Otter Rapids Dam to County Road O: This trip on the upper Wisconsin River is one of the DNR’s six recommended routes located within the Northern Highland-American Legion State Forest, and it comes with two very distinct personalities. The…
Browsing Tag
Wisconsin River
Around this time last year we had the awesome (and totally flattering) opportunity to collaborate with the great guys at Thousand Lumens on behalf of the tireless and never-thanked-enough work of Melissa and the good crew at the Stevens…
When it comes to camping the Wisconsin River, most first think of the Lower Wisconsin Riverway, a glorious free-flowing 92-mile stretch where island and sandbar camping is free and easy. But the Wisconsin is 430 miles long, splitting the state…
Canoe & Kayak Camping
Canoe & Kayak Camping Wisconsin: Northern Highland-American Legion State Forest
At first glance, the massive Northern Highland-American Legion State Forest looks like an overwhelming paddle-camp planning challenge (I mean, just look at our overview map below). Thankfully, however, the Wisconsin DNR provides six recommended routes that overlap and intertwine…
In 1989, the Lower Wisconsin Riverway was created to protect the last free-flowing 92 miles to the Mississippi River for recreational purposes and to help protect natural wildlife habitats. From Prairie Du Sac to just south of the city…
Designated to protect the headwaters of the Wisconsin, Flambeau and Manitowish rivers, the Northern Highland-American Legion State Forest encompasses more than 232,000 acres in northern Wisconsin. With over 900 lakes, miles of river, and dozens of free, first-come, first-served…
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…
We’re often asked where to canoe and kayak camp in Wisconsin, so we thought it was long overdue to create a guide of go-to destinations, as well as some you may or may not know about. Paddle-camping opportunities in…
In the heart of Portage County in central Wisconsin, the City of Stevens Point sits in the cradle of two magnificent rivers – the Wisconsin and the Plover. Indeed, at darling Iverson Park the moniker “City of Wonderful Water”…
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…
By now, you might’ve heard of The Driftless 250 (also known as The Drifty 250, an alliteration we aboulutely love), a 250-mile, 7-day, bike, paddle and camping event. What started as a small group of friends out on an adventure became…
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…
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…
Castle Rock Dam to Lyndon Station: A peaceful trip that is light on individual details, but luxurious on general overall feel. There’s very little development along the banks, and several humongous islands that divide the mainstream into beguiling side channels.…
Part two of our 2015 fall flotilla captures even more beautiful sights of the Wisconsin River. This time, it's a stretch of the Lower Dells...…
Best explored with paddle in hand, the Dells of the Wisconsin River is a must-visit destination. Have a look at part one our annual fall flotilla on the Upper Dells...…
River Bay Road to Norway Drive: Divided perfectly to highlight the best of the upper and lower dells, these 11.5 miles are full of breathtaking formations, bluffs, overhangs, nooks, crannies, inlets and outlets to discover. You haven’t experienced the…
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…
Pine Island to Portage: A mostly uneventful but still pretty section of the Wisconsin River located downriver from the Dells but before the Driftless bluffs of the lower 92 miles. The best this trip offers is plenty of sandbars…
Grandfather Dam to Lokemoen Road: A short trip alternating between flatwater and Class I-II rapids that begins at the end of the Wisconsin River’s single steepest section and quite possibly, where the coolest hydroelectric dam in the state is…
Portage to Dekorra: A mostly overlooked and underappreciated section of the Wisconsin River located after the rapture of the Dells but before the splendor of the lower 92 miles, this quick trip is worth a look. Rating: ☆ ☆…
Pine River to Texas: A very abbreviated segment of the Merrill to Granite Heights trip (11.25 miles) due to lack of time and winter conditions. Highlights include a swift current leading up to one very solid Class I+ rapids,…
Lyndon Station to Wisconsin Dells: Gorgeous sandstone bluffs, huge rock walls, labyrinthine islands, slot canyons, nooks, crannies, caves and tourist kitsch; this paddle just about has it all. Rating: ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ Trip Report Date: October 13, 2013…
Lone Rock to Muscoda: A normally beautiful stretch of the lower Wisconsin River with tons of sandbar islands, rolling bluffs and a couple of rock outcroppings, that in high water is a bit adulterated. Rating: ☆ ☆ ☆ Trip…
We just put the finishing touches on our Lower Wisconsin Riverway Mileage Maps and added them to the Lower 92 Guide for downloading and printing...…
In 1989, the Lower Wisconsin Riverway was created to protect the last free-flowing 92 miles to the confluence of the Mississippi River for recreational purposes and to help protect natural wildlife habitats...…
Wisconsin Dells to Norway Drive: A veritable playground of natural features for paddlers, this short trip on the Lower Dells should be in anybody’s bucket list, as the sandstone rock outcrops and islands are as spectacular, if fewer in…
Dekorra to Whalen Bay: A random curiosity trip on a stretch of the river in between Portage and Prairie du Sac that features a surprising array of beautiful scenery. The only catches are sharing the river with a lot…
This video found its way into our inbox today from the Friends of the Lower Wisconsin Riverway. It's a very cool overview (literally) of our own majestic Wisconsin River...…