Where there’s water, it carves a way—aided and abetted by gravity, that is. Unhindered by artificial restraints imposed on it by Man, the natural tendency of the Kinnickinnic River flowing into the now drained Lake Louise has reasserted itself once again, with the local waterway carving a path through the lakebed before squeezing through a small spillway door on the east side of the Powell Falls dam to leave River Falls city limits and carry on.

For those headed down the stair to hike downriver, a sign just past the dam warns hikers of the “deep mud,” an apt description if we ever heard one.

Returning upstream, a drawdown of the manmade Lake Louise was carried out earlier this fall in order to inspect flood damage sustained to the Powell Falls dam in the summer flooding and heavy rain. As it stands the lake drawdown is temporary and Lake Louise may or may not be refilled once the winter thaw comes, pending the City’s decision. The Powel Falls dam provides enough electrical power to sustain several homes for a year and is due to be removed permanently come 2025, just four years hence, as the City transitions the Kinnickinnic river back to nature. In like manner, the dam forming Lake George is set to be decommissioned in 2040.

For the time being at least and as a temporary side treat while the damage sustained to the Powell Falls dam is inspected by City employees, River Falls and Pierce County residents who descend the sloped path heading north in Glen Park can see naturally-formed river falls visible at the site, if only just. A walk through the nearby woods at shore level might be necessary to see them up close, though residents are still advised to avoid the cracked and moist lake bed, not quite safe to walk on yet. River Falls residents are likewise advised to avoid taking the rather steep and slippery-sloped descent through the woods closer to the dam site. EMS is busy as it is, after all.

A trip through the trees at shore level isn’t necessary unless you want to though, as we already made the journey—and brought back pictures! Check out the views of Lake Louise drained, and should you feel the impulse to visit at shore level, be sure to check out the stacked rocks popping up nearby from human activity!