Vermillion (Hastings) - Falls to Old Mill in Hastings (0.5 mile)


Vermillion (Hastings), Minnesota, US

Disclaimer

Falls to Old Mill in Hastings (0.5 mile)

Usual Difficulty II-III+ (varies with level)
Length 0.5 Miles

Photo#876090


Photo taken 06/07/10 @ low runnable level

Gauge Information

Name Range Difficulty Updated Level
VERMILLION RIVER NEAR EMPIRE, MN
usgs-05345000 100 - 450 cfs I 64d23h03m 21 cfs (rc= -0.7 )
Generally too low for whitewater. USGS gauge (129 sq.mi. drainage) is 17.3 river miles upstream . Actual flow in this reach will vary, and might average 1.5 times what the gauge reads.


River Description

There are several nice holes for surfing and blasting at 100 cfs and higher. The holes are shallow, and the rocks are sharp, so be very careful about flips and upstream braces. At higher flows (over 500cfs), the holes become very sticky and the reach (overall) will merit a class IV rating, due to being relatively narrow, constricted, twisty, and relatively continuous. It's a real short run with a trail along side (in a park), so you can carry up to do it again and again and again. 

Boaters are also encouraged to support the "Friends of the Vermillion River Water Trail" (FVRWT, 'favorite'), which has a brochure available online here.

Note that water quality is generally quite poor, so nose plugs are a good idea. The stream is on the list of 'impaired waters' due to fecal coliform bacteria levels, which exceed recommended levels for any contact with the water, especially after a "rain event". For more info see Minnesota Polution Control Agency.

The following video (courtesy 'FacePlant' and YouTube) is helmet-cam footage for a boater's-eye view of the run.


StreamTeam Status: Not Verified
Last Updated: 2010-12-07 23:53:06

Photo#876090

Detail Trip Report    @Vermillion (Hastings) Falls to Old Mill in Hastings (0.5 mile), MN(5.31MB .jpeg)

First Drop

Detail Trip Report  First Drop  @Vermillion (Hastings) Falls to Old Mill in Hastings (0.5 mile), MN(4.32MB .jpeg)


Gauge Information

Gauge Description:

The cited gauge is 17.3 river-miles upstream. A handful of decent sized tribs enter below. Drainage area at the gauge is 129 sq.mi., while at a defunct gauge listed  drainage of 195 sq.mi. within a mile upstream of the listed put-in. Thus if/when the entire watershed contributes flow evenly/proportionally, flow in this reach would generally be nearly 1.5 times flow listed on the gauge! On the other hand, when localized rains hit tribs unevenly, flow in the whitewater reach could vary significantly from expectations based upon flow reported by the upstream gauge. Quite regularly the gauge may 'under-report', I.E., this could be boatable (even moderate flows!) when gauge says it's too low (if rain hit tribs other than where gauge is). Also possible (less often), the gauge may 'over-report', showing higher flows than yet exist in the whitewater reach (eg., if reaches above the gauge get hit with rain, and it hasn't worked its way downriver to the whitewater reach). Thus, first-hand on-site observation of the reach is needed to confirm actual conditions.

Some local folks will boat this with reported flows as low as 50 cfs or so. Obviously things will be scrapey, but a couple spots are available for tame play. The 'minimum' as set here is for a more reasonable play experience with more features formed up for good play. 
The 'maximum' as set here is more an indicator of a 'bump up' in difficulty level. The river is definitely runnable/playable much higher. (There are reported runs at 1300 cfs and more!)

Based upon the latest 22 years of data,

Maximum Daily Mean Flow   3000 cfs
Minimum Daily Mean Flow 14 cfs
10% Flow 153 cfs
90% Flow 26 cfs
10/90 Ratio 5.88

The 10/90 ratio of 5.88 would tne to indicate this is what would be classified as a only a moderately 'flashy' stream. A disclaimer here that the analysis is only upon "mean daily flow", thus will not accurately reflect the effect of instantaneous spikes of duration less than a day which often affect urban streams, smaller streams, and streams with less permeable surface in their watershed.

Gauge Information

Name Range Difficulty Updated Level
VERMILLION RIVER NEAR EMPIRE, MN
usgs-05345000 100 - 450 cfs I 64d23h03m 21 cfs (rc= -0.7 )
Generally too low for whitewater.
USGS gauge (129 sq.mi. drainage) is 17.3 river miles upstream . Actual flow in this reach will vary, and might average 1.5 times what the gauge reads.
RangeWater LevelDifficultyComment
0 - 50 cfs extremely Low-somewhat Low I Generally too low for whitewater.
50 - 100 cfs somewhat Low-barely Low I-II Very low, but some play is possible.
100 - 200 cfs barely runnable-med runnable II Low to moderate flows. Good play.
200 - 300 cfs med runnable-a bit pushy runnable II+ Moderate to moderately high flow. Getting pushy, but good play.
300 - 450 cfs a bit pushy runnable-high runnable II-III+ Moderately high to high flows. Pushy, big play.
450 -1000 cfs somewhat High-somewhat High III-IV Big, fast, powerful. Requires strong, sure paddlers.
1000 -9999 cfs somewhat High-extremely High IV Huge, fast, powerful. Confident well-experienced paddlers may still go for it.

Report - Reports of Vermillion (Hastings) Falls to Old Mill in Hastings (0.5 mile) and related gauges

Reports give the public a chance to report on river conditions throughout the country as well as log the history of a river.

Reports

When River/Gauge Subject Level Reporter
1y246d19h45m @Vermillion (Hastings) Falls to Old Mill in Hastings (0.5 mile) [MN] First Drop n/a user: "Jackson120890"
1y248d19h38m @Vermillion (Hastings) Falls to Old Mill in Hastings (0.5 mile) [MN] Account of 07/11/10 low runnable level user: "Jackson120890"

WXPort

News





No Comments

Users can submit comments.

Rapid Descriptions

icon of message No rapids entered. If you know names, and locations of the rapids please contact and advise the StreamTeam member for this run.

Do more than just check gauges; join over 5,000 AW members today.

Join_or_Renew_Logo-200px

Join or Renew


Or, consider donating

Donate_Logo-200px

Donate


General Nonmember Message


 reach  
 state  
 reachlink  
 Falls to Old Mill in Hastings (0.5 mile), Vermillion (Hastings) Minnesota, US (mobile)