Yahara River
The Yahara is a mediocre paddling river, but it is very popular because of its proximity to Madison. It does have one elite water trail though and that is through the community of Deforest. This is a fantastic leg, but often it is too low for paddling.
Trip Reports
Veteran's Memorial Park to Sunfish Pond
Date Paddled: May 11th, 2019
Distance: 5.7 miles
Time: 6 hours 39 minutes (2.5 hours would be more typical)
Located north of Lake Mendota by DeForest, the Upper Yahara River is no more than a creek...but a fun creek at that with great wildlife, clarity, boulder gardens, rapids and other surprises. This might be the best paddle in all of Dane County.
Read More...Veteran's Memorial Park to Sunfish Pond
Date Paddled: May 11th, 2016
Distance: 5.7 Miles
Time: 2 hours
A guest review for a great section of the Yahara River near Deforest. Small, fast, and winding this is a good prospect to try when other nearby rivers and creeks are too high.
Read More...Highway 19 to Cherokee Marsh
Date Paddled: July 4th, 2023
Distance: 5.4 miles
Time: 4.5 hours
A guest review (and warning) for the Yahara River just upstream from Lake Mendota.
Read More...Hwy N to W. Stebbinsville Rd
Date Paddled: October 17th, 2021
Distance: 4.8 miles
Time: Expect 2+ hours
This is one of the nicer water trails south of Madison. Highlights include some light riffles and scenic boulder gardens.
Read More...Viking County Park in Stoughton to Stebbinsville Dam Road
Date Paddled: August 25th, 2018
Distance: 10.2 miles
Time: 3 hours 30 minutes
A guest review for the Lower Yahara River near Stoughton. Done during high water, pollution was an issue. While having interesting parts, this trip did require two dam portages and did have some wide monotonous sections.
Read More...W Stebbinsville Rd to Murwin Park
Date Paddled: July 7th, 2012
Distance: 6.2 Miles
Time: Roughly 3 hours
Originating from a chain of lakes in the Madison area, the Yahara is very popular with locals. It’s not a super long river and has a number of dams, so there aren’t that many navigable areas before it reaches the Rock River. The most popular section is from the site of the old Stebbinsville Dam […]
Read More...Overview Map
Detailed Overview
- Hwy 51 to E. Yahara Road: 1.4 miles. Very small and channelized, it seems open but there might be some snags here.
- Yahara Road to Veterans Park (DeForest): 1.6 miles. Very wooded so good chance of jams if not cleared out.
- Veterans Park to Windsor Road/Sunfish Pond: 5.7 miles. A small but fast stretch that has become popular in recent years.
- Windsor Road to Linden Drive/I90: 1.5 miles. An interesting section through a golf course. Linden Drive access is privately owned by the golf course.
- Linden Drive to Hwy 19: 1.3 miles. There are too many logjams to recommend this.
- Hwy 19 to Cherokee Park: 4.5 miles including 1.8 miles of lake paddling. There are too many logjams downstream of Hwy 19 to recommend that as a put-in.
- Cherokee Park to Tenney Park (aka Lake Mendota): 7.6 miles. A nice lake but really too big and exposed for most paddlers.
- Tenney Canal and Locks to Morrison Park: 1.3 miles. A fun experience. A canal fee might be required.
- Morrison Park to Paunack Park (Lake Monona): 2.6 miles. Mostly too big and busy to paddle, paddlers still do so and enjoy scenic vistas of the downtown.
- Paunack Park to Babcock Park (Lake Waubesa): 4.2 miles. Probably too much flatwater to be interesting.
- Babcock Park to Fish Camp Park (Mud Lake): 4.1 miles. Wide and flat. Probably uninteresting.
- Fish Camp Road to La Follette Park (Lake Kegonsa): 2.4 miles. Probably uninteresting lake paddling.
- La Follette Park to Viking County Park: 3.5 miles. Finally back to river paddling! An ok prospect, but slow and big.
- Viking County Park to Dunkirk/Hwy N1st Bridge: 5.2 miles.
- Viking County Park to Riverside Drive Park (Stoughton): 2.1 miles. A flowage paddle through downtown Stoughton.
- Riverside Drive Park to the Dunkirk Dam: 3.1 miles. A small flowage that is ok but nothing special.
- Dunkirk/Hwy N1st Bridge to W. Stebbinsville Rd: 4.8 miles.
- Dunkirk to Hwy N2nd Bridge: 2.5 miles. A good stretch that starts a bit slow, but speeds up and contains a number of large scenic boulder gardens.
- Hwy N2nd Bridge to W. Stebbinsville Rd: 2.3 miles. A scenic rocky stretch flowing through glacial outwash.
- Stebbinsville Rd to Murwin Park: 6.2 miles.
- Stebbinsville Rd to Hwy 59: 2.1 miles. This is the last super stretch of the Lower Yahara. After Badfish Creek joins up, the river becomes much larger and less interesting.
- Hwy 59 to Murwin Park: 4.4 miles. While not as scenic as upstream legs, this is still a solid stretch and popular with paddlers.
- Murwin Park to the Rock River: 2.8 miles. Final stretch on the Yahara and then a short leg on the Rock River. Probably ok, but nothing special.
Many of Yahara's tributaries are navigable as well.
- Badfish Creek - A classic! One of the better paddles in Southern Wisconsin.
- Token Creek - A surprisingly nice creek located northeast of Madison.
- Nine Springs Creek - An underrated prospect located west of Lake Monona that has some attractive springs.
- Six Mile Creek
- Upper Six Mile Creek - Congested in spots, this is still a really neat paddle with character you don't expect from Southern Wisconsin.
- Lower Six Mile Creek - Recently cleared of logjams, this is a varied paddle that includes both dense woods and open marshland.
- Starkweather Creek - A slow urban paddle, but interesting because of its bridges and Olbrich Gardens.
- Pheasant Branch Creek - Located northwest of Madison, this is a short trip but has some spectacular springs.
- Wingra Creek - A short urban paddle west of the Isthmus that might be fun.
- Dorn Creek - A possible prospect west of Madison that would require a lot of water.
- Seven Mile Creek - West of Lake Monona, I've heard this is a pleasant paddle.
- Swan Creek - Possible prospect but short (south of Lake Waubesa)
- Murphy Creek - Interesting wetland prospect but access on the upstream sections looks tricky (south of Lake Waubesa)
- Door Creek - Small, slow and channelized but might be ok. Has had recent cleanup work on it from I believe Hwy MN.
Nearby Guages
Videos
Comments
The one with the boot was really cool!
The birdhouse was one of many constructed and placed by the Boy Scouts. Some of them have succumbed to the elements but most of them are still up and you can see them if you walk along the path. :-)
Thanks for the update.
The June 29 clearing did not happen. As of July 1, there was a log jam visible from the more northerly River Rd. bridge.
Thanks for the update. I'll warn readers about the downed trees.
The rain held off and we paddled from Vets to Sunfish Pond right before the golf course on Saturday, 7/6. The Windsor river gauge was 98 ft3/sec when we launched, so elevated from historical readings due to all the recent rain but less than the ~130 ft3/sec back in July 2020 when we first paddled it. This time, it was obvious that the recent rain and storms have had an effect on the UY. There were 6-8 portages required and a number of 80-90% blockages along the way that we were able to scoot through with some effort. Some of the blockages were fairly major and will require some extensive cleanup.
Thus, the UY wasn't quite as fun as we were hoping given all the portages (and the heavy mosquitoes!!).
We've now made the trek to do this section three separate times and have had 3 wildly different experiences. However, we will continue to look for the right conditions where this river is super fun like it was in our inaugural trip. The mexican dinner we had afterwards was great, though. See you down the road, UY!!
Good question on the gauges. They do periodically get calibrated and it is very annoying when they do that. However...we've had a lot of rain, so 244 CFS seems accurate to me. We're getting more rain on Thursday/Friday. I suspect the Upper Yahara (like most rivers in the state) will be too high to run this weekend.
Thanks Aaron, I'm just revisiting this page and saw your comment from last fall. Indeed it was much too shallow to be real fun, tbh. Much different conditions than back in 2020 when it was ripping. We bottomed out many, many times, ugh.
Anyhow, we were thinking about trying again this weekend (7/6 and/or 7/7), so I checked the Geologic gauge report at Windsor for its current discharge rate and lo and behold it's been on an upward trajectory for much of this year and is currently around 250-400 ft3/sec. The data is indicated to be "provisional" - and has been for much of this year - so I guess I'm wondering if this is accurate or if somehow the data has become upward skewed. 300 ft/sec would be pretty ripping through there. Alternatively, has something changed in the water system that is now allowing a much higher flowrate through the UY?
Thanks for the suggestion. That's a good idea...but technically tricky. Will have to think on that...
No trip report, but a suggestion for Aaron: Maybe merge Deforest 1 with Deforest 2 in the future to consolidate the comments? Otherwise getting the most recent intel requires visiting both pages. Thanks for all you do.
Upper Yahara update from Ahnna: "Just a warning for anyone considering a paddle on the Upper Yahara ( Veterans Park to Windsor Park in Deforest).
A few of us were on yesterday - it is a Beautiful paddle and it was my third time on this section- but there were Many downed trees. We portaged around 2-3 large strainers and squeezed through many others. We manually cleared paths where we could.
For reference, it took us 4 hours to paddle 6 miles😂 I love a river challenge but others may not want to encounter these types of situations. With the water running much higher than usual it also created a more dangerous environment." ...Jared also noted: "Capitol Water Trails and Mad City Paddlers will be doing a clearing event on June 29"
A followup on Jon's point...the Rock County Sheriff's is warning of debris in Yahara River and Badfish Creek: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=780990557396496&set=a.296819319146958
Thanks Jon for the update. I don't see too many downed trees on satellite maps, but those may be outdated.
Via madcitypaddlers.org, courtesy of Jim J: 'The February 8th, 2024 tornado that caused so much damage around Evansville/Edgerton touched down right on the river a mile or two upstream of Fulton. A thousand trees were shredded & every tree on river right for 100 plus yards was uprooted and laid directly into the river. Miraculously there is a clear path through that takes only a little maneuvering. However, anybody leading beginners down this section needs to be aware, & probably should have a saw. It probably isn't a section to be recommended for beginners for a while. I had my phone, but didn't think to take photos."
I'm fairly certain the Upper Yahara will be too shallow currently.
This echoes my experience on this section back in 2020 that I highlighted in a comment on the Upper Yahara page(s) on this website.
We are thinking about hitting the UY again over the last weekend of September. No comments in a few years...but we were wondering if there's been any developments here for UY either good or bad.
Yes I have it set so I get an alert if it's over 2 ft. That's the minimum to navigate. But this is an awesome trip! I couldn't do it last year because of the low water.
That's an excellent question. I'm not sure what is going on....despite a lack of rain, the Yahara gauge has been steadily increasing for the past 30 days. I suspect a gauge malfunction but I don't know. https://nwis.waterdata.usgs.gov/usa/nwis/uv/?cb_00010=on&cb_00045=on&cb_00060=on&cb_00065=on&cb_63160=on&format=gif_default&site_no=05427718&legacy=1&period=180&begin_date=2023-06-23&end_date=2023-06-30
Hi, has anybody done this recently as the water's been over 2 ft for about a week?
Pictures look nice! Hopefully somebody will clear out that last jam. Nice to see how open the creek was with no ice issues.
I did this trip on 2/28/23, thanks to recent rains and some "warm" weather the river was up to 3 ft and 100 CFS. This part of the river is know for going up and down quickly, 24 hours earlier the river the river was over 5 ft and 275 CFS. We put in about 20 yards up river from the official Zelensky at Veterans's Memorial Park, because it was much easier and we were able to just "otter" in. As we were probably some of the first people to paddle the river this year, I was worried that they would alot of blockages. While they were several spot where tress had fallen across the river there was only 2 complete blockages. We cleared one out and the other is just a simple portage. There were several places that required go over,under, around or through partial blockages but none require getting out of our boats. The current was good, and there were only a few spots that were shallow enough to scrape a bit. Other than a bunch of deer we did not see a lot of wildlife. Although not 100% necessary,it is nice to have a cart for both ends of this trip as both parking lots are about 100 yards from the water. A Relive video of our trip https://www.relive.cc/view/vDqgemL4mGO
Thanks for the tip...I didn't know about that access option. I've added it to of my Yahara Maps which should help future paddlers.
Perhaps you would like to add this put-in/take-out to your map? https://goo.gl/maps/GLQ3awh9NzycfSHZ6
Several of us put in here on Oct. 31 due to a large tree downstream from the Dunkirk dam. Put-in was a bit muddy and shallow, but should work at most flows. USGS gauge at Fulton was about 450 CFS, there's gravel parking off Hwy N. If Stebbinsville to Fulton is a too short a trip for you, this put-in adds 30 minutes or so.
Not that I know of...hopefully this get cleared up in the future.
Has anyone approached the owner that’s blocking the put in/takeout at Stebbenville? Sounds like he’s upset about litter issues, which I can’t blame him. Such a nice spot. Perhaps he can be reasoned with. I’d be willing to go, as long as I have company. Want to keep it civil.
I'm probably in the minority, but I actually prefer many creeks/rivers on the lower side for the reasons you mentioned. Great pictures BTW.
We did this trip on 6/8/22 after a spell of good rain, 3.5 ft and 125 CFS. There were no major obstructions and only a couple of places where we had to duck under stuff. This is one of my favorite local trips, and we all had a great time, but I think I like this trip at slightly lower levels. I think some of the fun and challenging rapids were washed out by the higher water, I had expected it to be more fun and more challenging with more water, but it was not the case on this trip. But as I said it is one of my favs, so I will certainly do this trip again, both at higher and lower levels to try to find that perfect sweet spot for this river. Here is a link to a map and pics of our trip https://www.relive.cc/view/vwq1BMP5NLv
Appreciate the update as always!
we did this trip on 3/6/20, after a day of rain and snow melt. The river was up to 4.5 feet and 200 Cfs overnight, but had dropped to about 70 CFS and 2.5 ft by 1pm , Good levels, good fast current the 5 miles only took us about 1.5 hours. We were worried about obstructions as we were probably some of the first to run it this year, but there was only one fairly easy duck under and no obstructions. The river is in great shape for spring paddles, let's hope we get some decent rains this spring.
Thanks for the update Eric. If this situation changes, definitely let us know.
I did the same section a few hours after Jon (on river 3:30 off river 5:45), similar report, but either you for got one, or a new one fell in the hours between us. There is a big Bur Oak with a bunch of trunks and branches in and across the creek right at a right hand bend after a big ranch style house on a hill on river left with a big mowed lawn. (I'm pretty sure it is on a line between Prairie Fire Ct on the east side of the river and Diamond Dr on the westside) I was able to get through/over/under so I did not have to get out of my boat, but it took some doing and the current is fairly decent there. The river is not too deep at that spot, so probably not too hard to get out to portage, but I suspect it is private property and in view of the house. As I said it was not that difficult but could be an easy spot to tip if you are not paying attention. I was short on time so did not stop to do any cleaning, but hope to get back in the next week or two to do some clean-up work with saws and loppers
Thanks for the update. That rain storm sure opened up a nice window for the Upper Yahara...I doubt it lasts until Monday though.
Paddled from Veteran's Park to Innovation Drive on 18Jun2021, 2.4 ft at 70CFS. A bit scrapey, but no blockages, and I never had to exit my boat. The only stream-wide tree was between the Innovation Dr. bridge and the takeout. At higher levels this might not be an easy duck-under. Link to photo: https://photos.app.goo.gl/e71428At4eLgLLns9
I think the City of DeForest cleared some blockages last winter?? I was pleasantly surprised at the absence of major obstacles.
Appreciate the heads up!
The blockage has been removed, river is now clear form Veteran's memorial Park to SunFish Pond
Hopefully others will see your notes and will be able to help finish that off.
We spent a few hour picking up trash, clearing brush, removing snaps, but did not feel we had the manpower or expertise to remove the one major blockage or some other trees that spanned the creek from bank to bank, but there is still only one place that may require a fairly easy portage, it is located just up stream for the 2nd River Road Bridge
Sounds like a great trip! If that one jam gets cleared out, definitely let us know.
I paddled this section today after with a bike shuttle, 60 CFS and just over 2 ft. The trip only took 1 hr 45 mins, but I was paddling hard and fast because I did not know how many blockages I would find, and I wanted to be sure to be off the river before sunset. It was a surprisingly nice trip. Lots of waterfowl,tons of deer, huge muskrat (or beaver?) good fast current,and only one partial/full blockage. I was able to squeak through by laying down in my solo canoe,might be tough for some kayakers, but there looked to be an easy portage on river left. I am planning a cleanup trip this weekend with MadCity Paddlers so hopefully we can get it all cleared out.
I appreciate the river updates as always Eric!
I did this section on 11/11/20, levels were excellent at CFS 65 and 3 ft. I have done this trip many times but never at these levels, and it makes a huge difference.This trip was fun and fast, especially after the first bridge (South Street). Usually there are several shallow spots,bumpy rapids, and it takes a lot of maneuvering to avoid rocks and find the deepest part of the creek to avoid scraping, but at 3 feet that is not a problem and there are many sections with constant riffles and small rapids. Nothing was truly dangerous but good boat handling skills are required if you want this trip to be fun rather than frustrating. There were no blockages but there were three trees to duck under, all of them between the second River Rd bridge and the new Innovation Drive bridge, that would probably not be too bad in lower levels but at 3 and above may require some limboing skills, and may be a problem for some. I was in a solo canoe so I can easily duck down and get below the gunnels. The whole trip took only took me 2 hrs 1:45 mins on the water and 15 min bike shuttle on the trail. A perfect way to spend an unusually warm Nov afternoon. I am always surprised by how wild parts of this trip feel, as it is really a fairly urban paddle. Because of this it would also be a great river for someone who wants to try winter paddling because you are never very far from a street, road or house and the Innovation Drive landing makes a good halfway point if you want to try a short trip.
Glad you didn't have too many issues...this is a great stretch...perhaps my favorite paddle in Dane County. Norski is awesome too!
First time on this section of the Yahara. Levels at 40.4 cfs and 1.81 feet. The original description remains very accurate, in general. There were no major obstructions at this time. There was a hop-over about 1/2 through that would have been easier with a 1-2 more inches of water. My wife and I each got stuck in shallow areas a few times, and there was a fair amount of scraping. While a few more inches would have made that less of an issue, there were a few duck-under sections that would have been challenging if the water had been a few inches higher. The run at the South Street bridge was one of our favorites. Overall, an enjoyable day. A good opportunity to practice our skills knowing the river tends not to be too deep (if you do get caught up on a boulder). The best part? Stopping at the Norske Nook for some pie afterwards!
Great photos! Thanks as always for the updates.
Paddled from Veteran's Memorial Park to Innovation Dr. (aka Rivers Turn Park Trailhead) on 28Aug2020 with a bike shuttle. Windsor gauge was at 2.3 ft and 55CFS. Scrapey, but never had to exit my boat - someone's done some major clearing since 2019.
Innovation Dr. no longer dead-ends at the river. A new bridge now allows one to drive between River Rd. and Cty Hwy CV (aka Main St.) This made the car shuttle portion of this trip shorter.
There's a tree spanning the entire river upstream from the second River Rd. bridge. I barely made it under, but at higher levels it might require portaging. Link to photo taken downstream from the tree: https://photos.app.goo.gl/xYHtYgNB995LzXa38
And, a link to a photo album: https://photos.app.goo.gl/xFASGnzCApyDJxoG7
I saw Great Blue Herons at least 8 times, some were surely repeats. A few times they took off right in front of me as I drifted around a bend.
The takeout at Innovation Dr. is a little steep. I stood in knee-deep water and heaved my kayak onto the bank.
Hi Aaron, yeah it was really slow going through the Marsh Wildlife area. I had no idea it would be as rugged with all the blockades. Fortunately, there were no sea creatures and the insects, while plentiful, were of the spider, mosquito, and fly variety. Also fortuitously, we weren't super pressed for time and we exited the worst of the marsh wildlife by about 5pm. And the temp was probably low 80s, so it could've been worse I imagine...had daylight really been a factor, that would've added a much more harrowing element to the adventure.
I bet we had to get out of our boat to pull our kayaks over logjams in the Cherokee Marsh Wildlife area at least 10 times it seemed. Some were major blockages that required playing "Frogger" over some floating/half-floating bigger limbs for leg support. The other blockages we were able to maneuver through, but nearly all of these weren't very straight forward and we definitely had to use our arms and the branches to pull ourselves forward and through or sometimes under. It was an adventure, that's for sure.
I'm horrified that you had to face "30-40 tree branch blockades"...3 can be too many! I'll update my maps/write-ups to warn other users.
We did the Upper Yahara on Saturday, 7/11/20, and the online river gauge showed 120-140 cfs, which was down sharply from the 600 cfs just 30 hours prior. This was our first time on the UY and we weren't sure just how dangerous it may be. We put in at Veterans Memorial Park.
However, while there were some tight duck-unders of some bridges and some weaving through branches, we never had to portage around or over anything. The first 30-45 minutes are more scenic than exciting I'd say, but the latter section was really, really fun with some rapids and such. It was the best stretch we've been on in our admittedly young kayaking life. There's quite a bit of bend in this stretch which made it all the more exciting, as we were never quite sure what was around the corner.
It took about 2hrs 15 minutes to get to Sunfish Pond, including a brief lunch break. However, since we don't live in the area and made the driving effort to Madison, our plan was to keep going all the way to Yahara Heights County Park (a 13-mile trek from Vets Park) to make our effort and trip really worthwhile and memorable....and that's where the real adventure began. The earlier section from Veterans Memorial Park to Sunfish Pond was for fun, in hindsight. The Windsor golf course immediately after Sunfish Pond was nothing special to paddle through, and it did require a couple of portages and some close duck-unders of some brdiges, so mehh on that section. Once we crossed under Interstate 39 and entered the Cherokee Marsh Wildlife area, holy cow that's where things really got rough and we got bogged down. No less than 30-40 tree branch blockades, some of which were quite challenging and required portaging over, including a major couple of blockages right past I-39. Some we could pass through even though they were tricky, but make no mistake, this was as much an exercise in determination as it was in kayaking. And occasionally the river would split and we were left wondering if we took the right path (always chose the path where the current was moving strongest towards). Now having looked at the map in closer detail, I guess it all links back up eventually, but in the heat of battle and in the thick marshlands, we weren't really sure.
Eventually we made it out of the Cherokee Marsh, but this was probably close to a 4-hour adventure itself once we passed Sunfish Pond. But we weren't done yet...nope. We had to then contend with the Cherokee Marsh Fishery area, a much wider channel branch of the Yahara that was essentially like kayaking on an open lake. We did that for close to an hour and a half before reaching Yahara Heights County Park, and at the end of a long day of kayaking, just to see wide open water in front of you as far as you can see with very little changing landscape, well, let's just say this wasn't the most thrilling part of the Yahara for us.
But we eventually made it, roughly 7hrs 30 minutes after we launched at Vets Memorial Park. What an adventure that was! We Ubered back to our car, circled back for our kayaks at Yahara Heights, and then went right back to DeForest for some awesome Mexican fare and margaritas we had our minds set on. Upper Yahara, we will not forget you...and nor you Cherokee Marsh areas!!
Thanks to this website and all its contributors for allowing us to plan a fun kayaking trip from the Chicago area...on Sunday we did the Badfish Creek in Rutland and put some comments there, too.
We did the Upper Yahara on Saturday, 7/11/20, and the online river gauge showed 120-140 cfs, which was down sharply from the 600 cfs just 30 hours prior. This was our first time on the UY and we weren't sure just how dangerous it may be. We put in at Veterans Memorial Park.
However, while there were some tight duck-unders of some bridges and some weaving through branches, we never had to portage around or over anything. The first 30-45 minutes are more scenic than exciting I'd say, but the latter section was really, really fun with some rapids and such. It was the best stretch we've been on in our admittedly young kayaking life. There's quite a bit of bend in this stretch which made it all the more exciting, as we were never quite sure what was around the corner.
It took about 2hrs 15 minutes to get to Sunfish Pond, including a brief lunch break. However, since we don't live in the area and made the driving effort to Madison, our plan was to keep going all the way to Yahara Heights County Park (a 13-mile trek from Vets Park) to make our effort and trip really worthwhile and memorable....and that's where the real adventure began. The earlier section from Veterans Memorial Park to Sunfish Pond was for fun, in hindsight. The Windsor golf course immediately after Sunfish Pond was nothing special to paddle through, and it did require a couple of portages and some close duck-unders of some brdiges, so mehh on that section. Once we crossed under Interstate 39 and entered the Cherokee Marsh Wildlife area, holy cow that's where things really got rough and we got bogged down. No less than 30-40 tree branch blockades, some of which were quite challenging and required portaging over, including a major couple of blockages right past I-39. Some we could pass through even though they were tricky, but make no mistake, this was as much an exercise in determination as it was in kayaking. And occasionally the river would split and we were left wondering if we took the right path (always chose the path where the current was moving strongest towards). Now having looked at the map in closer detail, I guess it all links back up eventually, but in the heat of battle and in the thick marshlands, we weren't really sure.
Eventually we made it out of the Cherokee Marsh, but this was probably close to a 4-hour adventure itself once we passed Sunfish Pond. But we weren't done yet...nope. We had to then contend with the Cherokee Marsh Fishery area, a much wider channel branch of the Yahara that was essentially like kayaking on an open lake. We did that for close to an hour and a half before reaching Yahara Heights County Park, and at the end of a long day of kayaking, just to see wide open water in front of you as far as you can see with very little changing landscape, well, let's just say this wasn't the most thrilling part of the Yahara for us.
But we eventually made it, roughly 7hrs 30 minutes after we launched at Vets Memorial Park. What an adventure that was! We Ubered back to our car, circled back for our kayaks at Yahara Heights, and then went right back to DeForest for some awesome Mexican fare and margaritas we had our minds set on. Upper Yahara, we will not forget you...and nor you Cherokee Marsh areas!!
Thanks to this website and all its contributors for allowing us to plan a fun kayaking trip from the Chicago area...on Sunday we did the Badfish Creek in Rutland and put some comments there, too.
That nasty logjam that Colleen encounted must have been cleaned out...which is great news!
We did the creek on Mon 6/30/20 with a bike shuttle. The river was at 40 CFS and 1.8 ft. which is on the low end of my recommended levels 2-3 ft is ideal. We never had to get out and walk the boats but there were several very shallow areas and most of the rapids were a bit bumpy. On the upside there were no complete blockages or portages, and we meet a couple of guys from Quercus Land Stewardship Services (https://quercuslandstewardship.com/) who were cleaning up the river. A big shout out to them! The trip took us just over 2.5 hours and the bike shuttle took us about 15 mins using the adjacent bike trail.
Thanks for the update on that strainer.
We paddled the upper Yahara River (Veteran’s Memorial Park to Sunfish Pond) on Aug 17, 2019, in a MadRiver Explorer whitewater open canoe. The online gauge indicated 40 cfs and 2.0 ft. There is now a dangerous strainer midway through the trip. A very large living tree collapsed across the river. The branches extending down into the water have made a massive debris trap through which a significant undercurrent is flowing. Upstream of the strainer, the water is at least 6 ft deep. Downstream it is 1 ft deep. There is a portage on river right with a difficult put-in from a bank about 6 ft above the river channel. A tip-over upstream of the strainer while trying to exit the river could lead to entrapment of a paddler in the debris below the water surface. The debris in the surrounding trees indicated that in flood, the water level was a good 8 or 9 feet above the current water level above the strainer. As an (inactive) ACA whitewater canoeing instructor I would suggest that this section of the Yahara cannot be recommended until this strainer is cleared (and that will be difficult work). We also noted a dozen tires, many plastic bottles and aluminum cans, and a half dozen obstructions that we were able to dodge or wiggle across. The river did not carry its water through the lower third of the run; a half-dozen stretches were so shallow that we could not float and walked the canoe. We will be crossing this one off our once every year list in favor of the other beautiful runs in Wisconsin.
That's good news in a way. I feared the logjam situation would actually be worse. It's also nice to hear that 220 CFS was navigable.
Paddled from Veteran's Park to Innovation Dr. on 23 Sept 2019. Gauge was about 4.6 ft., ~220 CFS. Trip took longer than usual due to 3 mandatory portages. One portage was due to a tree we couldn't duck under at this level, and another duck-under was extremely tight.
Lots of maneuvering to avoid branches and leaves, and one duck-under that was extremely tight.
The higher level washed out some of the rapids-virtually all the rocks were covered. I'd say 3-4 ft. on the gauge is the sweet spot for swift water enthusiasts with the right skills and boats.
Saw kingfishers, great blue herons, deer, frogs, and an owl - it was drizzling for part of the trip.
I hope they remove the dam complete. It could fail (dams to all the time). Also the issue with high lake levels isn't just the lake...but the adjacent ground water table. That capacity is need to absorb rain. Lastly, lowering lake levels would reduce the amount of stagnate water which would reduce unnatural algae growth.
Re: Madison Lake levels: The Upper Yahara is a very small watershed, which is why it goes up and down so fast. Token Creek contributes twice as much base flow as the Upper Yahara. Lake levels are a hot topic, here's a link to a deep dive by former mayor Dave C: https://isthmus.com/news/cover-story/reducing-madison-lake-levels-will-not-prevent-flooding/
Appreciate the update Jon!
Forklift is no longer blocking the circle drive, but paddlers seem to have started putting in closer to the bridge anyway. Paddled Stebbinsville to Murwin Park in Fulton on 07July2019, 650 CFS at 5.30 ft. I prefer this stretch at a lower water level, but it was a beautiful day on the river, with 2 juvenile eagles perched next to the nest that Aaron mentions.
Appreciate the depth reference which should help other paddlers. Also good tip on the email alerts. Personally I'm constantly checking the USGS map to see where water levels are at: https://waterwatch.usgs.gov/?m=real&r=wi
I've done this section probably 10 times in the past 2 years, it is by far my favorite local paddle. The only problem is that it is hard to catch it at a good level, my target is 2-3 ft or about 40-50 cfs, I find the ft a better indicator for this river. If it is much below 2 feet, the rapids are pretty bumpy, but between 2-3 they are perfect, fast, fun and almost nonstop for a long stretch of the river, too much above 3 might be a bit pushy for some folks. The river rises and falls quickly, it is often only at a good level for a day or less, so you have to watch the gauges or set up a USGS WaterAlert that will send you an email when the river is at or between levels you choose (https://water.usgs.gov/wateralert/subscribe2/?site_no=05427718&parm=00060) Also this part of the Yahara stay open all winter, and because you are always close to a trial,houses and a road it makes for a safe place to try winter paddling. It is beautiful in the winter, and you will see an amazing amount of wildlife, especially deer
Warning to Yahara River paddlers...a teenage girl was killed recently when canoeing the river by Fulton. She and the canoe became pinned by a strainer and did not escape. The Yahara was very high (over 1000 CFS). High rivers should rarely be paddled as strainers can become deadly traps at these levels.
https://www.channel3000.com/news/-i-tried-as-i-could-to-bring-her-up-state-trooper-first-in-water-to-rescue-trapped-14-year-old/1081179635
Definitely a gauge dependent stream. The gauge actually nearly spiked to 800 CFS today...wonder if anybody tried paddling it.
Love this stretch! I do a lot of my paddling solo so I appreciate the bike trail option for shuttling. Water level is important for optimal paddling experience. Check the USGS streamflow website for Wisconsin for level and cfs daily updates!
https://waterdata.usgs.gov/wi/nwis/current?type=flow
That's one advantage of spring paddles...less weeds and understory growth. hopefully both jams get cleared out in the future. Good tip for Veterans Park...in hindsight this might be viable trick forSunfish Park as well.
Paddled 23May2019 at 40 CFS and 1.7 ft. Lower level than I prefer, but a good paddle for birdwatching. Lots of wood ducks, warblers, plus spotted sandpipers and common nighthawks. Got hung up several times, but was able to scoot over without exiting the kayak
The mandatory portage route around the big tree has nettles which could sting bare skin once they mature later.
A new tree is down, but I managed to ram the bow onto a low spot, then pull my kayak over by grabbing branches.
To get a shorter carry at Veteran's Park launch: park as close to the bridge, unload, then move car to parking lot.
I'm surprised you are scraping as the upper Yahara is one of the main tributaries to the lakes, and yet we are still having flooding on the isthmus. Maybe they are release too much water from the dam. Great to hear about the trash cleanup...wish more people would do this.
Padddled from Veteran's Park to Innovation Dr. on 03Sept2018. Windsor gauge was at 2.5ft. when we put in, about 2.35ft. when we took out. Steel pontoon and filter sock we encountered on the last trip are gone, and we only exited once to pull over a log. We removed two kid-sized basketballs, a plastic bottle, and a 2'x2' piece of pink styrofoam board from the river (recent heavy rains must have washed them in).
At this level there's more scraping in the riffly sections, and a few more rocks to bounce off. I much prefer 3ft or higher on the gauge. Would like to catch it at 5ft sometime to see if it's even more fun than the 4.5ft. level from our last trip.
Good to hear the creek is still navigable...even at 4.6' which I would have thought would be high!
Paddled from Veterans Park to Windsor Rd (aka Sunfish Pond) on 17Aug2018. Gauge at Windsor was 4.6 ft when we put in and about 4/0 when we took out out 1.75 hours later. About 15 minutes in, there's some sort of public works project in progress, maybe a sewer? We did an easy portage around a steel pontoon bridge (sturdy enough for the heavy equipment in use) and a filter sock.
Other than that, only exited our boats once, where a previous duck under now required a climb over a log. This was a fun level, (with appropriate boats and skills) with one standing wave big enough to give a lap full of water in an open cockpit. A few obstructions to plow through, duck under, or ram over. Good wildlife - barred owls, great blue herons, orioles, ducks, cedar waxwings.
Good question Jon...it does seem really odd. Hopefully another reader will chime in with an answer.
Anybody know why the owner has blocked the circle drive at the former dam with a large forklift?
There's an alternate put-in closer to the bridge, and I think the old put-in on the opposite side of the road is still legal. Here's a link to a photo of the forklift, "No Trespassing" sign, plus a photo of the path to the old put-in on the opposite side of the road.
Sounds like some of those previous jams were cleared out. Appreciate the update.
We paddled from Veteran’s Memorial Park (DeForest) to Innovation Drive on 19June2018. USGS gauge at Windsor was at about 3.5 ft when we put in and about 3.4 ft. when we took out a little under 2 hours later. Fun level, and we only exited once to pull over a log. A few tight duck-unders and sneak-throughs.
Thanks for the update Jon. It's too bad to hear about those logjams, but that new alert system from the USGS is good news.
Paddled Veteran's Memorial Park to Windsor Road yesterday 02May18. Put in at 1:45 PM, 3.2 ft gauge, about 90 cfs. By the time I took out, gauge was about 2.9 and about 80 cfs. Likely about 2 or 3 portages as of 02May2018 unless you have a short boat (<10 ft.) and skills at sneaking through log jams. At this water level, picking the wrong line can push you into downed trees or overhanging vegetation. As always, assess your skills and be safe. Fortunately, the river is seldom more than waist deep if you need to exit your boat.
Great wildlife: 20+ wood ducks, 8+ deer, Sandhills, cardinals and yellowthroats everywhere, big turtle (snapper?),little green and blue herons, mallards, etc.
You can now get water alerts via USGS to help catch rivers/streams that crest and recede rapidly: For Windsor gauge: https://water.usgs.gov/wateralert/subscribe2/?site_no=05427718&parm=00065
The gauge height on this report should 1.7 ft, not 2.7 ft... sorry for the mistake
Appreciate the update! 32 CFS is another helpful baseline...sounds pretty bumpy but doable which will be help to other paddlers.
Just did the section (again from VMP to Innovation Drive with a bike shuttle, The gauge was at about 32 fps and just above 1.7 ft. very nice trip, a lot of wildlife, many ducks, about a dozen muskrats, and 1/2 dozen deer, perhaps because it was almost dusk by the time I got off the river.This is about the exact same conditions I did this trip a few weeks ago, but the water seemed lower. I was scraping bottom quite a bit more, and had to get out at one place that I was able to navigate last trip. Still a great late fall trip for a short (1.75 hours) after work trip.
Thanks Eric for the update! Very interesting to hear you can run it as low as 32 CFS. Yeah, the weather is not looking great for the rest of the year...especially this weekend.
Just did the section from VMP to Innovation Drive,with a bike shuttle. The guage was at about 32cfs and 1.7 feet. I only did a short (1.5 hr) trip because I was not able to start until 4pm and it was dusk by the time I got off the river. I was still a great trip on probably one of the last 55+ days of the year. I have never done this trip below about 2 ft, as I read that was about the minimum for an enjoyable trip. While I had fun, I was scrapping bottom a lot and had to do a lot more maneuvering to keep from bottoming out and/or hitting rocks. This was a much more challenging trip than it is a 2 feet, but still very doable if you don't mind a bit of work and/or scraping up your boat.
Also There is one small log jam that requires a sharp zig and a zag to get through, that I don't recall from the last time I went down. I didn't have the time to clean it up as it was getting dark
Appreciate the comment and the cleanup work!
8/18/17 Just did the paddle/bike shuttle on this section, with a level of about 2.25 ft. I would agree that any shallower would mean a lot of scrapping and hanging up in the shallow riffles, This section is great trip with a good mix of quite water, riffles, and a few drops, with a pretty bike shuttle at the end. I cleared out 2 small jams, there is still one place I had to scoot my kayak under a log while I climbed over, and another that I cleared out a passage way, but there is still a big sweeper to deal with.
Sorry, I wrote my comment 2 times. For some reason I thought that it didn't accept the first one but I just noticed now that my comment yesterday is actually on here now. I took out at Linden Dr. (which is right as you've gone past the golf course). It's also right before the Interstate bridge. If you go past that take out I think you will run into a section that's choked with blockages. You could possibly take out at one of the roads by the clubhouse but to do the whole section the only takeout is Linden Dr. Feel free to delete one of my comments if you'd like.
Thank you for your write up on this section of the Yahara. I've really enjoyed paddling this section quite a few times now since they started clearing away the blockages a few years ago. I'm surprised you enjoyed the trip at 1.3'. I always keep an eye on the Windsor Golf Course gage after a good rain and my minimum I will make the trip is 1.7'. I know that's only .4'higher but I've found it makes a huge difference. I've paddled this stretch under lots of different depths and found the sweet spot to be 2 feet to 2.75'. I'll paddle anything down to 1.75 but have found that there are too many shallow rocky spots you get hung up on if you go at the normal depth which is about 1.2-1.5'. If it goes much above 3' also I've found that it's a little too fast for my taste since you still need to navigate around boulders and other obstacles. It's a fun little river though. Hope you can get out when it's above 2'. Just keep your eye on the gage after a good rain and make sure to get out there before it recedes (usually within about 24 hours). By the way, I've also done the Lake Windsor Golf Course section. I found it to be a lot of fun. There are some branches to dodge in the early part but I never had to get out of my kayak. I would suggest getting out at Linden Dr. since I hear there is quite a bit of downed trees between the Interstate and Hwy. 19. Not sure if anyone will ever be able to clear those out but I don't think it's maintained at this point. I've heard the Hwy 19- Cherokee Marsh section isn't too bad. Thanks again for your review. I've really enjoyed this section of river but it's got to be done at the right level.
Appreciate the comment Diane!
Karl, thanks so much for your review! I frequently walk on the Yahara River corridor board walk (including just this morning), and every time I do, I look longingly at this pretty little stretch of the river and wonder how to catch it at just the right level for paddling. (I have read "after a heavy rain", but a little more specific info is always helpful.) Your review is the first time I've seen a minimum water level mentioned for this stretch, and I appreciate this website providing a direct link to the USGS gage. Thanks to all!
Thanks Karl for the update! By chance do you know if they did any clearing after Windsor Road?
June 2016 update: I have just gone through the trail with the volunteers from Capitol Water Trails and they have chainsawed down all the blockages and dragged the logs up on the bank. So it's a clear paddle!
How did your trip turn out? Questions or comments? Feel free to leave your feedback.
SUBMIT COMMENT!
