• Salt Creek
    ★ ★ ★

    Salt Creek

    Graue Mill to Plank Road Meadow: A very convenient paddle on a small creek in west suburban Chicago that flows through an oak forest nature preserve into the much larger Des…

  • Tomorrow River - Nelsonville to Amherst Video
    Video

    Tomorrow River Video: Nelsonville to Amherst

    Video of the short but popular upstream section of Central Wisconsin’s Tomorrow-Waupaca River that begins as a charming and woodsy small-stream paddle, but then transitions to wide marsh-like environs towards the…

  • 2022 Year in Review
    News

    Miles Paddled 2022 Year in Review

    With another year in the (dry) bag, we’re officially calling it on 2022 in a very short year-end review. For us, it was a relatively quiet – but very good year…

  • Maquoketa River North Fork
    ★ ★ ★ ★

    Maquoketa River: North Fork II

    185th Street to Highway Y31: For the sake of brevity and bang-for-your-buck alone, this clip on the Maquoketa River’s North Fork is second to none. Astounding natural beauty and an atypical…

  • Kickapoo River
    ★ ★ ★ ★

    Kickapoo River V

    Steuben to Plum Creek Road Another wonderful daytrip down the lower Kickapoo, away from the hoo-ha and hoi polloi of the more popular segments upstream, this trip makes for a full…

  • Crawfish River
    ★ ★ ★ ★

    Crawfish River IV

    Columbus to Astico Park: A far more interesting paddle than I ever expected due to a surprising amount of variety – provided, you enjoy some wide-river paddling. The first half is…

  • Turkey River
    ★ ★ ★ ★

    Turkey River

    Elkader to Garber: With wooded ridges and robust bluffs lined down the river one after another, together with limestone rock outcrops, enormous boulders, frisky riffles, a dedicated Class I-II rapid at…

  • Root River
    ★ ★ ★ ★

    Root River

    Lanesboro Access to Peterson Access: A gorgeous journey through the heart of the Minnesota Driftless Area featuring towering bluffs with exquisite limestone outcrops, rolling hills, reputable current (including a few solid…

  • Crystal River
    ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

    Crystal River I

    Rural to Shadow Lake Road: The Crystal River is just that, crystal clear and as charming as the town of Rural that it flows through. It’s never very deep and you’re…

  • Kishwaukee River South Branch
    ★ ★ ★

    Kishwaukee River: South Branch

    Kingston to Irene Road: A tale of two personalities on a long-ish section of the South Branch of the Kishwaukee River, a generally easy-going and beginner-friendly trip at first, before flowing…

  • Manitowish River
    ★ ★ ★ ★

    Manitowish River

    County Road W to Highway 47: A quintessential northwoods narrative known not for its rapids or granite boulders, but rather its soft features and easy float, this classic paddle on the…

  • Big Rib River
    ★ ★ ★ ★

    Big Rib River II

    County Road A to Rib Falls: There’s something unassuming and subtle, but really engaging about this somewhat-secluded section of the Big Rib River. With many modest outcrops and plenty of gentle…

  • Tomorrow River
    ★ ★ ★

    Tomorrow River

    Nelsonville to Amherst: This short but popular section of the Tomorrow-Waupaca River located in Central Wisconsin is an easy-going paddle that begins as a charming and woodsy small-stream paddle at the…

  • Lake Superior Sand Island
    ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

    Lake Superior: Sand Island

    Touring The Apostle Island’s Sand Island: Truly a stunning and scenically spectacular paddle unlike anything I’ve had the good fortune to experience, the trip out to and back from Sand Island…

  • Chippewa River
    ★ ★ ★

    Chippewa River

    Dunnville to Durand: Combining the tail end of the Red Cedar River with a lower segment of the Chippewa River, this trip makes for a quintessential loaf float for a lazy…

  • Kishwaukee River
    ★ ★ ★

    Kishwaukee River II

    County Line Road to Red Horse Bend: A simply solid Northern Illinois day float, this section of the Kishwaukee River is a delightfully appealing paddle with easy accesses to boot. While…

  • Zumbro River South Fork
    ★ ★ ★ ★

    Zumbro River: South Fork

    90th Street to Zumbro River County Park: An accessible, beginner-friendly, and beautiful paddling experience in the driftless region of Rochester, Minnesota. This section of the South Fork of the Zumbro River…

  • Kickapoo River
    ★ ★ ★ ★

    Kickapoo River IV

    Plum Creek Road to Wauzeka: An easy, pretty, and primitive trip, this final stretch of the meandering Kickapoo is not endowed with the spectacular rock outcrops and canyons as found in…

  • Canoeing with a Baby
    Feature

    Canoeing With a Baby

    By Heather Rivérun Friend + Miles Paddled contributor Paddling is a passion in our family. Before the arrival of our daughter, my husband, Mike, and I could be found in our…

  • Des Plaines River Video
    Video

    Des Plaines River Video

    Here’s some video of the Des Plaines River I captured last fall. A sliver of an oasis located between a densely populated area of northeastern Illinois that flows through the open…