River Road to Kewaunee: An off the beaten path slog over downed trees and waterless riffles, this trip offers very few redeeming qualities. After the dam at the Kewaunee Fisheries Facility, the river is wide, flooded, deep and slow.…
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Paddle Report
Chaffie Hollow Road to Potosi Point Recreational Area: The final miles of the Grant River to its confluence-kiss at the Mississippi River, this trip has fewer rock outcrops and slower water than the two more popular trips upstream, but…
Touring Starkweather Creek: If you’re looking for a recreational paddle near Madison, there are better options than Starkweather Creek. But if you consider (or reconsider, I suppose) and categorize Starkweather Creek as an urban transportation route, (which in its…
S. County Line Road to S. O’Riley Road: A diamond in the rough of Rock County, Little Turtle Creek dazzles with crystal-clear water, steady current, lots of riffles, and a thrilling mix of prairies, pastures and forest. Good accesses…
Sunset Drive to Gramling Lane: Where the natural wild meets the wiles of exurban development, Scuppernong Creek quietly meanders past back yards and across small lakes, around natural springs, soggy bogs, cattail corridors, hemlocks and tamaracks, with stunningly crystal…
Indian Creek Road to The Mississippi River: A relaxing “lake paddle” on the Platte River to the Mississippi is a great way to spend an evening enjoying nature’s creatures, the sounds of the wonderful outdoors, or enjoying a cold beverage while…
Club House Road to Ross Avenue: A wonderful section of a terrific river that embodies the best of “finding adventure in your backyard,” this stretch of the Eau Claire River courses through a mix of residential development, remote stretches…
County Road Q to Witek Road: A surprisingly viable paddling prospect when water levels are higher than normal, this Driftless Area trout stream tumbles and meanders past exposed rock outcrops, bluffs, pine relicts, and swaths of prairie. Accesses are…
Waterford to Burlington: A suburban paddle by and by, surrounded by highways, bridges, backyards, big box stores, a golf course, and a couple dams, there’s little charm to this section of the Fox River in southeastern Wisconsin but for…
Highway 33 to County Road O: For all intents and purposes, this trip is the first chapter in the epic story of the historic Fox River in Wisconsin. Beginning at the famous portage that gave a city (and county)…
Willard Road to Grand Avenue: A long outing that could be easily divided into two separate day trips on account of excellent accesses, this stretch of the beloved Black River offers the paddler a medley of outstanding features such…
Boundary Road to Kristof Road: An exhilarating section of the upper Plover River with spectacular boulder gardens, thrilling Class I rapids, and a gorgeous, mostly undeveloped landscape of thick woods. This trip does however, have a few tricky situations…
Al Tech Park to West River Drive: A fun and scenic trip featuring terrific accesses and excellent wildlife, together with a tranquil drift that’s fit for beginners, this overlooked section of the Wisconsin River has a lot to look…
Touring Devil’s Lake in Devil’s Lake State Park: An extraordinarily short but delightful paddle within Wisconsin’s most popular State Park, this little adventure provides a different perspective to the towering bluffs of Devil’s Lake, and is especially appealing during the…
Kelly Road to West Pine Hill Road: The fabled lower section of Robinson Creek features no fewer than five Class II-III ledges through a series of two separate mini canyons. As such, this trip demands caution and care, and…
Touring Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore: A sea kayaking experience that’s truly a must-do for just about any paddler, the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore is an exquisite area of rugged beauty with sheer sandstone cliffs 200′ high streaked with colorful…
O’Riley Road to Sweet-Allyn Park: Upstream from the most fun and interesting stretch of Turtle Creek lies a wooly (but not wild) trip on a rather wide and slow stretch. This quiet excursion (aside from some highway noise) is…
Preston Trailhead Park to Heron Road: A fantastic day trip on a narrow, often canopied river with plenty of delightful riffles, standing waves, and some very attractive outcrops. When you add it all up, it makes for a wonderful…
Cannon Falls to Welch: A bluff country paddle full of numerous riffles, gravel bars and island channels that cut through bluffed-valleys 300′ tall along the eastern edge of Minnesota’s Driftless region, this popular section of the Cannon River is…
Big Falls to Highway 110: A lively and lovely trip beginning at the base of a rough-and-tumble Class III-IV falls and featuring an exhilarating Class II rapids shortly afterward, with a bounty of big boulder gardens and innumerable riffles…
Dells of the Eau Claire Park to Club House Road: A trip that begins like a rodeo bull straight out of the gate but ends with tamed placidity, this section of the Eau Claire River challenges paddlers in the…
Highway 106 to County Road D: A birder’s paradise and paddler’s quagmire, this section of the Scuppernong is part of the Glacial Heritage Area and might be of interest to silent sport enthusiasts. Well, except when a jon boat…
Old Stage Road to Casey Road: It’s no secret that we love Badfish Creek, or that this is our absolute favorite paddling stretch near Madison – we’ve directed paddlers to Old Stage Road numerous times over the last decade.…
Touring the Blue Heron Island Loop in Portage County: A circumnavigatory exploration of the backwaters and archipelagic cluster of wild islands surrounded by civilization, this trip is a perfect example of finding adventure (and solitude) in your own backyard,…
Lake DuBay Dam to County Road HH: An often overlooked section of the mighty Wisconsin River, this trip doesn’t offer the rapids further north or the rock outcrops and wooded bluffs down south, but it does reward the paddler with…
River Avenue to Riviera Avenue: A gorgeous and largely undeveloped stretch of the beloved Black River, this trip features some of the best “lightwater” rapids anywhere on the Black with two separate stretches of mile-long and half-mile long Class…
Touring Horseshoe Island in Door County: There are a lot of opportunities for paddling in Door County, but here’s a great half-day destination paddle to a crescent-shaped island that offers a short hike, as well as prime fishing within…
Koepp Park to Bluemound Road: Here’s an example of a one-star paddle that’s given leniency only because of its potential (you’re about to hear that word a lot in this report), and because it was written up in a guidebook…
Shantytown Road to Jordan Park: A long daytrip that’s not without its perks – wild-feeling woods, abundant wildlife, a boisterous boulder garden, spooky floodplains, gorgeous water clarity, and fun sandy undercut banks – but this stretch of the Plover…
Jordan Park to Iverson Park: One of the best examples of “finding adventure in your backyard,” this last segment of the Plover River through Stevens Point makes for a wonderful day trip through a mix of floodplains, tall sand…