County Road E to Hagedorn Road: A two-for-one trip that demonstrates the admirable diversity of the understated Bark River, featuring a classic river-lake-river pattern through a mostly undeveloped landscape, the paddler can do these segments as two separate trips…
Lake Ludden to S. Oak Park Road: A truly peculiar but unique branch of the Pecatonica system, this trip offers an obstacle course around strainers, some fun light rapids, and several stretches of gorgeous geology in a serene setting.…
County Road W to Colfax Park: One of the prettiest stretches of the leggy Red Cedar River featuring picture-perfect sequences of stunning hills and hollows with exposed rock outcrops, this longish trip is great for newbie paddlers as well…
County Road S to Manitowoc: A really fun daytrip along the meat-and-marrow of the Manitowoc River, with small boulders, continuous stretches of Class I-II rapids, a mix of bottomlands and steep wooded banks, and very little development for miles…
County Road JJ to County Road S: A truly pleasant little jaunt that packs a heckuva lot of punch in only 7 miles, this section of the Manitowoc River begins quietly through tranquil farm country then races along fun…
Highway D61 to 60th Avenue: A long stretch of water that is eminently pleasant, this trip has the look and feel of a wild setting, despite its Iowan/agrarian surroundings. However, its length and relative monotony might tax some paddlers. But…
Cotton Mill Park to County Road J: A section of the Beaver Dam River that begins as an exhilarating urban paddle before quieting down towards the outskirts of town amongst suburban development, then narrowing again and alternating between wooded…
St. Cloud to Sheboygan Broughton Marsh County Park: A surprisingly varied and pleasant trip for what otherwise might seem like a monotonous marsh, this section of the Sheboygan River rewards paddlers with a historic bridge, woodsy corridors, a labyrinth…
Millhome to Johnsonville: Arguably the wildest and wooliest section of the Sheboygan River, this trip will be most suitable for roguish paddlers who are comfortable with the occasional discomfort of obstacles to dodge in a current that shouldn’t be…
Johnsonville to Dassow Park: One of the prettiest and most intimate segments on the Sheboygan River, this short trip will reward the paddler with clear water, a riffly current, steep wooded and attractively eroded banks, and more solitude than the…
Dassow Park to Sheboygan Falls: Everything you could ask for in a river but nothing to go out of your way for unless you live nearby or are passing though, this trip on the Sheboygan is generously endowed with…
Sheboygan Falls to Lake Michigan: Hardly a destination river trip to make a bucket list, but a splendid final segment of a great, underrated river in southeastern Wisconsin. This trip on the Sheboygan is never far away from development…
Spring Green to Lone Rock: An easy, straightforward, entirely delightful stretch of the Lower Wisconsin Riverway featuring innumerable sandbars, wooded islands, rolling hills and even an exposed sandstone rock wall. Great accesses at the put-in and take-out make for…
Buchholz Road to County Highway Q: A long section with a generous mix of good and bad – the pluses being swift current, clear water, giant boulder gardens, attractive tall banks and great accesses; the minuses being notoriously shallow…
Highway 58 to Dog Hollow Road: A scenic trip that’s as thrilling as it is serene set in the gorgeous Driftless country of Richland County. The best that Willow Creek has to offer the paddler is here, beginning with…
Touring Downtown Chicago: This was a very unique experience for us (and would be for anyone) because paddling through the middle of a lively downtown in the third biggest city in the United States, surrounded by the sights and…
Castle Rock Dam to Lyndon Station: A peaceful trip that is light on individual details, but luxurious on general overall feel. There’s very little development along the banks, and several humongous islands that divide the mainstream into beguiling side channels.…
Frontier Park to Jacobus Park: A unique urban paddling trip that is surprisingly natural and preserved, featuring a ton of riffles and Class I rapids. There are several caveats, however – notoriously low water levels, two of the most…
Touring Cherokee Marsh in Dane County: Quietwater enthusiasts love Cherokee Marsh for its abundant wildlife and acres of no-wake water. On various days in the marsh, you might spot sandhill cranes, geese, ducks, bullfrogs, eastern painted turtles and carp…
Highway 23 to Lake Winnebago: The rarely traveled Fond Du Lac River is an undiscovered gem that can and should be run at higher levels for a wildly frisky and fun paddling trip. It’s best for the intermediate paddler…
Monches to Okauchee Lake: A wild and wooly trip that offers a wonderful diversity of paddling platforms from boulder gardens, glacial moraines, wooded forest, floodplains, rapids and lakes, this is an awesome but little known segment of the Oconomowoc…
Highway 59 to Highway 104: A very pleasant paddle through a mix of marsh, meadows, woods and savanna, with very little development along the way and outstanding wildlife. Accesses aren’t great, but they’re doable. Allen Creek is a fairly…
County Road ES to Bowers Road: A truly charming stream that meanders through wetlands and past tree-topped hilly moraines, with outstanding wildlife sightings, only minor obstructions, and a palpable feeling of escaping the everyday world – up to and including (or…
Streit Road to Denny Road: This section of Piscasaw Creek had everything I liked about the upper section and then some. Here I found beautiful prairie surroundings, farm dams that were fun and easy to run, and it was all topped off…
Highway 83 to Delafield Road: A short fun trip that is as varied as it is scenic, beginning on a meandering creek-like river through a floodplain, entering a huge lake, continuing as a swift-flowing narrow river through an attractive…
West Bend to Newburg: One of the funnest sections on the mighty Milwaukee River, this trip begins and ends with Class I rapids surrounded by parcels of development as well as wild corridors in between. Notoriously shallow, you’ll want…
Black Earth (The Shoe Box Landing) to Hudson Road: A return trip with a new twist to one of our favorite places to paddle in the Madison area, with notable pros, mentionable cons and several relevant changes since we last…
Touring Governor’s Island on Lake Mendota in Dane County: A quick lark of a lake paddle to make the most of a winter’s day and take in the phenomena of the season before the water freezes and the air temperature…
Veterans Memorial County Park to La Crosse: A unique mix of urban and undeveloped – but always bluff-framed and beautiful – this last section of the La Crosse River goes out with a commanding performance before quietly slipping into…
Melrose to North Bend: One of the best sections anywhere on the lower Black River, this trip features miles of lush sandy beaches (perfect for picnics or overnight campouts), a sense of sheer wilderness and being away from it…