St. Croix River (taylors falls to stillwater)

Overall Fastest Known Paddle

7 hours, 14 minutes

30 miles

Jonathan Thompson & Jhett Marchel

(this is also the fastest solo time)

This is the overall fastest known paddle time for this route; Jonathan and Jhett jointly hold the record; they are also joint record holders in the Solo Men category

This is considered a supported record, as all solo records are if accomplished by more than one boat at the same time.

Jonathan Thompson, 40, of Thompson, ND

Jhett Marchel, 40, of Champlin, MN

Start: Boat Ramp in Dresser WI. August 22, 2026 8:43am

End: Boat Ramp in Stillwater, MN. August 22, 2026 3:57pm

About the paddlers (from Jhett): Jonathan and I will be paddling the route in separate kayaks but completing the FKP together. I got my first kayak last fall and have done a handful of trips up and down the Rum River near my house. Jonathan has been an avid kayaker for 20 years. We both completed the MR45 this past summer.

From Jonathan: I have 20+ years of kayaking experience, primarily on flatwater (lakes and rivers) with limited whitewater kayaking and rafting experience. My friend paddling alongside me, Jhett Marchel, is new to kayaking as of this year.

Jonathan paddled an Old Town Castine

Trip report from Jonathan:

My paddling friend, Jhett Marchel, and I took our individual kayaks and launched from St. Croix River Boat Ramp near Dresser, WI at 8:43am. We each paddled our own individual kayaks on this paddle trip. We crossed a small rapid about 200 yards from where we started. The scenery was gorgeous. We started out on calm water with a slight 5mph tailwind. The water seemed exceptionally low, however, this was my first time on the river here so I had no prior experience on the St. Croix to compare. We had to paddle from one side of the river to the other side, switching often, to find the deep spots because there were numerous sand bars. We got hung up in shallow water on a sand bar near Osceola and again on Marine on St. Croix. In those instances we had to paddle backward, upstream, to get out of the shallows and find the deeper water. Along the way we saw an assortment of wildlife from numerous Bald Eagles, Osprey, fish, ducks and a muskrat. About half way to Stillwater, MN the wind started to increase and swirl around us changing directions on us a few times. About 2 miles from Stillwater, MN the wind increased to 20-25mph gust, mostly to our backs (out of the north) and the water got rough. As the waves grew and the wind blew I started taking on water from the waves crashing over the deck of my kayak from the stern. As we approached the HWY 36 Bridge Jhett and I assessed the situation. Given the strong winds, waves and taking on water, and that we were running out of daylight, we estimated if we kept going we would be paddling for two hours in the dark and waves. So given the circumstances we decided the safest decision was to stop at Stillwater, MN. So we paddled to the Stillwater Public Boat ramp and got off the water at 3:57pm. It was a beautiful paddle and a challenging one. I learned a valuable lesson in making the hard decisions on knowing when to stop for safety despite the desire to want to finish. And I hope to one day return and complete the Taylor Falls to Prescott paddle route. 

Trip report from Jhett Marchel:

Jonathan and I started in our solo kayaks in Interstate State Park in Dresser, Wisconsin intending to paddle to Prescott, Wisconsin. Starting around Oscela, we started to encounter a lot of shallow water, getting stuck a couple of times. Following Marine on St. Croix, we did better navigating the river, but still came across shallows and the river was moving very slowly. By the time we reached Stillwater, MN, the waves were so large that we knew we would not be able to make it to Prescott before dark. We were on the Wisconsin side of the river and decided to paddle straight across under the Highway 36 bridge to a boat launch, hoping the bridge would help protect us from some of the waves. It didn't protect as much as we had hoped so that is why the speed is so slow at the end.

On the river we saw numerous bald eagles and great blue heron. Fish jumping out of the water was frequent as well. Taking in the scenery and seeing a train go across the Arcola High Bridge just after we had passed were fun experiences. Jonathan and I grew up across the street from each other, so being able to get together spend time on the water was a great way to spend the day.