The 104 mile long Cloquet River flows from Katherine Lake in central Lake County to its confluence with the St. Louis River. The uppermost 32 miles (from Katherine Lake to Indian Lake Reservoir)are not regarded as floatable because the river is steep, dangerous, and rarely has enough flow for feasible paddling.
The first good access to the river is at Indian Lake Campground near Rollins. From there the river flows southwest through remote territory with numerous Class I, Class II, and some Class III rapids. The river has a dam at river mile 28.6 which forms the Island Lake Reservoir which can provide some good smallmouth bass fishing. The river below the dam has good fishing all the way to the St. Louis River.
Because of the many steep, rocky stretches and the small watershed area, medium to heavy stream flow is necessary for an enjoyable run. During the summer, the river's rapids may be runnable only after a heavy rain. Stream flow usually peaks in late April and falls throughout the summer. Fall rains frequently raise the level of the river significantly.
If the gauge on the bridge south of Brimson (RM 67.7) reads much below 3.5, many of the rapids will be too rocky to run. Likewise, if the flow into Island Lake Reservoir is less than 150 cubic feet per second, many chutes may be too congested for easy passage.
From Katherine Lake to Island Lake Reservoir, the river falls 549 feet, or 8.5 feet per mile. The upper stretch is steepest, falling 13.9 feet per mile from Katherine Lake to Indian Lake Reservoir. From there to Island Lake, the river falls 3.2 feet per mile.
The Cloquet River has two distinct personalities. The upper section from Indian Lake to Island Lake Reservoir, is for experienced paddlers only. Rapids are usually short and are separated by long sections of quiet water. Except for a couple of high-water Class III rapids above Island Lake Reservoir, the rest of the upper rapids are rated Class II. Each rapids has a portage trail. You could float above Indian Lake, though the long boulder-bed rapids (Class I and Class II) are runnable only in high water.
The lower stretch of the river between Independence (RM 10.2) and the St. Louis River (RM 0) can be an enjoyable paddle that offers a variety of water types, scenic beauty, and great fishing. However the first 10 miles of the river has a lot of rapids, including a set of Class II rapids as the river falls 20 feet in the first mile as it merges with the St. Louis River.
The upper stretch of the Cloquet River is wild, its generally low banks are heavily forested with red and white pine, fir, spruce, aspen and birch. Long placid stretches are broken by short bouldery rapids. Outcrops are most frequent in a short stretch immediately above Island Lake. Except for several houses near Alden Lake and on Island Lake, the upper Cloquet River is undeveloped. The lower part of the river varies in scenery. A riverside forest of red and white pine, fir, spruce, aspen and birch is occasionally broken by farmland and a few homes and cabins. Though several bridges cross this stretch, there are no large towns or cities.
Common game fish include smallmouth bass, sunfish, northern pike, walleye and channel catfish. The Cloquet's low alkalinity keeps most smallmouth bass typically under 15 inches. A few brook trout inhabit the far upper reaches near cold-water tributaries in that area.
Fishing on the Cloquet River can be very good. Smallmouth bass are the most prolific, but anglers should be aware these bass are often migratory. In early spring the bass move upstream towards the Island Lake Dam, then slowly work their way back downstream over the course of the summer and often end up wintering in the St. Louis River. In this stretch of water, the bass tend to be moving through in July and early August.
A map of Major Stephen Long's expedition in 1823 shows the Cloquet River labeled as Rapid River, but on Joseph Nicollet's 1843 map, the river was called Cloquet, probably named for a French fur trader. The river was known in the Ojibwe language as the Gaa-biitootigweyaag-ziibi ("River that parallels the Saint Louis River"). For centuries before the coming of whites, this area was the home of Dakota Indian tribes. In 1679 the first European to explore this area probably was Daniel Greysolon, Sieur du Lhut (for whom Duluth was later named). White settlement of the area began with the La Pointe Treaty of 1854, by which the Lake Superior and Mississippi bands of the Ojibwe Indians ceded to the United States the vast area of northeastern Minnesota. The completion of the railroad from the Twin Cities to Duluth in 1869 marked the real beginning of immigration to this area. Hundreds of immigrants from the eastern United States and Europe arrived in Duluth each month. There were an estimated eight billion board feet of pine in the Cloquet River valley. It was in this area that the largest section of timber ever recorded was cut--33 million board feet from a square mile near Little Alden Lake. Nearly all of the original pine stands had been logged by the time of the last log drive in 1925, though scattered mature white and red pine remain amid a second-growth forest of birch, aspen, fir and spruce.
geoPDF map of the Cloquet River
Site Report - (RM 4.3) - Cloquet River near Burnett, County Road 694 (04048001)
Site Report - (RM 28.6) - Island Lake Reservoir Water Level
Site Report - (RM 73.4) - Cloquet River at CSAH 44 (04012001)
29755 State Highway 38, Grand Rapids, MN 55744; 218-326-9866. Ten canoes for rent. No shuttling. Some camping gear and food. Also serves Big Fork, Little Fork, Mississippi, Saint Louis, and Vermilion Rivers.
4757 Datka Road, Duluth MN 55803; 15 miles north of Duluth; 218-428-5990 or 218-391-0147. Flatwater and whitewater kayak instruction and guiding on inland lakes and Lake Superior. Shuttle service available.
22 East. Riverside Road. Esko, MN 55733; 218-451-3218. Professionally guided wilderness and whitewater paddling experiences on the Cloquet River via canoe and kayak. Lessons, trips and eco-tours. Also serves the Kettle and St. Louis Rivers.
To float the first 10 miles of the river put in at the rest area right off of US Hwy 53 (RM 10.3) and float down to the St. Louis River where you will then float down about 1.1 miles to the US Hwy 2 bridge take out point. If you choose to use a bicycle shuttle it would be about 13.4 miles and take about 1:12 to ride. This stretch of river is hard to float during periods of low water and can be also difficult if the water level is too high since there are a lot of rocks and rapids (Class I and Class II) throughout this stretch of the river. A Class II rapids exists right before the intersection with the St. Louis River. The river drops 20 feet in the last mile, but otherwise has a river gradient of 6 feet of drop per mile which can make this a fast float.
Another float to consider is putting in at County Road 15 (RM 19.7) and floating down to the rest area on US Hwy 53 (RM 10.2) which is a 7.7 mile long float. A bicycle shuttle would be 8.6 miles and take you about 42 minutes using Hwy 53 and an old gravel railroad grade. This stretch of river has a few Class I rapids and a lot of rocks so water levels should be taken into account if you're planning this float. The river gradient is 3.1 feet per mile.
A float to consider is putting in at County Road 48 (RM 27.4), just below the Island Lake Dam and floating down to the take out access located at County Road 15 (RM 19.7). This is a 9.5 mile long float. A bicycle shuttle would be 7.3 mile long and take 36 minutes. There are no rapids in this stretch and the river gradient is a leisurely 1.8 feet per mile. This float would be better in late spring to early summer when the bass are still located in this area and as they begin their migration downstream.
No floats are shown for the river about Island Lake Reservoir due to the number of Class II and Class III rapids in that area and the unavailability of fishing information. However, Island Lake Reservoir has a decent amount of smallmouth bass and other species to consider fishing for.