CCC Bridge to Burnt Bridge:
While much tamer than the raucous stuff for which the Peshtigo River is known for, this trip has several fun stretches of continuous Class I-II rapids nonetheless – all in a secluded national forest in northeastern Wisconsin. It’s a perfect environment for paddlers looking to step up their whitewater game with marginal risk and maximum beauty.
By Greg, Shiela, and Chris
Miles Paddled Fans + Contributors
Rating: ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
Trip Report Date: May 25, 2024
Skill Level: Expert
Class Difficulty: Class I-II
Gradient:
9′ per mile
Gauge Recorded on this Trip:
Wabeno: ht/ft: 5.2 | cfs: 892
Recommended Levels:
We strongly recommend this level. This stretch of the “Pesh” can be paddled as low as 4.5. At 6’ and above the rapids will be quite rowdy and formidable for novice paddlers. At our level, the boulders were easy enough to see and avoid without scraping or getting stuck.
Put-In:
CCC Bridge – Forest Road 2131/ Peshtigo River Road
GPS: 45.61092, -88.59312
Take-Out:
Burnt Bridge Landing- Forest Road 2134/Michigan Creek Road, Laona, Wisconsin
GPS: 45.56208, -88.4953
Time: Put in at 12:20p. Out at 3:05p.
Total Time: 2h 45m
Miles Paddled: 9.25
Wildlife:
Frogs and a bald eagle.
Shuttle Information:
8.1 miles. The entire shuttle is on unpaved Forrest Service roads in a remote area. They are all well-maintained, but they can present an issue for low-clearance vehicles. Plan on getting a car wash on the way home – a small price to pay for such a great paddle! If you have to bike it, take a lesson from Timothy’s Peshtigo trip and make sure you do it with plenty of daylight and on a bike with tires suitable for rutted dirt roads. And maybe a respirator!
Background:
We camped at Morgan Lake Campground for Memorial Day weekend, intending to paddle the Popple River. The recent (and much needed) rain actually made the planned section of the Popple River a little rougher than what our group was comfortable with. Instead, we decided to check out the neighboring Peshtigo River. We should be clear at the outset that while the “Pesh” is often synonymous with big whitewater (Class IV in some outrageous stretches), this upstream section was quite manageable and perfect for our group. One of the paddlers in our pod even did this trip in a Dagger Rome, a whitewater-worthy sit-on-top kayak. Everyone else used whitewater or crossover kayaks – all of us wearing skirts. Trust on this: you’ll need to don a skirt paddling all the long, nearly never-ending stretches of Class I and II, lest you get swamped.
Overview:
There is ample room at both landings to leave several vehicles. We put in downstream from the bridge on river right. The river here is rather narrow ( about 40’ wide) and very calm, but don’t let that fool you. A quick quarter of a mile downstream and you will hit the first set of Class I-II rapids called Camp 12 Rapids. There are three pitches here, the last of which is an attractive boulder garden. There are some small islands interspersed. You will have a short break of slow water mixed with nice riffles before you enter another stretch of Class II called Little Camp 12 Rapids. It’s short, but punchy. There are some medium-sized boulders to watch out for, as well as the occasional strainer branch.
Next, you will have about two miles to relax and take in the beautiful scenery and enjoy more light riffles here and there. Two poetically named creeks come in, Catwillow and then Piledriver. Love it. But hold on to your hat, because Coldwater Rapids is coming up! This is a fast and bumpy ride ending with a boulder garden about 3’ from the right bank. The river curves sharply to the left, and the current is swift. (A few of us (re: almost all of us) swung a little too wide here and narrowly missed the rocks. One of us actually got hung up on the rocks and had to squeeze between boulder and bank…in a sit-on-top.) Even Mike Svob cautions about “the boulder cluster at the bottom” in Paddling Northern Wisconsin.
A short break, about half a mile of slower water, allows you to catch your breath before entering Preserve Rapids. (For the record, you’ll know you’re getting close after you pass under a private road bridge.) Preserve Rapids is a mile and more of rowdy Class II rapids with a handful of calm pools mixed in. All in all, there are six total pitches in here – which is one better than a full count in baseball with a runner in scoring position! Honestly, we were all a little nervous about running these rapids because we knew it would be challenging long stretch without much of a break. That said, we all had an absolute BLAST on it (although that’s where the GoPro died – and someone (not mentioning names here) had left the extra batteries in the car). The rapids are fast with some decent standing waves, but very easy to navigate with obvious chutes.
After a mile or so of slow, lowland quietwater through a marshy area punctuated only by one short, unnamed rapids, you’ll finally hit Smiley and Big Rock Rapids. Both are class I-II and fairly easy to read. Smiley is about 200 yards long, and Big Rock is a bit longer. Shortly after Big Rock Rapids, riffles whisk you all the way to the take-out at Burnt Bridge Landing – a super-fun way to end an altogether awesome trip. We took out downstream, river-right. There are some railroad tie steps for an easy take-out.
What we liked:
Everything! The rapids are thrilling, but not truly technical. As the Wisconsin Trail Guide states, “Picking a line through the rapids is usually pretty straightforward, but there are some places where you’ll need to maneuver quickly to avoid boulders, especially when water levels are low.” The entire stretch is lined with beautiful tall pines with a mix of cedars and hemlocks, not to mention birch and basswood, and the river abounds in boulders and rock gardens. The segment leading to and through Little Camp 12 has a particularly pretty canopy of trees lining along both banks and leaning towards one another. On a sunny day, the forest behind them glowed from within. The sun was bright and warm, and the sky was beautiful blue with a few white puffy clouds. The water is that cool tea-colored hue found in clean rivers characteristic of the northwoods. This was a completely remote section in a national forest; we didn’t see a single house. It doesn’t get a whole lot better than that!
We ranged from very experienced to nervous-but-willing, and we all had an awesome time! All in all, we encountered one nearly river-wide blockage, but we were able to work our way around it without getting out of our boats.
What we didn’t like:
The shuttle. But on the plus side, we weren’t biking! (Sorry, Timothy.)
One of us did go for a swim, but it was easy to recover her gear – and, most important, she herself was fine and none the worse for wear.
If we did this trip again:
We will definitely do this trip again, as is, no need to change a thing. We had an absolute blast!
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Related Information:
Peshtigo River I: Burnt Bridge to Goodman Park
Camp: Morgan Lake
General: American Whitewater
Guide: Wisconsin Trail Guide
Wikipedia: Peshtigo River
Photo Gallery:
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