Six Mile Creek
This is a nice paddling creek, but you must wait for high water levels as it can be shallow. It’s a diverse creek with marshy stretches, some urban paddling through Waunakee, some wooded legs, and a surprising number of rocks and boulders.
Trip Reports
Ripp Park to Castle Creek Conservancy
Date Paddled: June 9th, 2018
Distance: 3.8 miles
Time: 3 hours 45 minutes (2 hours would be more typical)
This Lake Mendota tributary was a nice paddle with only a few logjams. Highlights include a marsh, rapids, some scenic parks, 17 total bridges, and even a few boulder gardens.
Read More...Waunakee Village Park to Woodland Drive
Date Paddled: July 17th, 2022
Distance: 4.9 miles
Time: Expect 3 hours if cleared out (way more if not)
This was an incorrectly timed trip...too low and too many logjams. It is however a very pretty creek. With enough rain and after the current cleanup efforts finish, this might be one of the more attractive water trails in Dane County.
Read More...Woodland Drive to Governor Nelson State Park
Date Paddled: August 4th, 2018
Distance: 4.2 miles
Time: 4 hours 48 minutes (2-2.5 hours would be more typical)
Recently cleared of logjams, lower Six Mile Creek is Dane County's newest water trail. This was a diverse trip that included dense woodlands, marsh, and paddling on Lake Mendota. All in all a pleasant trip with the highlight being the diverse and unique plant life.
Read More...Overview Map
Detailed Overview
- Hwy 19 Culvert to Kingsley Road: 3.4 miles. An interesting prospect through the Waunakee Marsh with clear water. The first half mile is extremely narrow and may need very high water to be viable. Maybe 1-2 logjams.
- Kingsley Road to Ripp Park: 1.2 miles. Likely a nice marsh paddle with maybe 1-2 logjams. There is a mat of dead cattails to circumnavigate at Kingsly Road, otherwise this seems like an ok access.
- Ripp Park to Castle Creek Conservancy: 3.8 miles. A varied paddle with marsh, boulder gardens, rapids, urban parks, and dense woods. Very nice, but a few logjams.
- Ripp Park to Hwy 113: 1.8 miles. An open paddle through a grassy corridor with lazy current. One logjam, but an easy portage. Hwy 113 is a busy road, but access might be possible by parking north of the bridge and launching between the road and the trail bridges.
- Hwy 113 to Waunakee Village Park (North): 1.0 mile. A wooded section with some boulder gardens and rapids. Neat part of the creek. Most logjams should be cleared out by now.
- Waunakee Village Park (North) to Waunakee Village Park (South): 0.3 miles. A tidy part of the creek that flows though the park. Highlights are a few rapids and several stone arch bridges. The south end of the park doesn’t have a parking lot…so disembark by Madison Street(2nd bridge) and drag your boat north to 3rd Street to load up your car. Long-term parking is available by the Village Center. Creek here is shallow.
- Waunakee Village Park (South) to Castle Creek Conservancy: 0.7 miles. A densely wooded section that is scenic but shallow and should only be run in high water. There is a nice set of rapids just upstream of Division Street. I suspect Village Center Pond might be a take-out option.
- Castle Creek Conservancy to Woodland Drive: 3.9 miles. Scenic stretch with a lot of potential. But there are significant logjams (which are being cleaned out). This leg is rocky and can only be run in high water.
- Woodland Drive to Governor Nelson State Park Boat Ramp: 4.2 miles. Recently cleared out by Capitol Water Trails this is a nice section with a mixture of marsh and woodlands.
Nearby Guages
Videos
Comments
Ran this exact stretch this morning. Pretty much the exact same experience as what’s reported on here, which is shame, because if the water level was adequate and the logjams were cleared, I honestly think this could be one of the better creek paddles in the state! There’s definitely been some cleanup work on it but there are still 6-12 major logjams, 3-4 of which were impossible to pass through the water. Ran this at 4.42’ and 11 cfs. Really no idea how reliable the gauge is and/or what would be suitable. The pond near the end was clean and easy to traverse. All in all, you would need seriously high water levels to make this trip worth it, but even then, the logjams are still a nuisance. Hope conditions improve soon, otherwise Woodland to Lake Mendota is a reliable and pleasant trip!
Capitol Water Trails has cleared out the creek from Lake Mendota to Mary Lake. This is great news! https://www.facebook.com/CapitolWaterTrails/posts/pfbid02rUnwYxCNGmHH9Z666NE5mPCgj6avqjvaxpaXArkVwqSokSV8umLyUHaLTpe7KxZZl
Thanks for the heads up. I'll add a warning for readers.
Fyi sixmile creek from woodland drive to mendota is currently impassable regardless of water level due to tree obstructions. Love your site!
An update here from Friends of Six Mile Creek: Creek is now open from Division Street to Mill Road! https://www.facebook.com/groups/3019803131579353/?hoisted_section_header_type=recently_seen&multi_permalinks=3937384499821207
Good work has been done cleaning up many of the logjams we faced. Here is a recent video that shows that most signicant logjam being removed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcQQExZI0Z0
The dredging of Six Mile Creek has started. Here is a video of the dredging machine in action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOUBYkh4GE0
Thanks Denny for the update. It's too bad to hear about Kingsley Road. I wonder if it is better at high levels. Mill Road though is good news. I know a local group is working on cleaning out the creek there and they should have this to Woodland Drive cleared later this summer.
I took Aaron’s suggestion and put in at Kingsley Road. DON’T do it! There’s a nasty debris dam with 20 yards of putrifying cattails behind it 10 minutes from the put-in. The nettles-infested portage is lumpy and no fun. Your reward for all this? More marsh paddling and sweet noise from Hwy. 19. The put-in at Ripp Park is a relative dream.
I extended Aaron’s route to Mill Road — it continues what you just ran and it’s worth it, but ONLY IF the USGS gage is at at least 20 cfs. Otherwise you’re bumping your way downstream. There is in fact legal street parking on Mill Road.
If you’re jonesin’ for Six Mile Creek, do a round trip on the other section described here; start at Woodland Drive, paddle to County M and return.
Nice pictures!
We did an out and back on 4/1/22 from the North Shore Bay Dr bridge, to see if we could make it to the Woodland Dr Bridge. We got close, maybe 1/4 mile away before we got to a blockage that would have required a portage or more sawing/lopping than we were up for. You can see where we turned around on the attached map, it is right were there are some old I-beams in the creek. There was also one duck under that would be hard for bigger boats or higher water levels. I also scouted down from the bridge on foot, there are a few places that need some cleaning up/clearing out, but nothing major. Here is a link to virtual map and pics from the trip. https://www.relive.cc/view/vNOPoYgAJ2v
Thanks for the update! CWT is actually still working on the creek and hopefully in early 2022 a section further upstream by Waunakee will be navigable for paddling.
I can attest that the work that Capital Water Trails did in Six Mile Creek has held -- mostly. I paddled and up-and-back on an unusually warm mid-December day (2021) from the bridge at North Shoe Bay Drive to 200 yards short of Woodland Drive, where I encountered a double-trunked basswood blocking the stream -- a beast I didn't feel like portaging around.
By the looks of the photos, paddling this creek in fall/winter has the advantage of not struggling with aquatic vegetation. I also saw that the creek had cut a new channel, leaving behind a 200-yard long oxbow.
Things get quite shallow at the merger of Six Mile and Dorn creeks.
That's unfortunate news...hopefully that gets cleared out in the future. Thanks for the update.
ALL HAIL WRT.COM!
We just ran this same trip at about 4.3' on the Hwy 19 gage, and the bridge was utterly impassible. Well, unless you wanted to lie down in your boat, helpless, and hope you emerged at the other end! On the other hand we had very few groundings that weren't due to poor route selection. The marsh contained several flocks of jump-scare ducks and even a big one of Canadas that left several hundred square meters of white down atop the water when they boogied. We didn't have to limbo or portage a single tree; by the Piggly Wiggly there was one 30-meter section of extremely thick weeds backed up behind some downed wood in which it was very difficult to move. Water quite clear, sand & gravel bottom for most of the trip. Take-out just before Division Street bridge was excellent, though the bottom there was so soft we just hoisted our keisters onto the bank.
Satellite view. Awesome! Thanks Aaron!
I haven't, but multiple logjams can be seen from satellite view. If it were cleaned out, it could be a cool paddle though.
Has anyone paddled 6 mile from Castle Creek Conservancy to Woodland? Color me curious.
I'm surprised to hear that the east side is in bad shape. Last year it was great for launching.
Just checked out possible put-in spots off of Woodland. West side of the road is damn near impossible due to steepness and lots of vegetation. SE is the best put-in spot but is super muddy. ☹️
Hi Mike...that is a good question. As a non-swimmer, you might stay off the more congested sections (downstream of 113). But really any section you do will have deeper pools and possible logjams. My suggestion as a beginner would be to simply do another creek until you are more comfortable dealing with logjams and other surprises creeks can toss at you. Black Earth Creek (Olson to Mazo) might be a better starter prospect as that section is kept clear of hazards.
I am a 60 year old non-swimmer (not comfortable in water, would panic if I fell into water over my head, although I have canoed in my younger days while wearing a PFD. I have access to an inexpensive kayak (blow-molded polyethylene, think Menard's). As I live close to Six Mile Creek, is it safe for a non-swimmer, again wearing a PFD, to paddle on any portions of the Six Mile Creek? Are there any spots that I should avoid? Or is it just not safe for a non-swimmer to be in a kayak anywhere?
How did your trip turn out? Questions or comments? Feel free to leave your feedback.
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