Hollandale to Blanchardville:
An exhilarating trip on a skinny river that sneaks its way around one bluff and then another, many of them topped with pine-crowned cliffs, pockmarked boulders and gorgeous sandstone. When not so dramatic, there are oak savannas and tallgrass prairies to take in, while below, the current on the river plugs away quite nicely with occasional riffles.
Trip Report Date: November 19, 2013
Skill Level: Intermediate
Class Difficulty: Riffles
Gradient:
≈3′ per mile
Gauge Recorded on this Trip:
Blanchardville: ht/ft: 4.70 | cfs: 170
Current Levels:
Blanchardville: ht/ft: 5.46 | cfs: 219
Recommended Levels:
Water levels are almost always reliable. It can be paddled at lower levels, but 200 cfs keeps the scraping at bay as a general rule of thumb.
Put-In:
Highway 39/Waldwick Street, Hollandale, Wisconsin
GPS: 42.87141, -89.92093
Take-Out:
Water Street, Blanchardville, Wisconsin
GPS: 42.81144, -89.86219
Time: Put in at 10:50a. Out at 2:10p.
Total Time: 3h 20m
Miles Paddled: 10.5
Alternate Trip Ideas:
Hollandale to Horseshoe Bend Road (7.5 Miles)
Wildlife:
Bald eagles, kingfishers, one snake, lots of hawks and a gazillion geese.
Shuttle Information:
7.2 miles, pretty hilly but not so bad to give you a heart attack. County Road F is suitable for bicyclists, but be prepared to be passed by an occasional car or truck going at a fast clip. The descents are exhilarating!
Background:
I won’t be coy, this trip was one of the best of 2013, hands down. A total gamble, as there is basically nothing out there (books, internet) on this segment so I had no idea what I would encounter. But that’s what intrepid paddling is all about.
You have a car or a bicycle at Point A, the other at Point B and once you put-in, you’re committed, come what may. Obstacles, hazards, gorgeous discoveries, all par for the course. Sometimes it’s a wash and doesn’t pan out. Sometimes it flat out sucks. And then sometimes it’s a homerun on the first swing. This trip was a homer, not a grand slam but definitely one to put on the board.
This trip can be dissected in three parts: The put-in to McKenna Road, McKenna Road to Horseshoe Bend Road and Horseshoe Bend Road to the take-out. As such, the trip can be distilled as pretty and impressive, kickass awesome and kind of boring, respectively.
What we liked:
The highlights of this trip (and there are several) are the bluffs and cliffs, which begin in earnest only a mile-and-a-half downstream from the put-in. Before you get there though, the surroundings are quite pretty. The river wends its way through pastureland, carving 10’-tall mud banks. Lush tallgrass prairies envelop you. Soft hills appear immediately, as well as some nice riffles.
The only obstacle I couldn’t negotiate comes at about half a mile or so in, an easy-to-portage fallen tree straddling the entire width of the river. A gigantic gaggle of geese shot out into the sky as I got out (a winged thunder of sudden birds, berserk and barking).
The first bluff appears shortly after that, with attractive rock outcroppings at the top. The river undulates around and back to this bluff a couple more times. At this point, the water is clear with a pretty, sandy bottom (The river will continually alternate between sand and mud throughout the trip.)
The first bridge (McKenna Road) is found at the 4-mile mark. Get ready to find your socks soon knocked off because the best bluffs are to come in this next section. The first is found about a mile downstream of the McKenna bridge. It’s reminiscent of Blue Mounds State Park (which is actually nearby and can be seen from the roads).
Unlike the usual bluff scene in the very southwestern corner of Wisconsin where farmland dominates so much of the terrain, the geology here is very woodsy and forest green, with buxom boulders embedded in the hillside, moss draping many of them. There was a definite whiff of northwoods in these bluff-swept stretches, a characteristic I would never have guessed but was thankful for and in awe of. The river passes along this bluff for a good 100 yards, giving you generous time to take in one craggy overhang and mysterious fissure after another.
The most dazzling rock formations come ½ a mile upstream of the Horseshoe Bend Road bridge. While the preceding rock formations are dolomite limestone, it’s the signature of good old St. Peter sandstone that marks this section. And unlike the preceding bluffs and hillsides, where there is a slope and a bank, here the rockwall is sheer and drops straight down into the water. The rock formations that are between Blanchardville and Argyle are mostly comparable (though less spectacular). Above you, the top of this cliff must be 100’ high at least. The whole stretch is probably only 75 yards or so and taking your time to take it all in is worth your while. I found myself reeling in marvel, wondering how in the world this east branch of the Pecatonica is not better known… (but glad that it isn’t!)
Another mentionable is the nice parking area on Highway 39, maybe 50 yards west of the bridge. A path leads from there to the river, where it’s easy to put in.
What we didn’t like:
After Horseshoe Bend Road, the surroundings flatten out, the current slows to almost nothing and there’s little left to ogle until the takeout. Plus there’s a dam in Blanchardville. Once the river bends to the east (the sun finally not blinding) you will see a white church atop a hill in front of you. That’s your cue to get ready to take out soon. You will hear the waterfall-like dam before you eye the horizon line or the bridge just downstream. A small park/fishing area on river-left is where you want to takeout. It’s not a difficult one, as the bank is at best, a half-foot higher than the water and the current isn’t strong, so you don’t need to worry about being tugged toward the dam. But you obviously need to pay attention and play it safe.
There’s a small parking lot on the downstream side of the bridge and dam, where it looked like you could park without hassle. If not there, (it’s a vet office parking lot next to a stairwell that leads up the hill above the bridge/dam by that aforementioned white church) streetside parking shouldn’t be a problem. If all that fails, there’s an official boat launch about a ¼ mile downstream of the dam, where there’s plenty of room to leave a vehicle (Incidentally, that launch is the official beginning of the Blanchardville to Argyle segment).
The relative boredom of the third section of this trip (3 miles long) is really the only thing I didn’t like. The need to portage one fallen tree was no big deal.
And the fact that it was only 25 degrees outside when I put-in, hoarfrost beautifully limning the peripheries of twigs, grass and leaves like a crystalline filigree, not to mention the first icicles since February, was certainly worth putting up with chill-tingled fingers and toes!
If we did this trip again:
First of all, I will in a heartbeat! But not until next year where it’s a bit warmer than mid-20s. And another inch or two of water would be nice to avoid scraping.
But more to the point, I would take-out at Horseshoe Bend Road. It’s definitely doable and someone even placed a short stepladder there for better access (Clearly, I am not the first person to have paddled this Pecatonica!) There are several alternate put-in options upstream of Highway 39, depending on how long of a trip you want to make. None of them are great (I scouted them all) but all of them look semi-accessible. The Horseshoe Bend Road bridge is 7.5 miles from the Highway 39 bridge.
The furthest I think you would want to paddle upstream of Highway 39 (some 9.5 miles) is a bridge where County Roads H and K converge (Above that, the river is very narrow and too prone to deadfall obstructions.) One consideration to make is that just upstream of the Highway 39 bridge a decent sized creek flows into the Pecatonica, giving it a healthy dose of water. Thus, the area in between County Roads H and K and Highway 39 will have less volume and not be accurately reflected in any official gauge reading. But I am getting ahead of myself, for all of that will have to wait for another trip someday…
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Related Information:
Pecatonica River East Branch I: Highway 78 to Argyle
Pecatonica River East Branch III: Highway HK to Hollandale
Pecatonica River East Branch IV: Argyle to Blackhawk Memorial County Park
Pecatonica River East Branch V: Woodford to Highway 11
Camp: Pecatonica River Trails Park
Good People: Friends of the Pecatonica River
Wikipedia: Pecatonica River
Miles Paddled/Driftless Kayaker Video (McKenna Road to Blanchardville):
Photo Gallery:
Alternate Trip Report: Shorter Paddle (7.5 Miles)
Hollandale to Horseshoe Bend Road
October 26, 2017
☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
A revisit to one of our faves, this time slightly tailored to shorten the trip and double-down on the bluff-lined landscape, this section of the Pecatonica River’s east branch is quintessential Driftless deliciously close to Madison. A riffly current sweeps you past several gorgeous bluffs and exposed rock outcrops – including a truly stunning cliff just before the take-out. Alas, there are at least three portages on account of impenetrable downed trees.
Gauge Recorded on this Trip:
Blanchardville: ht/ft: 5.25 | cfs: 200
Current Levels:
Blanchardville: ht/ft: 5.46 | cfs: 219
Put-In:
Highway 39/Waldwick Street, Hollandale, Wisconsin
GPS: 42.87141, -89.92093
Take-Out:
Horseshoe Bend Road
GPS: 42.83378, -89.88242
Time: Put in at 1:30p. Out at 4:05p.
Total Time: 2h 35m
Miles Paddled: 7.5
Wildlife:
Cattle, geese, lots of wood ducks, deer, hawks and great blue heron.
Background:
I first began exploring the upper-stream stretches of the Pecatonica River’s East Branch (pretty much a river all its own) back in late autumn 2013 into winter and then early spring 2014. It was a place about which I knew next to nothing initially; but the more I began to explore it, the more enamored I became. The segment from Hollandale to Blanchardville is what started things, a trip that was so rich in its rewards I kept coming back.
For only an hour’s drive from Madison, this little nook just past the Dane County border, into Iowa County, feels like another whole world. While it lies on the far eastern edge of the vast Driftless Area, the terrain here is quintessential Driftless: rolling hills, valleys cut by streams sacred for trout or scuffed by cattle hooves; woodsy bluffs, exposed rock outcrops; a landscape that has changed little in hundreds of millions of years.
I felt like I’d discovered something sacred (which I did) the likes of an archeological dig (possibly hyperbole). Its proximity to Madison, its untold secrecy, its stunning scenery – I fell in love and adopted this stream as my baby. It’s one of the obscure streams I explored that initially inspired me to write a regional guidebook. As such, I’ve come back to it a couple times to keep tabs on it, the way one does for the things one loves.
A couple months back, a paddler wrote the following lament to our site: “We attempted the Highway 39 to Blanchardville section on September 2, 2017 and encountered five complete blockages before calling it quits at McKenna Road. The muddy banks did not make for easy portages. I try and keep a positive outlook regarding our trips, but my best description of this one would be doing the Tough Mudder while dragging and occasionally paddling a canoe.”
My heart broke. While grateful for the update – and amused by the great analogy of the Tough Mudder – I felt awful that a place so cherished to me was the bane of recreation for another paddler. I was away for most of September, and then most of October was awful weather for paddling (and just about anything else, too). But a chance of a warmish/sunnyish afternoon late in the month allowed me to head back to Hollandale and see what was what.
I had neither the time nor inclination to paddle down to Blanchardville, so instead took-out at Horseshoe Bend Road. Taking-out here is the best bang for your buck. The distance from Highway 39 is only 7 miles and change, and it’s where all the bluffs are. Downstream from Horseshoe Bend, the environment is still pretty, but nothing as dramatic. The current eventually dies, too, on account of the dam in Blanchardville.
Overview:
The put-in at Highway 39 is atypical. There’s an actual parking area immediately west of the river. From there it’s a short schlep of about 250′ to the water itself. There’s no designated launch, but the banks are pretty low and sandy for the most part. Once on the water, you immediately course through a pasture, where there’s a pretty good chance you’ll encounter cattle. The river then sweeps along a modest bluff on the left, through a brief swath of woods, and then slows down a touch back into wide-open pasture. It’s a pretty awesome first half-mile.
Note: there is one ugly downed tree in the first mile. For me, at the levels on this trip, there was enough clearance on the far right side to bend beneath. I noticed that half of the tree is splintered. Were I a betting man, I’d put a couple bucks on high water flushing this obstruction away sometime next year.
After a few zigs and zags, you’ll make a beeline towards the first bluff, a wooded ridge along which you’ll paddle besides. The pattern you’ll experience at this bluff is comparable to the rest on this trip: you’ll paddle right up to it, then alongside it, then face away from it as the river meanders this way and that, and then return to it, over and again. Often it feels like multiple bluffs, but usually it’s a continuous ridge.
There’s a small island that diverts the river in two channels. On this trip, the left one was open, while the right one was pretty sketchy. After this you’ll pass a very random but handsome cabin on the left bank, eventually followed by what looks like an osprey platform on the right. Returning to the ridge after some meandering diversions, you’ll come upon the next deadfall obstruction.A short distance after this deadfall is another one. Alas, and yes, very shortly after that deadfall is yet another one, which requires caution but can be negotiated without having to portage (See “Didn’t Like” below for individual descriptions/considerations for these). The geology starts to get pretty good here, too, where a long line of short sandstone appears on the right wall. It’s a hint at what lies downstream…
Power lines hover above you, and then you’ll cruise past the bridge at McKenna Road, more or less the halfway point. In many ways, everything up to this point has been dress rehearsal; the show really begins downstream of McKenna Road. Before you face the next big bluff, you’ll paddle side-saddle (so to speak) along a medium-sized tree-lined ridge on the left where, early or late in the season (i.e., without leaves) you’ll see some shy and humble boulders and rock piles alike embedded in the bluff (on your right will be tall banks flanked by corn, but you’ll mostly be appreciating the boulders on the left). There are a couple tight places where deadfall requires some maneuvering, but nothing (yet) to force portaging. Just take your time and be mindful getting through.
At one spot there was a whole porta-potty in the river – yes, a whole frickin’ porta-potty!?! – caught in a cluster of limbs and branches. That made me laugh… and made me wonder how in the world that got there…and then made me wonder just how dirty and disgusting the river might be right now if an f-ing porta-potty tipped over and spilled its unmentionables. Yikes! Eventually, high water will whisk that water closet away downstream, to the horror or hilarity of those communities. Blanch-ardville, indeed!
Anyway, as before, the next big bluff looms straight before you, and the river will bend to the left. This one is showier than the others, by far. And while it was past the peak of full-fledged foliage, the colors here were still crisp. I’ve paddled this trip in summertime, and the effect simply isn’t the same. The exposed rock outcrops at this bluff, up to and including little micro caves, are just gorgeous, but will be harder to see or appreciate in the reckless greenery of summer months. Speaking of greenery, there’s a ton of moss and ferns and lichens as well. The river flows in a long straightaway along this ridge for some 1200′. It’s quite the show!
Unfortunately, at the time of this writing, the show is broken up by an intrusive intermission the likes of a giant downed tree that A) for paddlers’ sakes will require a relatively easy portage via the left bank and B) for river angels’ sakes will require a team of chainsaws to clear out.
Moving away from this ridge, the paddler will still be treated by a little hillock on the left with a dazzling exposure of sandstone all orange, cream and green. Then, for one last huzzah, the river takes you back to a similar but smaller ridge, whose highlight is a gigantic boulder as big as an SUV in the water on the right (which must have broken off from above and tumbled down below a long, long time ago – helluva spectacle that must have been).
After that, a relaxing straightaway extends for a third of a mile. As you come closer to the next ridge, the river will take a huge bend – you might even call it a “horseshoe-shaped” bend – to the right, around and along what is arguably the most stunning rock formations anywhere on the Pecatonica River (main branch, east branch, side branch, trunk, tree, limb, roots, dendrites, leaves, acorns, you name it). It begins with a fantastic outcrop about 15′ above the water, just a big gnarly maw of fissured rock kinda like a clenched fist. This gives way to a long graceful wall, very much like a palisade, of more rock outcrops mingling with a mix of green conifer and colorful deciduous trees. Many of the rock outcrops extend directly into the water. Indeed, this cliff is virtually a sheer wall at least 100′ tall. The current here is slack, so do paddle up to one and touch something a couple hundred million years old. This palisade, with the rocks and trees and tall cliff, goes on for about another 1/3 of a mile. Just soak it up and float – but don’t forget to pick up your jaw.
I’m not exaggerating whatsoever when I say that there’s hardly a prettier place than Horseshoe Bend in southern Wisconsin. There. Secret’s out.
But this too shall pass. The former huge cliff tapers back down to water’s edge. In the final 0.4 mile you’ll be surrounded by farm fields on both sides and scrubby trees along both banks. Again, this is brief. Just after a small hook to the left, you’ll see the bridge at Horseshoe Bend Road. The take-out is on the upstream side of the bridge, on river-left. The bank here is pretty accommodating; mostly flat, not too muddy, and then not too steep a schlep from the river to the road.
What we liked:
Bluffs, baby – bluffs! (Not “baby bluffs,” mind you, but full-on big, buxom, bodacious bluffs!) Bluffs with embedded boulders. Bluffs with stunning rock outcrops. Bluffs for almost this entire trip. Cliffs and swift riffles at times (quiet and placid elsewhere). There are some occasions where the river has some swervy and serpentine meandering, but any of these are offset by long straightaway portions. There’s just such an abundance of beauty in these skimpy 7 miles to make this a tremendous trip – yes, in spite of its obstructions.
What we didn’t like:
Really, the only criticism we can think of are the few tree obstructions that will require even the most commando paddler to portage a time or two. Well, three, at the time of this writing – two in between the put-in and McKenna Road, the other after McKenna. The first was up and over a log (a bit nerve-wracking, but not a deal-breaker), while the second required portaging around an ugly cluster on the right (an easy affair, actually, and one that many have done, given the feint walking path/boat drag in the grass).
There’s a tricky dilemma just upstream of McKenna Road. There, a downed tree has fallen from the left bank, blocking most of the river. There is just barely enough space on the far-left to fit through, but the current is strong here and your aim has to be perfect to avoid brushing against the fallen tree itself or any of the surrounding tree debris immediately up- and downstream of it. On the far right the river bottom is really shallow and pocked with tree stumps and snarls, making it difficult to pass over. Also, there’s an additional cluster in front of the far right; so, to get to the far-right side you have to paddle up to the downed tree, then make a tight right-angled maneuver, then turn your boat left, on a dime, to go straight again. Boats longer than 11′ or so might well get stuck here. It should be doable though, and it’s definitely safer than threading your way through the dodgy needle on the left.
The third required portage is on the left at one of the best bluffs downstream from the McKenna Road bridge. Of all the obstructions and portaging I’d anticipated prior to this trip (from my own experiences on this section as well as comments from other paddlers who’ve done it), this one was new to me… and disappointing. The bluff here on the right has some of the best rock outcrops, and I was really looking forward to savoring the scene. You still will, of course, but it’s a little bit compromised by the ugly cluster that you have to get out and portage around.
If we did this trip again:
We love this trip. Indeed, along with the segment from Highway 78 to Argyle, this trip is the very best that the Pecatonica River’s east branch has to offer (ditto the main branch). Next time, we’ll do this in spring to complete the “ring cycle” of paddling this trip in all four seasons. Ideally, we’ll hit the water early in the day to spend a little time better clearing as many of the obstructions as possible, so as to make the portaging less frequent and/or easier.
Also, gotta check to see if that porta-potty is still there.
Photo Gallery:
3 Comments
Christopher Cole
September 6, 2017 at 7:39 pmWe attempted the Highway 39 to Blanchardville section on September 2, 2017 and encountered five complete blockages before calling it quits at McKenna Road. The muddy banks did not make for easy portages. I try and keep a positive outlook regarding our trips, but my best description of this one would be doing the Tough Mudder while dragging and occasionally paddling a canoe.
Miles Paddled
September 7, 2017 at 10:17 amHey Christopher,
Thanks for informing us of this – but we’re truly sorry to hear that your encounter was more frustrating than fun! For what it’s worth, several of our own trips the last month have kinda sucked on account of the merciless portage-fests. July’s storms felled many a tree and made much a mess of rivers. Sometimes we wish paddling were as easy as hiking. This section of the E. Branch really is a pleasant trip, but bad timing and/or conditions will make even the best river trips compromised. At least you’ve let us know what you encountered, which will aid future paddlers and maybe even inspire others with chainsaws to clean it up some. So, again, thanks for letting us know. We hope your next trip is more fun and less frustrating!
CAP
June 26, 2023 at 10:42 amDid Hollandale to Horseshoe Bend mid June 2023. Don’t know what the river gauge was but water level was rather low. Never had to walk anything, just touched bottom a couple times. We use old boats just for that reason.. Three blockages, two were Hollandale to McKenna Road, one between McKenna and Horseshoe. We were able to climb over the trees but hesitant to do it again. Would require a large chainsaw for most of the blockage as the trees are rather large. The last one between McKenna and Horseshoe has been there for a couple years, we had been sneaking under, but not this time, even in low water. Otherwise a beautiful trip.