Billings Creek

Billings Creek is a small watershed located in SW Wisconsin that is frequently overlooked by paddlers because the adjacent stream to the west is so popular (the Kickapoo River).

The trip starts with a bang as you zip over fast current through narrow windy banks of green grass and attractive flowers.  One of the first impressions I had was how clear the creek was (exceptionally so at times).  This afforded attractive views of the below substrate that contained a mix of sand, rocks and sediment.

Much of the trip flows through Wildcat Mountain State Park and the adjoining State Natural Area, which means there were no houses nor development on the entire stretch.  A welcome rarity for a southern Wisconsin creek, this gave the trip a unique wilderness feel.  The scenery was a mix of  prairies and woodlands with great views of the surrounding river valley including the very prominent Mt. Pisgah.

The scenic highlight was, of course, the sandstone outcrops.  Too many to count, they were fantastic and rivaled those on the Kickapoo to the west.  A rough rule of thumb will be that the best ones will be nearer to the end of the trip, but one of my favorites was next to the Ice Cave Trail at the beginning.  At times the sandstone would wrap around the creek creating carved out “bowls” that were fun to scoot though.  In one case, you can actually paddle through a cave which is easy to miss if you are not paying attention.  Many of the sandstone outcrops face east, so I suggest getting an early start on a sunny day for best lighting.

An unexpected highlight were the natural springs along the creek.  There are many, but the nicest was just downstream of Hwy F and requires getting out of your boat to explore (worth doing…you should hear it when you are close).  The spring water (like the others) is red!  Perhaps from iron content?  At any rate it is a cool site to see red spring water bubbling out of the ground and cascading into the creek.

Ending the trip on the Kickapoo was an interesting contrast.  The Kickapoo is much siltier and, while up-tempo for a river, is not as fast as Billings Creek.  One of my first impressions of the Kickapoo was how big and muddy the banks are.  The Kickapoo unfortunately has (and still does) suffer from erosion issues whereas Billings Creek pleasantly lacks these sediment landfills.  The other impression was how the Kickapoo sandstone seemed to occur more in “islands” whereas the the Billings Creek outcrops were more contiguous.  These sister streams are both great prospects, but I think I actually enjoyed Billings Creek more, which is high praise.

Put-in:

Ok bridge access at Hwy 33 with good shoulder parking, but you do have to drag your boat ~140′ to get to the water.  You may need a park sticker as this is technically inside Wildcat Mountain State Park.

An alternate put-in is the next bridge 1000′ downstream at Hwy F.  There is a convenient parking lot (for the Ice Cave Trail) and a nearby outhouse.  I however advise putting in at Hwy 33 as this small 1000′ in-between section has nice riffles and a sandstone outcrop.

Take-out:

You’ll have to pick one of many options on the Kickapoo River.  I chose Winchel Valley Ave (aka “Bridge 8”), which is ok with established parking and a scenic outcrop overlooking the bridge.  The bank is unimproved and maybe a bit steep for unathletic paddlers.

If you are willing to paddle a half mile upstream, you could take out at Hwy 131 (aka “Bridge 7”).  This is a very nice canoe landing.

Another downstream option would be the next Hwy 131 bridge (“Bridge 9”), but I think this would be more difficult than Winchel Valley Ave.  There is a public landing after “Bridge 10” that is a good option though.

For an overview of upper Kickapoo bridges and landings, see the official KVR map.

Shuttle Information:

Local liveries (call ahead for availability):

• Drifty’s Canoe Rental : 608.337.4288 – Hwy 33 & 131 North, Ontario, WI 54651
• Kickapoo Wild Adventures : 608.337.4522 – 30352 State Hwy 131, Norwalk, WI 54648
• Mr. Duck Canoe Rental : 608.337.4711 -100 Main Street, Ontario, WI 54651
• OK Corral Canoe Rental : 608.337.4517 – 30531 St Hwy 31, Norwalk, WI 54648
• Titanic Canoe Rental : 608.337.4551 – 300 State Highway 131  Ontario, WI 54651
• Kickapoo Yacht Club : 608.625.4395 – S2463 Rockton Loop Road  La Farge, WI 54639
• Crooked River Resort : 608.629.5624 – S. 8019 Hwy 61, Readstown, WI
• Flasher’s Canoe Camping Trips : 608.435.6802 -PO Box 114, Wilton, WI 54670

For bike shuttlers, this is pretty hilly (200′ peddling uphill and 243′ peddling downhill), but is only 3 miles, scenic and has little traffic.  Plenty doable…just might have to walk a few hills.

Hazards and Logjams:

There are many class 1 riffles but they are all safe and not a problem.  As for log jams, I only had to portage once, which was a pleasant surprise.  I’ve marked the down tree on the map in case anybody wants to clear it out.

River Depth, Navigability and Current:

This is a shallow creek not recommended for canoes nor bigger kayaks.  There are a few shallow spots, but if you navigate carefully you can usually avoid them.  I never had to get out due to the shallow water, but do note I have a flat bottom boat which is unusually good at getting through shallow water.

The water levels will be far more stable than the nearby and larger Kickapoo River.  Because the creek is spring-fed, I suspect it stays relatively stable throughout the year, but might get high after a heavy rain and low after a summer drought. 

For reference, I went at 79 CFS per the local Kickapoo gauge at Ontario.  I was happy at this depth, but more fickle paddlers might aim for 90 CFS?  150 CFS is near flood-stage for the upper Kickapoo.

The current is pretty fast with countless riffles that are fun but not dangerous.

Noteworthy Wildlife:

Some turtles, a great blue heron, cliff swallows, butterflies snacking on mud, and a few fly fishermen. The highlight was the plant life.  This included many nice mosses, flowers, ferns, fungus growing in the springs and white pines towering over the sandstone outcrops.  The Kickapoo is noted for having relict species of plants that are not found elsewhere.

Local Diversions:

• Ice Cave Trail – Trailhead off Hwy F.  Scenic hiking trail that ends in a small waterfall and bowled out sandstone.  Forms dramatic ice waterfall in the winter.
• Wildcat Mountain State Park Overlook – Very neat overlook with great view of the Kickapoo River and little tiny canoers.
• Kickapoo Valley Reserve Visitor Center – Part Kickapoo museum, part nature center this is worth checking out.  Closed Sundays.
• The Uncompleted La Farge Dam -Located .2 miles south of the KVR Visitor Center.  Best view is from a dead end drive west of the river off Corps Road.
  • Aerial picture of the dam site
  • Map of how big the flowage would have been (which would have flooded Billings Creek)
  • History of the dam (boy did we dodge a bullet on that one)
• Organic Valley Outlet – A retail store for the famous organic co-op located in La Farge.  Closed Sundays.

Billings Creek Overview:

• Hwy F to Biscuit Hollow: The creek is probably too small to run and there is a serious electric fence issue by Hwy F.  Not recommended.
• Biscuit Hollow to Hwy 33: (1.4 miles) A good prospect that is small but should be runnable by small boats (maybe not during droughts).  Will have good riffles and some nice outcrops, but you will have to paddle by a farm.  Mostly open, but will be several portages.
• Hwy 33 to Hwy F: (0.25 miles) A fun little stretch with zippy corners and a nice sandstone outcrop.  Reviewed here.
• Hwy F to Kickapoo Mouth: (2.71 miles) A terrific stretch reviewed here.
• Kickapoo River – Billings Mouth to Winchel Valley Ave: (0.6 miles) Ok stretch of the Kickapoo with two nice sandstone outcrops.  Not as nice as further north sections.  Part of this review.

Kickapoo River Overview:

• Wilton to Hwy 131 (near Nicollet Ave): 7.0 miles. Just a small creek and not too many bluffs, but are some.  Fences and log jams may be an issue as well as shallow water.  This has been paddled at least once before.
• Hwy 131 (near Nicollet Ave) to Ontario (Titanic Livery): 5 miles.  A rarely traveled section with nice rock outcrops. Reviewed here.
• Ontario (Titanic) to Hwy 131 (after Hay Valley Road or #7): 8.5 miles.  The most popular and perhaps best section of the Kickapoo.  Reviewed here.
• Hwy 131 (bridge #7) to Rockton:  5.0 miles.  A good stretch.  Reviewed here.
• Rockton to La Farge: 11 miles.  2nd most popular stretch on the river.  Less frequent but larger bluffs than upstream.  Easy to subdivide.  Reviewed here.
• La Farge to Hwy 131 (by Ski Hill Road): 6.76 miles.  Nice section but with a few jams.  Reviewed here.
• Hwy 131/Ski Hill Road to Viola (Banker Park): 7.0 miles.  Maybe 2 bluffs, but mostly open I think.  Have been told there are 26 portages between La Farge and Viola, so beware.
• Viola to Readstown: 12.5 miles.  Should be able to subdivide.  Not sure if any rock outcrops and might be some jams.
• Readstown to Soldiers Grove: 6.65 miles. Should be clear of jams and perhaps the most popular section on the lower Kickapoo.  But does not seem too special and doubt there are rock outcrops.
• Soldiers Grove to Hwy B: 8.98 miles. I doubt there are logjams, but think this stretch would not be very interesting.
• Hwy B to Gays Mills: 4 miles.  Probably not interesting.  A dam and flowage to contend with near Gays Mills.
• Gays Mills to Hwy S: 4.58 miles. 
• Hwy S to Haney Valley Road: 5.77 miles.
• Haney Valley Road to Taylor Ridge Road: 3.57 miles.
• Taylor Ridge Road to Steuban: 5.02 miles.
• Steuben to Plum Creek: 13 miles.  Probably not interesting.  Think you can subdivide this if need be.
• Plum Creek Landing to Wauzeka Boat Landing: 9.75 miles.  Non-exotic but flows through a wildlife area.  A landing at Hwy 60 allows you to subdivide the trip.
• Wauzeka to the Wisconsin River: 0.86 miles.  The last stretch before the Wisconsin.  Numerous take-out options on the Wisconsin River itself.

Trip Map

Overview Map

Video

Photos

Size:

Putting in at Hwy 33

Small to start, but navigable

Zipping through the grass

One of countless riffles

First sandstone outcrop

Hwy F

Nice scene from the bridge

Many attractive wildflowers along the banks

Another fine sandstone outcrop

The adjacent Ice Cave trail (very nice)

This is the Ice Cave

Much more impressive in the winter

Erosion has created arching rock walls

Coming up on a series of sandstone walls

Very impressive

You can see the stream carving into the rock

Only portage (easy)

Interesting red streaks (iron perhaps?)

Rapids next to the sandstone

Reverse view

So many nice white pines towering over sandstone

Great water clarity

Second Hwy F bridge

Attractive vista upstream of the bridge

And downstream

Substrate was a mixture of rocks and sand

Fantastic natural spring

Surrounded by skunk cabbage guards

Very unique red color, perhaps from iron?

I could hear the water rushing into the creek

Many nice mosses

Scenic view of Mt. Pisgah

The stream stays zippy

This rock face hides a secret

A cave is hidden behind the face

You can actually go through it

Paddling through the acorn

Reverse view

Seems precarious

Butterflies snacking on sand

Another stunning outcrop

Second major natural spring

Looks like a coral reef

Oozing red into the creek

Heading on a collision course

One of my favorite sections

Pretty sizable

Artificial riprap

Rapids were never greater than class 1

Another nice section

Cool curvature

Normally these would be logjams...

Many nice ferns

Tree is doing the splits

Another nice scene

Parabolic sandstone mirror

So scenic

Interesting red seeps coming from the mud

Welcome to the Kickapoo River

A five star prospect in its own right

The Kickapoo also has nice outcrops

But also has cool sandbars

And unfortunately large mud banks

Taking out at Winchel Valley Ave

Nice scene from the bridge

Little steep, but plenty doable

You can take out further downstream for more nice paddling

Scouting Biscuit Hollow as a put-in option

Creek is small but this is an option

2 Comments to “Billings Creek”

1. We paddled Billings Creek from the Ice Cave parking lot to Landing 10 on the Kickapoo on Aug. 15, 2021. Kickapoo gauge at Ontario was about 117 CFS, but I’m not sure how well it correlates because Billings drains such a small area.

   The recent heavy rains deposited debris about 5 ft. above the current water level, and flattened much of the vegetation along the banks. We didn’t see any boats from outfitters or tubers on the Kickapoo. (Aside from a canoe from Drifty’s that was entangled in fallen trees in a giant logjam.)

   Obstacles: At this water level we scraped quite a bit, but only had one portage. A thin layer of mud on the banks at the portage made the footing slippery, but not too bad. We also had to get out once to pull our boats over a tree across the stream. Not far downstream from the put-in was a very tight s-turn between two logs. One of the canoes was too long to navigate it and pinned in shallow water while trying to back out. Fortunately, the Creek isn’t too pushy and he was able to empty the water out of the boat before any damage occurred. I recovered the floating items from his yard sale.

   Notable wildlife: Bald eagle, great blue herons, kingfishers, goldfinches and cedar waxwings. It took us a little over 3 hours to paddle the 5.5 miles, but we stopped to admire the scenery frequently. Here’s a link to a photo album:
   https://photos.app.goo.gl/hZirQo3AUuSFC5NA6

   Reply

   1. Great pictures! Billings Creek is really underrated…if not overshadowed by the Kickapoo it would be a destination paddle itself.

      Reply