Canoeing the Peshtigo River,
Wisconsin
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Expert paddler Mike Svob
has been canoeing and kayaking the rivers of the Midwest for 30 years.
He paddled more than a thousand miles to complete these books. Below
are brief descriptions of the canoe trips that Mike goes into detail
with in his books with maps. The maps are very useful, showing rapids,
take in and take out points and other things of interest. |
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Peshtigo
1-Big
Joe Landing to CCC Bridge-Forest County-
7.9 miles. This is a slow heavily
forested section for quietwater paddlers.Water
levels are usually adequate year round.
Camping is available at the put in
and at Burnt Bridge Landing. Put in
at Big Joe Landing. A sign on Hwy.
139 north of Laona shows the way to
the landing. The river is only 30
to 40 feet wide throughout most of
this stretch. At 1 mile is Camp 8
rapids an easy Class I. After the
Cty. G bridge 2.3 miles, the next
five miles are slow and heavily forested.
Haymeadow Creek comes in on the left,
not far before the CCC Bridge. Take
out at the bridge. There is only room
for a couple of cars.
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Peshtigo
2-CCC
Bridge to Burnt Bridge-Forest County-8.9
miles. This is a good trip for intermediate
whitewater paddlers with plenty of Class
I and II rapids. Put in at the CCC Bridge.
Camp 12 Rapids is a Class II that begins
after the first right hand bend.. After
a couple of bends Little Camp 12 rapids
begins.At 2.3 miles Class I Coldwater
Rapids begins. A half mile further you
come to Preserve Rapids which begins
with 2 Class II boulder gardens, followed
by a long pool, then a long narrow rapids.
After that the river widens and slows
down through some lowland. You will
also go through Smiley Rapids and Big
Rock Rapids on your way to the take
out at Burnt Bridge Landing.
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Peshtigo
3-Burnt
Bridge to Goodman Park-Marinette and
Forest County-11.8 miles. This is a
challenging whitewater run for intermediate
and experienced paddlers. After put
in a little ways down Armstrong Creek
enters from the left.. Michigan Rapids
starts after that. This is a solid Class
II rapids with a 100 yard S curve with
big boulders and holes to dodge. Class
II boulder gardens continue for another
half mile. Flatwater precedes the next
rapids at 2.9 miles. There are the Upper
Dells and Dells rapidswhich are both
Class II rapids.Get out and check the
Dells Rapids before you run it. At 4.8
miles is the Roaring Rapids which is
a half mile Class II boulder garden.
At the Burton Wells Bridge the river
slows down for the next five miles.
At 10.8 miles is Taylor Rapids which
begins with two Class II boulder gardens,
followed by a large island, then Class
III Taylor Falls. To avoid the falls
completely go to the left of the island
and portage. You run into some more
Class II rapids before take out at Goodman
Park.
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Peshtigo
4-Goodman
Park to Farm Dam Landing-Marinette County-8.6
miles. This is a stretch that is mostly
quietwater, featuring a couple of parks
and one challenging rapids. After put
in the river is quiet for the first
3 miles. Skinner's Elbow Rapids is a
Class I-II rapids that is about a half
mile long. You pass by two nice parks
and at 6.2 miles you enter Wilson Rapids
which is a solid Class II.This rapids
is a couple hundred yards long and can
be portaged on either side. For take
out look for the outlet to Otter Creek.
Paddle a short distance up the creek
to the public landing.
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Peshtigo
5-Farm
Dam Landing to Landing #12-Marinette
County-5.5 miles.This is one of the
premiere whitewater runs in the Midwest,
popularly known as Roaring Rapids. The
trip begins with a long Class II boulder
garden. At 2.1 miles comes First Drop
Rapids which is a Class II+. This rapids
is usually run on the left. Second Drop
Rapids is within sight of First Drop.
It is best to run it down the center.Not
far downstream is Third Drop immediately
followed by Five-Foot Falls a Class
II+ river wide ledge. The only place
to portage is posted "No Tresspassing".
It is best to run this down the center.
The toughest rapids is just around the
corner. Horserace Rapids is a Class
III that begins with a couple hundred
yards of fast boulder gardens that run
into a small narrow canyon. Portaging
is a good idea for many paddlers. From
beginning to end Horserace gets more
intense. Be Careful! S-Curve Rapids
is a few hundred yards downstream.After
a left hand turn at the fork stay to
the left. Take out half mile past Kosir's
Rapid Rafts at the WPS Public Landing
#12.
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Peshtigo
6-Johnson
Falls Dam to Schaffer Road-Marinette
County-8 miles. This is a popular trout
fishing section with a couple of Class
I-II rapids. Put in below the dam, not
near the dam. After 1.2 miles of quietwater
Medicine Brook enters from the left.
Just around the bend is a short Class
II rapids with big rock outcroppings
in the middle. There is a clear chute
to the left. At 3 miles you approach
Seymour Rapids a solid Class II. Seymour
is a long series of boulder gardens
with short flatwater pools in between.
The current is brisk after Seymour with
Spring Rapids at 4.7 miles.The river
widens and slows down after that until
take out immediately downstream from
Schaffer Road Bridge.
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Peshtigo
7-Sandstone
Dam to Hwy. 141-Marinette County-8.3
miles. This is a quiet section that
is popular with fishermen and canoeists.
The put in is on WPS property 2.3 miles
west of the Crivitz bridge.When you
first put in the river is narrow and
fairly fast.After the island the river
widens to 100 feet and stats that way
for the rest of the trip.There is an
enjoyable Class I rapids in the first
bend. There are only a few islands on
the whole stretch. Take out a short
distance past the Peshtigo River Campground
Landing at the Hwy. 141 bridge.
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Peshtigo
8-Hwy.
141 to County PP.-Marinette County-10.4
miles.This is a good beginners stretch
winding through undeveloped farmlands
and lowland. The river is shallow at
the start but deepens soon.The bottom
is sandy throughout the stretch with
mud and sand banks that are heavily
wooded untilthe last couple of miles.
At 6.6 miles you come to Class I Williams
Rapids. Left Foot Creek enter from the
right at the next sharp turn to the
left. Take out at the County PP bridge,
upstream right, at the ruins of an old
cheese factory.
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Peshtigo
9-Cty.
PP to Cty. E.-Marinette County-10.4
miles. This is a peaceful pleasant paddle
through a mixed setting of uplands and
lowlands. Put in at the Cty. PP bridge.
The section begins fairly wide and deep.
Before long the river becomes shallow
as you approach a Class I rapids. A
Bib island precedes the Cty. W bridge.
The right channel is narrow, shallow
and choked with deadfall. At 4.5 miles
the Little Peshtigo enters from the
right. Take out at the Cty. E bridge
up stream right or downstream left.
Because of large rocks this is not an
easy access.
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Peshtigo
10-City
of Peshtigo to Klingsporn Public Landing-10.3
miles. This is a quiet float through
a wild, wooded area with imposing sand
banks and a couple miles of marshland.
Put in downstream from the railroad
bridge and paper mill dam. Good parking
is provided.The stretch begins with
a wide deep straightaway in wooded lowlands.
Take out at the public landing. Watch
for the landing or you could miss it
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