In our recent upstream / downstream paddle from Wayside Park, Ixonia, we really enjoyed the current so decided on a long lazy float in the same area. We started at Kaul Park and ended at Kanow Park in a life-is-but-a-dream sort of way!
The Launch & Landing
Kaul Park boat launch is now known as “CW Canoe Landing” on Google maps. We use “Marsh Rd, Watertown” as a destination on the TomTom maps on our phones. Kaul Park is about 1 mile past Marsh Rd on CTH CW. It has a spacious cul-de-sac, but there are “No Parking” signs everywhere now, and the only allowed parking seems to be along one side of the drive-in lane. There are no facilities and now no trees to hide behind. Take-out is downstream at Kanow Park in Ixonia. It is a grass landing and can be a little muddy. This is a full park with playground, picnic tables, and pit toilet facilities. There is plenty of parking.
Both parks have signs that say “Glacial Heritage Area – Watertrails” but we have yet to find any useful information about it for paddlers.
Shuttle time is about 10 min each way.
The Paddle
This was a made-for-Susan kind of day. It was cloudy, cool, and a nice current. We really just floated this time which is unusual for us. With minimal paddle effort it took a little over 2 hours.
There was some deadfall to work around but since the current was not too strong, we were able to navigate through fairly easily. Some nice people had cut a large limb that would have blocked our route.
We have certain “points of interest” on this section of the river and totally enjoyed seeing them again: “big green hill,” “school bus stop” and “loud house,” for example. We passed the eagle nest about 1/2 mile upstream from Kanow Park but didn’t see the eagle this trip.
Flow: 1000 cfs at gauge 05425500 at Watertown. 75th-90th percentile.
Wildlife: herons, cedar waxwings, hawks, eagles nest – maybe a juvenile eagle (very large mottled brown bird – not a hawk), lots of swallows.
The Photos
Timeline:
12:15 left Madison / gas station stop at Kwik Trik Watertown (no facilities at Kaul)
1:30 Kaul Park, unloaded boats and shuttled cars
2:15 launched, paddled downstream
4:20 take out Kanow Park, shuttled, loaded boats
5:00 drive home
6:15 arrived Madison (avoided I94)