Millville to Cassville Ferry Landing: The final five miles of the Turkey River to its mouth at the mighty Mississippi, this short trip offers paddlers a small but bite-sized smorgasbord of cool riverine features like soaring bluffs, exposed outcrops,…
Tessmer Canoe Access to Gilbertson Park: With long, lean hillsides, occasional flashes of limestone outcrops, and a peppy current coursing over a sand-gravel bottom, this under-paddled segment of the Turkey River is well worth a peek and a poke.…
Touring Grand Island to Miners Beach at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore: A two-for-one buffet of some of the prettiest paddling anywhere in the Upper Midwest, this double-feature starring Lake Superior in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan offers kayakers an…
Cameron Crossing Bridge to Au Train Heritage Landing A truly splendiferous (and serendipitous) paddle through the outskirts of the Hiawatha National Forest between Marquette and Munising in the north-central nub of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, this trip features extraordinary clear…
Highway 55 to Highway 139: A truly enchanting landscape surrounding a creek-like river, this trip down the borderline Brule is simply terrific and, in our opinion, worth whatever logistical hassles it may incur. Paddlers will be rewarded with clear,…
Parsley Bridge to Lanesboro Access: A simply stunning escape deep in the heart of the Minnesota Driftless Area that is abound in towering bluffs lush with exquisite limestone outcrops, rolling hills and miles of undeveloped public land. These two…
Here’s some video of the lower Kickapoo River – a less popular section than upstream – but full of uninterrupted beauty along rolling hills, wooded ridges and with very little development in the peripherals. (Adjust to 1080p for the…
Part two of two on the South Fork of the Eau Claire River- a scenic, wily and beguiling stream that courses through undeveloped thickets of gorgeous county forest in a near-wilderness setting with conditions that range from quietwater to Class…
Part one of two on the South Fork of the Eau Claire River- a diamond in the rough if ever there was one – that courses through undeveloped thickets of county forest that rewards patient and intrepid paddlers with…
185th Street to Highway Y31: For the sake of brevity and bang-for-your-buck alone, this clip on the Maquoketa River’s North Fork is second to none. Astounding natural beauty and an atypical sense of wildness (for Iowa) make this trip…
Steuben to Plum Creek Road Another wonderful daytrip down the lower Kickapoo, away from the hoo-ha and hoi polloi of the more popular segments upstream, this trip makes for a full outing of uninterrupted beauty along rolling hills, wooded…
Elkader to Garber: With wooded ridges and robust bluffs lined down the river one after another, together with limestone rock outcrops, enormous boulders, frisky riffles, a dedicated Class I-II rapid at the put-in, a gorgeous historic mill building midway,…
Lanesboro Access to Peterson Access: A gorgeous journey through the heart of the Minnesota Driftless Area featuring towering bluffs with exquisite limestone outcrops, rolling hills, reputable current (including a few solid Class I rapids) and bountiful wildlife, this scenic…
Rural to Shadow Lake Road: The Crystal River is just that, crystal clear and as charming as the town of Rural that it flows through. It’s never very deep and you’re never far from civilization, so it’s about as…
County Road W to Highway 47: A quintessential northwoods narrative known not for its rapids or granite boulders, but rather its soft features and easy float, this classic paddle on the Manitowish River is a natural delight for slow-flow…
Nelsonville to Amherst: This short but popular section of the Tomorrow-Waupaca River located in Central Wisconsin is an easy-going paddle that begins as a charming and woodsy small-stream paddle at the put-in, and then transitions to wide marsh-like environs…
Touring The Apostle Island’s Sand Island: Truly a stunning and scenically spectacular paddle unlike anything I’ve had the good fortune to experience, the trip out to and back from Sand Island (originally named Waabaabikaa-minis in Ojibwe) – part of…
Dunnville to Durand: Combining the tail end of the Red Cedar River with a lower segment of the Chippewa River, this trip makes for a quintessential loaf float for a lazy summer day. While it’s not as scenic as…
Dickinson Road to County Highway G: A diamond in the rough if ever there was one, a wily and beguiling stream coursing through undeveloped thickets of gorgeous county forest, the South Fork of the Eau Claire will reward patient and…
Plum Creek Road to Wauzeka: An easy, pretty, and primitive trip, this final stretch of the meandering Kickapoo is not endowed with the spectacular rock outcrops and canyons as found in the popular Ontario to La Farge section –…
Here’s video of a scenic stretch on the obscure Mill Creek in Richland County which begins quietly in a beautiful swath of Driftless hills and finishes in a white-knuckled tumble down tricky rapids. (Adjust to 1080p for the best…
County Road E to Dam Lane: A very scenic stretch of a truly obscure stream, this trip on Mill Creek begins quietly in a beautiful swath of Driftless hills and finishes in a white-knuckled tumble down tricky rapids. Water…
Here’s a look at the lower half of Six Mile Creek, a there-and-back trip that offers pleasant paddling without the commitment of shuttling, plus an array of wildlife. Oh, and depending on how far you’re willing to paddle, some…
Touring Lower Six Mile Creek: A delightful little jaunt in the Madison area, the lower half of Sixmile Creek offers a pleasant respite without the commitment of a long drive or shuttling (it’s a there-and-back outing), plus a wide…
County Road Q to River Road: As wild and wooly a ride as I’ve ever had, this stretch of the Middle Branch of the Embarrass River features exhilarating sequences of Class II rapids through obstacle courses of down trees…
Have a look at (or shield your eyes, I suppose) at the Little Maquoketa River – a trip rich in potential but poor as dirt in reward unless you enjoy getting in and out of your boat a hundred…
Graf Park to Durango: A trip rich in potential but poor as dirt in reward, this upstream clip of the Little Maquoketa River can only be done at higher water levels (unless you enjoy getting in and out of…
Short Cut Road to County Road U: When it comes to Wisconsin driftless paddles, the Grant is as captivating as they come with its twists, turns, riffles and rock formations. However, there’s currently one big caveat and by big, we…
Here’s some more video of a recent return to a previous trip on the Black River that combines two distinctly different styles of paddling. This second section from Halls Creek Landing to Roosevelt Road is a calm paddle on relaxed water…
Here’s some video of a recent return to a previous trip on the Black River that combines two distinctly different styles of paddling. This first section from County Road K to Halls Creek Landing is full of a couple fists of…