Mud Lake to Lake Kegonsa: The river section connecting Mud Lake (via Lake Waubesa) and Lake Kegonsa, this very brief section has a couple of pretty but fleeting moments – fun for a late winter jaunt when open water…
Browsing Tag
Paddle Report
Touring Lake Columbia in Columbia County: A human-made lake containing the discharge water to cool off a coal-fired energy plant, this surreal pool of super-heated water (around 70 degrees warm even in the dead of a Wisconsin winter) provides…
County Road B to Sunrise Road: As close to the very headwaters of the Badfish as one can reasonably get, this short trip is realistically only interesting for those of us in love with the Badfish, due to the…
Sunrise Road to Old Stone Road: A short segment upstream of our preferred trip on the Badfish, the creek here is painfully straight and channelized. While it’s certainly not without its charms, (especially the first two miles) ultimately it…
Lake Kegonsa to Stoughton: A short stretch of slow, wide water between Lake Kegonsa and downtown Stoughton that is mostly developed but still pleasant. This makes for a great beginner’s river or after-work float. Rating: ☆ ☆ ☆ Trip…
Mud Lake Road to County Road G: A quick trip, rich in potential but poor in payoff, this is the last handful of miles of the Beaver Dam River before its confluence with the Crawfish in a sucker-punched part…
White Crossing Road to Valley Road: A random lark of a trip that was part accidental, part intentional, mostly to scratch a curious itch about the upper Sugar River in conjunction with crazy-high water levels, this jaunt won’t be…
Stoughton to Stebbensville Road: Half boring and slow, half gorgeous and swift, here the Yahara River feels like it faces a personality crisis – with the latter part of the paddle winning the day in a most glorious manner.…
Cross Plains to Black Earth: A section of the beautiful Black Earth Creek that’s a lot of fun if you like a little adventure and can manage a whole lot of obstacles. By Denny Caneff A Miles Paddled contributor…
Highway 108 to Veterans Memorial County Park: A perfect little trip if you have only an hour or two to paddle. Whether together with your morning cup of coffee before a long boring day of errands or with a…
Highway 35 to Perrot State Park: An easy trip surrounded by a national wildlife refuge that finishes with one of the absolute prettiest backdrops of Mississippi River bluffs. Set one after the other in such dramatic fashion, it’s easy…
Brodhead to Avon: A surprisingly interesting and isolated stretch with a lot of sweet scenery and a couple unique features found nowhere else on the Sugar River, this long(isn) trip can be broken in two by using the convenient…
Miller Dam to County Road H: An absolutely wonderful trip that begins in a beautiful and secluded section of the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, below its namesake flowage, with nothing but miles of undeveloped scenery and forests that lead to…
Peshekee Grade to 3 Mile Mark: For sure beauty, the Peshekee is stunning. Nestled in the foothills of the Huron Mountains, copper-hued water flows past towering pines and tangles with numerous gravel beds, rock-cuts and boulder gardens all in…
Luke’s Heights Lane to Big Falls County Park: A robust and haunting river on the cusp of the Chequamegon National Forest that features two sets of rapids in short order and riverbanks mostly undeveloped, this trip on the Jump…
Robinson Landing to Holt’s Landing: The first leg of the mighty and slightly mythic Flambeau River storming out of the Turtle-Flambeau Flowage dam, this trip begins with a bang and ends with a whimper while passing through an unspoiled…
Whitehall to Independence: A truly inviting river that gently flows through coulee country on its way to the Black River, the Trempealeau is short on excitement but sometimes excitement is overrated. Rating: ☆ ☆ ☆ Trip Report Date: August 16,…
Maple Ridge Road to Highway 112: A swift moving and narrow stream in northern Wisconsin whose energy is as relentless as its surrounding beauty of tall clay banks, light rapids, utter solitude from the human world but chance companionship…
Touring the Sea Caves of the National Lakeshore in Bayfield County: Very likely the most beautiful sea kayaking experience anywhere in the state of Wisconsin, the National Lakeshore girding the northern tip of the Bayfield Peninsula is blessed with…
Touring Houghton Point in Bayfield County: A fun, brief trip on the big lake past attractive sandstone rock walls to a beautiful protected state natural area that you can paddle into a cove enclosed within a mini-canyon (and depending…
Mormon Coulee Park to Goose Island County Park: A quintessential Driftless stream in the heart of the unglaciated hills near the Mississippi River, this creek is strong in potential but weak in payoff. That said, it does have one…
Sparta to Bangor: A peppy, super-fun stream that begins around 30’ wide and gradually swells to about 50’. The water here is clear and clean, the bottom sandy and the current quite reputable. In the first five miles of…
Rockbridge to County Road AA: A wonderful stream that slowly meanders around the bluffs of Driftless Richland County, this trip will require the whole day to paddle but you’ll love it. Just don’t bother doing it in a canoe.…
County Road O to Ferry Bluff Landing: Honey Creek is a pleasant enough stream that meanders around the Baraboo Range, but unfortunately there are way too many portages to make this a recommendable paddle. Rating: ☆ ☆ Trip Report Date: July…
Kewaskum to Barton: A pleasant stream gently meandering around the bottom hills of the Kettle Moraine State Forest, this upper stretch of the Milwaukee River lacks the small rapids and scenery downstream but is nice enough in its own…
Middle Eau Claire Lake to Gordon: Twenty-plus miles of clear water, easy rapids and tight bends provide ample adventure, solitude and beauty in northern Wisconsin. Healthy and clean, the Eau Claire offers good swimming on hot days and a…
Wausau, Wisconsin: The premier whitewater park in Wisconsin, (and one of the finest, if not the best, in the Midwest) this place is an absolute pleasure chock full of paddling camaraderie. Rating: ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ Trip Report…
Overguard Road to East Fork Campground: The East Fork of the Black River is a wide river and pleasant paddle through classic Central Wisconsin Pines with occasional rapids but none too dangerous at these levels. Rating: ☆ ☆ ☆…
Haskins Park to Highway 33: A trip of contrasts that begins in an urban setting and ends in the country, first surrounded by downtown buildings and a circus museum, then ancient rock formations, with a bang of Class I…
Horseshoe Bend Road to Buncombe Road: A stream in the heart of lead-mining country in southwestern Wisconsin, the Galena (aka Fever) River alternates between swift riffles and flatwater as it meanders around cow pastures, wooded hills and attractive rock…