Whitewater Rapids

Size of river, level of water, and amount of flow just adds to the already myriad forms of rapids from ledges and holes to boulder gardens and winding routes.  There's a lot to paddling whitewater, which I've experienced and written on up to class III rapids.

Black River (WI) - 7/19/2022

Area: Western Wisconsin; Shuttle: 5 miles (hiked); Paddle: 4 miles; Rapids: Class II; Gradient: ~17 ft/mile

For more info & pictures of this trip - Black-3

Beaver Dam River (WI) - 6/28/2022

Area: Northeastern Wisconsin; Shuttle: 5 miles (hiked); Paddle: 5 miles; Rapids: Class I; Gradient: ~10 ft/mile

For more info & pictures of this trip - Beaver Dam-2

Red River (WI) - 5/29/2022

Area: Northeastern Wisconsin; Shuttle: 4 miles (hiked); Paddle: 4.5 miles; Rapids: Class III; Gradient: ~10 ft/mile

For more info & pictures of this trip - Red

Popple River (WI) - 5/7/2022

Area: Northeastern Wisconsin; Shuttle: 6.3 miles (hiked); Paddle: 5 miles; Rapids: Class III; Gradient: ~15 ft/mile

For more info & pictures of this trip - Popple-2

Light Class I-IIs

Click for more on each river trip

Solid Class IIs

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Technical Class IIIs

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Other Whitewater Rapids Possibilities

Other Sections Of: Bois Brule (II-III), Eau Claire (II-III), Peshtigo (II-III), Pine (II), Popple (III), Tomahawk (II), Wolf (III-IV)
New Rivers: Cloquet-MN (II-III), Fond Du Lac (I-II), Manitowoc (II-III), Maunesha (I-II), Montreal-MI (II-III), Onion (I-II), Rubicon (I-II), White (I-II)

Tips & Considerations

If you're new to paddling whitewater rapids it all comes down to your experience, equipment, and preparation

Equipment:
  • There are plenty of hardshell kayaks designed for whitewater paddling that work great
  • I use an inflatable packraft which is surprisingly durable, forgiving, stable, and great for quick maneuvering
  • For more on equipment I use and others out there go to the Gear Used page
Preparation
  • It helps to know the river and if it's new to you, then to read up on others' past experiences (resources below are ones I typically use)
  • Rapids can be fairly straight forward or require certain approaches to take and can vary depending on water level and flow so know the ideal levels to be at and check ahead of time

Resources