User Tools
Sidebar
This is an old revision of the document!
Table of Contents
Lake Pepin
Lake Pepin Double Downwinding photo: Zach Handler
Intro
Lake Pepin is an “S” shaped widening of the Mississippi River as it passes through a sandstone gorge with Minnesota on one side and Wisconsin on the other. The lake is held back by a natural dam formed where the Chippewa river enters the Mississippi and drops massive quantities of sand. Lake Pepin is 20 miles long, 2 miles wide, fairly shallow at only 20 feet deep, and has minimal current in most sections. Lake Pepin is where Ralph Samuelson invented water skiing in 1922, getting towed first by a motorboat and then in 1925 by a sea plane reportedly at 80 mph. Before the invention of plastic, the area’s main industry was producing buttons from clamshells collected in the lake.
Downwind
Lake Pepin is about 75 minutes south of the Twin Cities. There are numerous launch points on both the Minnesota and Wisconsin sides of the river. Pepin is a great place for beginners to learn to downwind. Shore is never far away and waves are typically clean, orderly, and only about 2 feet high. In high winds, waves can get 3-4 feet and be quite fun.
Runs
W or NW wind:
Downstream to Reads Landing:
The best run on the lake is riding a W or NW wind, starting anywhere between Lake City and Frontenac (within the state park), and finishing at Reads Landing at the downstream terminus of the lake. There is an 11 mile fetch in that section and in the last few miles the steep walls of the gorge funnel and accelerate the wind. On a big day this section is reminiscent of a good day in the Columbia river gorge. The take out is at a brew pub in Reads Landing 1.5 current-assisted miles past the end of the lake. This last section is not surfing, but there is a swift current to help you along. It’s a nice cool down after chasing bumps and an opportunity to chat with your paddling partners. I have never done this run in the reverse direction though it should work just fine once you’ve beat your way upstream to the lake.
- Lake City - Reads Landing 10 miles
- Frontenac (Florence Township Beach) - Reads Landing 17 miles
- Maiden Rock - Pepin 13.5 miles video
S wind:
Downwindfun With a south wind (SSE ideal) the run from Stockholm to Maiden Rock on the Wisconsin side is a very nice short run at 7 miles. Bigger waves are in the middle and beginners can find smaller stuff closer to the Wisconsin shore.
Launches
Lake Pepin google maps screenshots - click to enlarge
 frontenac.png |  hoksila.png |  lake_city.png |  maiden_rock.png |
 pepin.png |  pepinbarge.jpg |  reads_landing.png |  rest_area.png |
 stockholm.png |
Conditions
- …
Videos
Sternwheeler Wash Ride
Resources
- Jonathan Sanborn (facebook) Is quite familiar with paddling on Lake Pepin
- Zach Handler (facebook) Zach is an experienced Lake Pepin downwind paddler and kindly provided the information on this page
- …
