Wapsipinicon State Park to Newport Mills Access: A truly rewarding, picturesque trip that can be extended overnight via sandbar camping – a rarity in Iowa – this segment of the “Wapsi” begins at a handsome, historical state park and…
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Touring Lake Superior from Tettegouche State Park: A truly wild and rugged environment along a sliver of Lake Superior’s north shore that treats paddlers to exquisite cliffs hundreds of feet high composed of rock over a billion years old,…
County Highway E to Apple River County Park: I took on two slices of the Apple River in northwestern Wisconsin on successive days during a sultry July weekend in 2024. This is a review of the first slice –…
Touring Busse Woods Reservoir in Busse Woods Forest Preserve: Rated as one of the best lakes for paddlers in the Chicagoland area, Busse Woods offers a lot to explore for beginner paddlers looking for a quiet lake to paddle.…
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…
Rustic Drive to County Road H: Branching out on some eastern Wisconsin water, this trip aimed to travel not just one, but two branches of the Milwaukee by way of the main stem. With a convenient bike shuttle along…
U Avenue to Eldorado: A trifecta paddle that comprises three separate but interrelated rivers in one long day trip, this mini odyssey begins with unabashed grandeur, but soon fizzles and never matches its initial enchantment. Alternate accesses allow paddlers…
Fayette to Heron Road: A truly exquisite experience, this section of the beguiling Volga River will be hard to catch with enough water to paddle, but oh so worth it when serendipity presents itself! Almost entirely enclosed within public…
Touring the Lower Cache River Swamp Trail: A veritable bayou trip down near the southernmost tip of Illinois, this section of the big Cache River is renowned for its breathtaking cypress and tupelo trees, some of which are 40′…
Galena to Mississippi River: A fairly primitive yet tidy trip, this last leg of the Galena River starts in its historic namesake city and then ends in a side channel of the Mississippi River. While the current is next…
West Council Hill Road to Galena: A hinge trip that comprises two opposites – first, a rugged and ragged landscape teeming with bluffs, rock outcrops, and galloping riffles, then a kind of makeover landscape approaching the quaint town of…
Elba to Highway 74: A very pretty and intimate little stream, this creek-like river courses through large swaths of public land corridors and is surrounded by tall, attractive hills. Water levels are usually reliable, but this stream is more…
Iverson Bridge Road to Kumpf Access: A wonderful finale to the mighty Upper Iowa, this section of the river begins and ends with excellent accesses and sublime bluffs unlike any other. In the nine miles between, paddlers will be…
Lower Dam to Iverson Bridge Road: A veritable journey into the very heart and soul of the Upper Iowa River, this long day trip can be shortened by using one of several alternative accesses. I can’t promise that you’ll…
Trout Run Park to Lower Dam: As diverse as a day trip’s portfolio can get, this section of the Upper Iowa begins in an industrialized area outside of downtown Decorah and ends at the historic Lower Dam thirteen river…
Malanaphy Springs to Trout Run Park: Arguably the most ignored section on the Upper Iowa River relative Decorah, this trip does have its dull moments and lots of development, but it has a lot to offer, too, by way…
Highway 61 to Bay Point Park: A smorgasbord paddle that courses through the Cannon River bottomlands after an encore performance of bluffs before quietly slipping into the Mississippi River backwaters, this scenic trip packs enough for a long weekend…but…
Welch to Highway 61: A languorous segment of the Cannon River featuring stately bluffs, occasional rock outcrops, and a sizeable stretch of public land and little development, there’s a lot to like about this short trip. There’s also a…
Theilman to Kruger: A wider and slightly slower segment than those upstream, the salient premium on this trip is scenery and isolation through a huge swath of public land, not to mention the visible change in landscape as the…
Millville to Theilman: Swift riffles past sweeps of bluffs one after another, this trip down the Zumbro through the heart of a somewhat undeveloped valley is positively engaging. Nasty snags left behind from former floods lie here and there…
County Road 7 to Zumbro Falls: Practically a primer for the more fabulous features found downstream, this trip is a very pleasant paddle nonetheless, featuring good wildlife opportunities, the beginning of bluff lands, some fun riffles, gravel bars and…
Skokie River Dam to Bunker Hill Bridge: The location of the legendary Chicago River along the southwestern shores of Lake Michigan was key to establishing native American, fur trader and later European settlements in its namesake city that would…
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 Plaines River near the historic “Chicago Portage.” For…
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 is only a short drive from downtown, but…
260th Avenue to Brunet Island State Park: There’s potential enjoyment on the part of the Fisher River that conjoins the Chippewa within the boundary of Brunet Island State Park. If you’re a list-maker of rivers you’ve paddled (I admit…
Oxford to County Road A: With steady, reliable flows, water that’s cold and clear as gin on the rocks, a sinewy stretch through a marshy area, some tight turns and occasional obstacles of the wooden variety to keep you awake,…
28th Court to Poy Sippi: An appetite for trying as many Pine Rivers in Wisconsin as I can, and a mild late fall day, led me to this rarely explored river segment. Though offering few standout memories, it has…
By Trevor Bellrichard Resident Fishing Expert/Voyager/Explorer/Pisces/Some Guy/Miles Paddler since 2017 Resident fishing expert Trevor Bellrichard begins a series of Do-It-Yourself kayak modifications to turn what would be a run-of-the-mill sit-in kayak, into a rather credible and comfortable fishing vessel.…
Stebbensville Road to Murwin County Park: A wonderfully scenic quietwater paddle that’s perfect for beginners and families, this section of the Yahara River is one of our all-time favorites and one that provides a different experience every time we…
Prairie Du Sac to Wyalusing Landing: The Lower Wisconsin Riverway is beloved for its canoe and kayak camping opportunities on the islands and sandbars that dot the protected 92 miles from the Prairie Du Sac dam to the Mississippi…