Sugar Island Road to Atkins-Olson Memorial Park: Quite possibly the prettiest part of the Bark River, with crystal clear water, lush sand and/or gravel bottoms, a mix of marsh and woods with pines, tamaracks, oaks, this scenic trip packs…
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Paddle Report
County Road B to Rouse Road: An extraordinary gem of a stream quietly tucked away in the paddling playground of the Black River Falls area, Wedges offers a little bit of everything: clear water, occasional riffles, a handful of…
Steponik Road to Overguard Road: A beautiful and almost entirely undeveloped swath of classic central Wisconsin landscape featuring tall pines, root beer-hued water, and modest granite outcrops, this section of the Black River’s East Fork is characterized by calm…
County Road E to Hagedorn Road: A two-for-one trip that demonstrates the admirable diversity of the understated Bark River, featuring a classic river-lake-river pattern through a mostly undeveloped landscape, the paddler can do these segments as two separate trips…
Crossover Road to Highway 60: A run-of-the-mill name for a stream that you’ve likely never heard about – this obscure curiosity offers two distinctly different paddling environments and conditions in only six miles: the first half open and pastoral,…
Lake Ludden to S. Oak Park Road: A truly peculiar but unique branch of the Pecatonica system, this trip offers an obstacle course around strainers, some fun light rapids, and several stretches of gorgeous geology in a serene setting.…
County Road W to Colfax Park: One of the prettiest stretches of the leggy Red Cedar River featuring picture-perfect sequences of stunning hills and hollows with exposed rock outcrops, this longish trip is great for newbie paddlers as well…
County Road S to Manitowoc: A really fun daytrip along the meat-and-marrow of the Manitowoc River, with small boulders, continuous stretches of Class I-II rapids, a mix of bottomlands and steep wooded banks, and very little development for miles…
Highway W Landing to Flambeau Lodge Landing: After long hearing rumors of how great paddling on the Flambeau River was, it’s been a trip high on my must-visit list. And those rumors were indeed true – it didn’t disappoint.…
County Road JJ to County Road S: A truly pleasant little jaunt that packs a heckuva lot of punch in only 7 miles, this section of the Manitowoc River begins quietly through tranquil farm country then races along fun…
County Road O to Banfield Bridge Recreation Area: This trip on the hitherto unexplored lower Little Platte River will reward paddlers with swift riffles and stunning rock outcrops in the beginning, a wild sense of solitude in the middle…
Highway D61 to 60th Avenue: A long stretch of water that is eminently pleasant, this trip has the look and feel of a wild setting, despite its Iowan/agrarian surroundings. However, its length and relative monotony might tax some paddlers. But…
Whitewater Drive to Highway D61: A short stretch of water that is simply stunning in its rugged, essentially undeveloped beauty – defined by bluffs with an outpouring of exposed rock outcrops and stupendous boulders – all while cruising along…
Cotton Mill Park to County Road J: A section of the Beaver Dam River that begins as an exhilarating urban paddle before quieting down towards the outskirts of town amongst suburban development, then narrowing again and alternating between wooded…
Sunny Ridge Road to Banner Road: An intimate stream hidden in plain sight buffeted by bluffs, rolling hills, and exquisite rock outcrops, with many riffles and diverse wildlife, this obscure branch of the Pecatonica River system offers a lot…
Bluff Road to Shemak Road: A swift, intimate trout stream meandering through soaring hills and sweeping vistas (not to mention some of the biggest boulders in the Driftless Area, the Blue River is a beguiling gem in southwestern Wisconsin.…
Token Creek Preserve Park to Daentl Road: A pleasant, intimate quietwater trip that starts in a beautiful bubbling natural springs environment with a couple quick riffles, then meanders about a spooky but cool landscape of dead trees, and then…
County Road E to County Road A: An extremely pretty trip with more bluffs and cliffs than you could shake a stick at – including what may well be the most striking sheer-faced rock wall on the Platte, rivaling…
Saltpeter Cave Crossing to Eddyville Blacktop Road: A true destination trip in every sense, Lusk Creek is an obscure stream set in a glorious wilderness environment featuring steep-walled canyons, cliffs, caves, boulders as big as school buses, waterfalls, jade…
Lee Road to Veterans Memorial Park: A breathtaking trip visually, surrounded by a picturesque glaciated valley of rugged rolling hills, virtually all of which is public land, the aptly named Spring Creek here in the gorgeous Lodi Marsh is fed…
St. Cloud to Sheboygan Broughton Marsh County Park: A surprisingly varied and pleasant trip for what otherwise might seem like a monotonous marsh, this section of the Sheboygan River rewards paddlers with a historic bridge, woodsy corridors, a labyrinth…
Sheboygan Broughton Marsh County Park to Kiel: An odd duck of a trip if there ever was one, this section of the Sheboygn River begins below one dam and ends above another, with a big ‘ole flatwater, cattail-lined marsh…
Millhome to Johnsonville: Arguably the wildest and wooliest section of the Sheboygan River, this trip will be most suitable for roguish paddlers who are comfortable with the occasional discomfort of obstacles to dodge in a current that shouldn’t be…
Johnsonville to Dassow Park: One of the prettiest and most intimate segments on the Sheboygan River, this short trip will reward the paddler with clear water, a riffly current, steep wooded and attractively eroded banks, and more solitude than the…
Dassow Park to Sheboygan Falls: Everything you could ask for in a river but nothing to go out of your way for unless you live nearby or are passing though, this trip on the Sheboygan is generously endowed with…
Sheboygan Falls to Lake Michigan: Hardly a destination river trip to make a bucket list, but a splendid final segment of a great, underrated river in southeastern Wisconsin. This trip on the Sheboygan is never far away from development…
Quitewater paddlers will enjoy this estuary paddle that starts in Forestville, Wisconsin, and ends in Lake Michigan. With a convenient waves-to-trails bike shuttle along the Ahnapee State Trail, and the excellent Ahnapee Brewery at the take-out in Algoma, this…
Pecatonica River Nature Preserve to Trask Bridge Forest Preserve: A simple paddle that’s as pleasant as it is dull, where merely being on the water is more important than the surrounding landscape or fun rapids. This short jog on…
Spring Green to Lone Rock: An easy, straightforward, entirely delightful stretch of the Lower Wisconsin Riverway featuring innumerable sandbars, wooded islands, rolling hills and even an exposed sandstone rock wall. Great accesses at the put-in and take-out make for…