Mississippi River Lock Closure Halts Popular Kayak Tour
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- On Tuesday at 11:59 p.m., the Upper St. Anthony lock closed its doors for a final time. Last year, Congress ordered the lock closed to try to stop the northward spread of invasive Asian carp up the Mississippi.
The lock was a favorite tour for Above the Falls Sports. They snuck in as many final tours as they could on Tuesday and WCCO's Kylie Bearse was among them.
"It's been a little hectic but it's going to be a great day," Theo Byrnes, boat handler for Above The Falls Sports, said. "It's an amazing experience going through that lock, you drop about 50ft, largest drop on the Mississippi."
Once inside the lock, groups of kayakers held onto a rope as they're lowered nearly 50 feet in just a few minutes.
"They drop about 700 million gallons of water, and it's all gravity fueled," Earl, another boat handler, said.
While Above the Falls can no longer take you through the St. Anthony lock, they still have many other tours, including to Minnehaha Falls and even from Minneapolis to St. Paul.
