current from river center-left general flows this way and carries your boat with it without trouble.  The turbulence from the water after the drop helps slow down your boat to manage the shift in direction.  With higher water the middle channel is passable and with higher water still all three channels are passable.

In 2020, the new whitewater park (see Mill City Park) was built up and the end of Zippy's was transformed into a permanent playwave.  This reduced the intensity of the original wave train under the bridge, which would plunge most kayak boaters' heads under water!  Stop and play or push through the wave and take out on river left just below the amphitheater.

Shortly after the take out, the river leads right up to a high vertical drop unrunable dam. Many boats and paddles have been lost over this dam.
Also see the Zippy's map