Star Rating ANY - ANY
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Logjams/Obstructions ANY - ANY
Rock Outcrops ANY - ANY
Boulder Gardens ANY - ANY
Number of Rapids ANY - ANY
Strongest RapidsANY - ANY
Has Sandbars
Has Good Clarity
Round Trips Possible
High Water Required
Group Colors By River
You can select a trip review, by clicking the appropriate icon below on the map. Zoom-in to untangle the markers. Yes, yes...most trips are in south-central Wisconsin (where I live), but I hope to move that button blob further north in the future. Want to see boat landings instead? See this this map.
41 Comments to “Map of Reviewed Water Trails”
How did your trip turn out? Questions or comments? Feel free to leave your feedback.
SUBMIT COMMENT!
I am hoping to take my boys(ages 12 and 16) and their friends on a kayaking day trip. We are close to Milwaukee. They like rapids ( of course) but have only kayaked and canoed a few times so they certainly are not experienced nor am I. Any suggestions?
Hi Sara,
Check your email as I sent you a bunch of suggestions. I suspect the Illinois Fox through Waukesha might be a good bet for your family.
Questions, let me know.
Looking to confirm that you CAN take out at Ferry Bluff on the Wisconsin River. hoping to canoe from VFW in Sauk to Ferry Bluff, hike the trails, then head back home. Concerned that the current from Honey Creek will make it difficult to paddle UP stream to the canoe access. Thoughts?
Hi Sally, yes you can. Was just on this section recently the current won’t be a problem. In fact, you most likely will have to get out and wade a little to access the Honey Creek Landing.
Funny you should ask about this as I’m just a few days away from posting a review for Mazo to Arena.
Here is a map:
https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?hl=en&authuser=0&mid=zDdhE2jJ0Eic.k7KLY9pBVOpg
As you’ll see, another option is the sewage plant which is actually a good alternative (you miss nice bluffs though). But honestly, your better bet is to put in at the Mazo boat ramp and take-out at Arena. That has MUCH better sandbars and bluffs. Wish my review was done…
Questions let me know.
Hi my family is planning a canoe trip and looking for somewhere around the Beaver Dam area no more than and hour away. We have about 26 adults and 10 children. Any recommendations? Thanks
Hi Sandy,
There are a number of ideas… The Beaver Dam river itself is a very good prospect but it does have rapids and runs shallow in the summer frequently. I hope to review this pretty soon!
Horicon Marsh is the closest mainstream watertrail. I’ve reviewed this before and there is a local livery.
You might also checkout my reviews for the South and East branches of the rock river.
The Crawfish River from Columbus to Astico Park is a solid prospect that I hope to do this spring as well.
If you’re willing to drive a bit further, the Oconomowoc River, Milwaukee River and Wisconsin River are good options.
Horicon Marsh is probably your safest option for such a large group, but honestly for some this isn’t as interesting.
For big groups, you can’t go wrong with the Wisconsin River. The Bark River which I recently reviewed is actually one of my favorites in the area and you might consider that too. The Mecan River is an option to the north and is a great option within an hour and has a livery.
Questions, let me know.
My wife and I are looking for a nice 3 – 4 day canoe backpacking trip. Looking for a scenic river with lots to look at and the possibility of seeing wildlife. Need to be able to camp along the river each night. Would welcome any suggestions?
Thanks Mike Saxion
Hi Mike,
Surprisingly enough, there are many rivers in Wisconsin that you can’t really camp on. Here are the ones I know of that you can.
Lower Wisconsin:
By far and away the best option. Many liveries and landings, and the best and largest sandbars for camping in the state. The grandest sandbars will be in the middle portion of the river (close to the Prairie du Sac dam and the mouth there are few sandbars. If you view satellite view, you can get a great idea of where your best prospects are. The sandbars disappear under high water (>10k CFS at Muscoda so pay attention to the weather forecast).
Lower Black River:
Start in Black River Falls and float to the mouth. A neat river, but not as many sandbars and some property owners don’t care for sandbar campers (still popular though). View satellite view for best options and don’t go when the water is high.
Lemonweir:
From Mauston to the Upper Dells is maybe 20 miles and there are small sandbars to camp on in low water. Be wary of mosquitoes.
Lower Dells to Lake Wisconsin:
Launch below the dam to enjoy the lower Dells rock formations and some great sandbars by Portage and upstream of Lake Wisconsin. Can be very busy though especially near Lake Wisconsin and in the Dells…best to go on weekdays.
Namekagon:
A great camp/paddle option. Start maybe upstream of Hayward by the Namekagon Dam landing and float to the mouth on the St. Croix. While few sandbars, there are many streamside campsites. https://www.nps.gov/sacn/planyourvisit/upper-riverway-camping.htm
Flambeau River:
Another classic for paddling/camping with special riverside access points. https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/StateForests/flambeauriver/recreation/camping
Kickapoo:
Aside from Wildcat Mountain (great campground), there is a small riverside campsite you can use, but it does require reservations and does fill up fast. There are neat hiking trails in Wildcat Mountain Park (especially the Ice Cave trail by Billings Creek).
Chippewa:
Multiple sandbar options between Eau Claire and the mouth on the Mississippi with some big ones. View satellite view for best sandbars. Neat bluffs in this area. Similar experience to the Lower Wisconsin.
Eau Claire River:
One of the better kept camp paddle secrets in the state. Launch below Lake Eau Claire by the dam to see some cool bluffs. Keep paddling past Harstad and you’ll encounter some really nice sandbars (clean sand no other people). Could take out at Seymour or Eau Claire. Local liveries can provide more info.
That’s all I can think of…I’m sure there are more.
I’ve got a group of guys that go on a 3 day float trip every year. We’ve done the Buffalo River and Upper Iowa floats. Looking to explore into Wisconsin now as well. Looks like the Wisconsin River might be our best bet based on drive time (need to stay south of the Dells). What section would you suggest floating? We would prefer scenery and fishing over a big party.
Hi Steve,
The Lower Wisconsin is of course a classic. However, the main strength of the river are its sandbars which only occasionally come out depending on the flowrate. My advise would be to do the trip if the levels are under 10k at Muscoda, else maybe plan a backup plan (like the Kickapoo River by Ontario).
For specific sections, the closer you get to Sauk City, the more crowds there will be. But if you go on a weekday, this will significantly cut down on the competition for sandbars. However the closer you get the Mississippi (roughly) the less sandbars there will be.
A good cross segment of sections for a 3 day trip would be Mazo to Arena (9.7 miles), Arena to Spring Green (10.2 miles) and Spring Green to Lone Mock. Perhaps the best and most scenic section on the Lower Wisconsin.
More information at: https://www.wisconsinrivertrips.com/segments/wisconsin-river-mazomanie
Has anyone kayaked the 15,300 acre Chippewa Flowage with 200 islands near Hayward, Wi?
Near East Troy there is a creek that runs through Alpine Valley. It seems to start at Honey Lake and runs to Elkhorn. Is that Honey Creek? Is it navigable? It runs right down between the two lanes of I43 at the rest areas.
Yes, that is Honey Creek and it is navigable. Bell School to D & D to Kearny have been on my todo list for a while.
Hello! We plan on staying at the River’s Edge Resort but want to raft with an inflatable. The last time we went out there it was crazy with the boats and current. Any tips on where we can raft at that is nearby and more calm.
Thank you!!
There aren’t many great area to tube in the Dells. To tube you need good current, but Mirror Lake and the Upper Dells are impounded. The area by River’s Edge might be your best bet.
Hi there. My name is Eric, and my son is Ean. We are avid kayakers here in southern WI. My son and I just did a rigorous foot recon of Sugar Creek in Walworth Co. WI. We were able to to see about 70% of the route between CO. Rd. ES east of HWY 67 & 12 all the way past Bowers road to HWY 120. We only saw one & possibly a second fall that may or may not need to be portaged. We found the creek to be fast moving in many areas. We have just had our first significant rainfall in weeks but the creek was very deep in spots. Many steep banks but some very fun looking <Class 1 runs could be seen. Me being a walworth Co. resident for 95% of my life, I was taken back that this thing runs West to East (And I do mean runs) You could quite possibly could go all the way to Honey Lake but we only scouted a bit past 120. If anyone has done this run, which passes between the rest areas on HWY 43 near Alpine Valley, I'd like to hear your experience. If not, we look forward to a May run on the Sugar.
Sugar Creek has been on my todo list for a while. Walworth ES to Bowers Road would be 7.1 miles and is likely a very good paddle.
I am thankful for your reply in that I was curious how far it was. Not sure how you figure all that out but I’m grateful for the information. The Sugar Creek runs pretty fast and I would think you could cover the 7.1 miles in less than 4hrs. or so depending on what you find and how long you hang around points of interest. Weather permitting we could go in April or March. We’ll see. Thank you again for this page and all you do to inform us!
If you do the trip, let me know how it turns out!
Of course. I’ll be sure to let Y’all know in advance. With this wonderful stretch of weather we’ve had here in late Nov. & Dec. I’m sad I put up the kayaks. I will be scouting a couple others here in S.E. Wisconsin this weekend and take advantage of the weather, lack of insects and such. Nippersink near Twin Lakes is one I’m told is quite fun and diverse and is on my to-do too!
Hi,
Do you have any suggestions for good places to go tubing? Which one of the ones you have reviewed would be suitable for tubing? Thank you!
There are a number of tubing options…one is the Lower Dells (dam to Riverside Resort). A problem with tubing though is that they are REALLY slow…consider kayaking instead which is much more enjoyable.
With the surprisingly dry spring, it’s not been easy to find smaller creeks to do. Our intent, as stated before, was to do the Sugar Creek in Walworth Co. but each time I have looked, it seemed too low. Going to have to find alternatives for now till some rains come. Also wanted to try the Nippersink but had heard stories of low flow and difficult runs. Anxious to go but don’t want to scrap my Kayak into the junk heap either.
Yeah, SE Wisconsin has been relatively dry this spring. There’s always trips to do no matter the water levels though. The Lower Milwaukee, Lower Fox, Lower Oconomowoc, and Lower Bark should all be good to go regardless of low levels. If you do the Nippersink let me know how it turns out.
Sure appreciate your suggestions. Thank you and safe travels!
Me and my friend want to kayak the wi river. I’m curious, can you kayak both ways? Oe is there too much of a current? We’re looking to kayak about 6 to 8 hours and am looking for a good spot to start and stop. Any suggestions?
Generally speaking one-way trips are a much better way to experience the river. There are liveries that can help with shuttles. The current is usually to fast for round-trips, although the flowages like Lake Wisconsin, might be an exception. As for general trip ideas there are many (https://www.wisconsinrivertrips.com/segments/wisconsin-river), but the Mazo landing to the Arena landing is a good starter trip.
Webmaster’s note… I changed the trip map which used to show markers grouped by star rating. But honestly I thought this was creating a lot of clutter and confusion. I switched this to instead group the colors by river. So all the Baraboo River trips are the same color, all the Black River trips use the same markers, etc…
Hi,
I love this website but used to enjoy the filter on the map by trip ranking/stars. Is there any way to filter the trips by ranking, so I can chase the 4 or 5 star trips only? Trying to sift through and prioritize scenic or fast flowing streams near me.
Thanks,
Gregor
That’s a good idea…I might work on that soon.
A significant change has been made to the map page. You can now filter by many criteria including star rating, mileage, logjams and more. If you have problems with this, let me know.
Greetings all you Yakers. I have a question for anyone who may know. I was exploring for a fresh row to do this spring and I found a place that looks very interesting, not far from me, and not reviewed. So I am asking if anyone has done the Sugar River as it splits and enters near Broadhead? The east split is called The Sugar Race? The west is The Sugar River. Can anyone give me an idea if this is one you can do? Rapids? Any info would be helpful.
Hi Eric…I have not done this leg, but I have scouted it in person and it is on my todo list. The east leg is the old mill race…current is slow and it is an easy up and back. Headgates Park is a nice put-in. The west channel is the main river and this is a solid prospect. I believe there are cliffs below the Decatur Dam. If you do this stretch, let me know how it turns out!
I will be sure to fill you and Y’all in on this adventure. Here’s to mid-levels and be safe out there!
A Kayaking Blessing:
By Eric Graff
Lord bring the April showers
So our creeks won’t lack the power
To push away three years of drought
Cuz that’s what April’s all about
So all the falls can be pushed aside
And thru the bolder gardens glide
May your strainers and obstructions
Be completely lacking suction
These are the conditions we like best
Now get out there, & don’t forget your vest!!
The Lord may have heard your prayers! El Nino is now forecasted to die in spring and possibly be replaced with El Nina. Typically that means more jet-stream movement over the state of Wisconsin and thus more showers/higher waters. I hope we definitely get more rain than last year…July onward was crazy low. But hopefully not too much rain!
Does anyone know anything about Saunders Creek near Edgerton? The parts I see seem interesting but I can’t tell if this is viable or not. Thank you for any info you share.
I’m not sure…I checked satellite and there was a lot of tree cover which is a bad sign. You might try scouting it in person to see how bad the logjam situation is.
My son and I are going to attempt Swan Creek…The Delavan outlet to Turtle Creek. This rain should make it a decent row. I’ll let you know.
what do the colors mean on the routes green yellow blue etc ?
The colors themselves don’t have meaning…they only change to signify the end of one route and the start of another.