We wondered about the condition of the Fort Atkinson shore launch where Bark River confluences at the Rock River in the low water conditions of 2022. Continue reading 2022 Recon: Rock River at Bark River confluence
Category: We do recon
Hartman Creek State Park – Recon
Inspired by a social media post, we decided to check out the Chain O’ Lakes area “some day.” Serendipitously, a need for some special cheese instigated a look-see. The game was afoot!
Continue reading Hartman Creek State Park – Recon
Turtle Creek (Pandemic reconnaissance)
We traditionally paddle a section of Turtle Creek near Delavan, but a Facebook Group got us wondering about other eastward sections. We set out to see which launches would be good for us quiet paddlers. Continue reading Turtle Creek (Pandemic reconnaissance)
Bass Creek launch (Rock River confluence recon)
We tried many times in the past to find Bass Creek from the Rock River but never located it. When we saw a social media post that there was a Bass Creek launch point, it was time to invetigate. Continue reading Bass Creek launch (Rock River confluence recon)
Paddle around Astico Park – first time
Inspired by posts in the Facebook group Paddle Wisconsin, we decided to try parts of the Crawfish River we hadn’t realized were canoeable. So, after researching various options on wisconsinrivertrips.com, we set out for Astico Park near Columbus for a no-shuttle paddle and a bit of recon on a warm sunny late June afternoon. An added bonus – we can get there in about 40 minutes from Madison, as opposed to the minimum 1-hour drive required to get to most places we paddle.
After a 40 minute drive via US 151, we arrived at Astico County Park entrance off County TT. We drove through the park before launching and noted that it was quiet and not crowded. This was a Wednesday, and we wondered if the situation would be quite different on a weekend with more people and more beer. We made note of some scenic picnic sites for future reference – perhaps a mid-week picnic dinner and short paddle in the early fall.
Paddle Pass for Upham Woods Canoe Launch
Back Story / The Bad News
Back in October 2018 we wanted to paddle around Blackhawk Island when we could be sure we would not encounter Dells Boats in the narrow channel. We knew that Upham Woods (a UW facility) had erected a fence at the launch site on Highway N, but locals had told us it was OK to just go around it – so we did. (see relevant post) It was serene and lovely, and we were ready to do the same paddle the following year but found the fence now plastered with many “NO TRESPASSING” Continue reading Paddle Pass for Upham Woods Canoe Launch
Recon: McFarland’s Jaeger Park to Paddle down the Yahara
We scouted out Conrad Jaeger Park aka Thurn Marsh Park as a put-in to get into the Yahara. (map) Continue reading Recon: McFarland’s Jaeger Park to Paddle down the Yahara
Recon: McFarland’s Babcock Park to paddle down Yahara
We scouted out the idea of starting our paddle at Babcock Park to go down the Yahara but it requires going through locks immediately upon launch. Continue reading Recon: McFarland’s Babcock Park to paddle down Yahara
Recon: Fox River Wick’s Landing Lock & Dam
We are familiar with paddling north on the fox from Hiestand Park in Princeton but we had not paddled south. It made us wonder what the next put-in was and read about the goings on at Lock Road. Continue reading Recon: Fox River Wick’s Landing Lock & Dam
Recon: Sugar River Clarence Bridge Park
Sugar River Water trail is nicely mapped out but we have to know “is it for us”. Some sections are marked as “brutal” on the signage! At least they are honest. One of my worst paddles ever was on the Sugar River due to dead-fall but other places it is very serene. Continue reading Recon: Sugar River Clarence Bridge Park