Sioux Falls is a small cascading waterfall on the Little Indian Sioux River in St. Louis County, Minnesota, inside the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. There is no road or trail to it; paddlers reach it by canoe, and a short portage carries boats around the drop.
The falls
The river steps down over rock in a series of low, gradual tiers. Lidar data puts the drop at roughly 6 to 8 feet. The river is shallower and narrower above the falls.
Getting there
The falls lie about 2 miles upstream of Entry Point 9, Little Indian Sioux River South. A 10-rod portage bypasses the drop on river left when heading downstream. Day paddlers need a free self-issued permit; overnight trips from May 1 to September 30 need a quota permit at $16 per adult and $8 per youth, plus a $6 reservation fee. Entry Point 9 was closed by wildfire on July 11, 2026 and reopened on August 25, 2026.
When to go
Flow drops in autumn low water, and in drought the river above the falls can be hard to paddle. By midsummer wild rice fills much of the channel, which makes paddling slower.
On site
The lower landing is awkward: paddlers heading upstream climb out onto a rock ledge at the base of the falls. The trail is short and uphill with views of the cascade, and the upper landing is a smooth rock slab set well back from the lip. Visitors report many beaver and ducks along this stretch of the river.
Nearby
Devils Cascade is about 7.1 miles away, Loon Falls about 10.5 miles and Curtain Falls about 17 miles. Ely, the nearest town, is about 21.3 miles away.
Distances are straight-line.