Warning: Javascript must be enabled to use all the features on this page! I think your best bet would be to simply use Google maps. Been on the M. river a couple times farther down stream around Fredonia. The launch point was located in the Harbor District, directly across the river from the Historic Third Ward neighborhood. Question – when did you find this trip when the depth was ideal? Milwaukee River, Milwaukee, WI 53202. There are three major tributaries of the 104 mile long stream - Cedar Creek, the Menomonee River and the Kinnickinnic River. 6, 1929, to Jan. 8, 1934, Page Contact Information: Wisconsin Water Data Support Team The sides of wild streams are often gently sloping with plenty of plant cover for small fish to rest and feed in. We took out on the southeast side of the Hwy A bridge.  Good bridge access with a trail leading to a pull-off area.  No facilities (nor privacy), so plan accordingly. Website +1 414-286-5802. In the water trail review by Mike Svob, he noted (and pictured) that there are limestone bluffs by the water.  Based on a meticulous study of his review and of terrain mode in Google, I believe we missed the bluffs completely when we passed a small gravel island.  Oh well.  If they were there, it appears they were heavily covered up by the trees and plant growth and certainly didn’t look like what Mike took a picture of. Getting there. Port of Milwaukee crews worked to clear a … Please and thank you. They create stagnate, dirty water.  They are devastating to many species like clams which need to but can’t get past the dams and get smothered by the sediment.  Yet species like clams do a terrific job of cleaning up the water and clean water means high property values.  I could go on and on regarding all the reasons dams are bad.  Did you know they even slow down the orbit of the earth?  Because most water flows toward the equator, dams actually have noticeably slowed down our orbit because they are shifting more weight toward the poles and away from the equator.  For paddlers, dams are bad because they cover up the character of the river and remove helping current.  Many of these dams smother terrific falls and rapids and it is quite the tragedy that they’ve been buried.  These citizens of Grafton should have consulted ecologically competent advisers (like the River Alliance) before making such a major decision to keep this abomination. LOCATION.--Lat 43°06'00", long Water quality was surprisingly good, and you frequently could see the bottom through attractive red-tinted water.  The substrate was mostly a lot of small rocks with occasional medium-sized boulders that were very striking.  Bank quality was refreshingly clean, and it was nice not to see high mud banks (unlike so many rivers in south-central Wisconsin).Â. The halfway point is Poynette, WI. Once a locus of industry, the river is now the center of a housing boom. Apr. From Fond du Lac to Milwaukee. PERIOD OF RECORD.--April 1914 to present. The highlight of the trip, and the reason I gave it 4 stars, was the water clarity.  It was FANTASTIC and a treat to be able to paddle such clear red water while floating over attractive rock substrate and gorgeous flowing Potamogetons. The Milwaukee River is an approximately 100-mile long waterway that stretches from Fond du Lac County to the Port of Milwaukee. (Nearest navigable creek or river...not city!). GAGE.--Water-stage recorder and crest-stage gage. The river is also ribboned with parks as it winds through various neighborhoods. The trip starts with a bang, with fun little rapids left over from the dam that was recently removed.  Was really surprised how fast the river was, but it was a pleasant surprise and never felt dangerous.  There are a couple riffles on this river, but at our “higher” (well, medium) depth they were well smothered over and hard to notice.  The best current will be at the start of the trip and will gradually slow down over the length of the trip. This is an occasionally paddled river trail and for this trip we saw three other canoers.Â, One of the biggest stories of the Milwaukee River is the effort to remove the dams.  They’ve removed four that I know of and this has had terrific results in cleaning up the river, restoring attractive riffles/rapids, giving the river great water clarity, and making it friendly for paddlers.  In fact, there are new water trails appearing on the Milwaukee River that haven’t been reviewed because the dam removals have been so recent (much of what noted canoe author Mike Svob has observed is out-of-date).Â, On this section alone, there used to be dams at Newburg and Waubeka.  To the west, they’ve removed two dams around West Bend which have really opened up things there and that is the main water trail serviced by “Zodiac.”  Unfortunately, I believe a third dam remains by the Hwy 33 bridge (see my map).Â, To the east, locals in Grafton have (confusingly so) passed a referendum protecting the bridge street dam until 2019.  In fact, they wrote a book, “Saving a Dam: and the Heart of a Community,” in which they chronicle their efforts to proudly fight the dam removal efforts at Grafton (and they won).  This is a tragic misunderstanding on their part.  Not just for safety (this is a nasty dam), but ecologically speaking, dams are bad news.Â. A careful estimate made in detail by Increase A. Lapham placed the entire cost of constructing the canal, including locks, at about $725,000. 9-23-18 …Put in at Newburg bridge & out at Hwy A bridge. Dan. Milwaukee County, Wisconsin A unique stretch of hiking trails/ / mountain bike trails in the very urban east side of Milwaukee along the Milwaukee River.. Terrain / Scenery: Narrow, natural surfaced trails along the Milwaukee River. There is a livery in West Bend, maybe 7 miles to the west.  We used them to rent one kayak.  Was a little miffed to find out they charged $55 to rent what was probably a $200 kayak–and that didn’t even include livery service.  Grr…  Last year, for comparison, we rented kayaks at the Brookfield REI that were high quality 12′ Old Towns for just $20-30 (unfortunately, they no longer rent kayaks).  If you don’t mind over-priced service, cheap boats and visiting a scary side of West Bend, then check them out.  They are Zodiac – E-hookah and E-cigarette Lounge and can be reached at 262-353-3780. Â. Zoom out for a lot more additional information. The river is likely fine to paddle at 4-600 CFS as well, but won’t be as attractive. Milwaukee River Date Paddled: September 6th, 2014 Put-in: Main Street Bridge @ Newburg Take-out: Hwy A Bridge Distance: 6.0 Miles Time: 2 hours 54 minutes Gradient: 7.1' per mile Water Level: Milwaukee River near Cedarburg 260 CFS or 5.83' This is probably the best section on the Milwaukee River. Privacy Miller Park, home stadium of the Milwaukee Brewers, sits right along the Menomonee River, which is mirrored by the Hank Aaron State Trail.On game … A project along the Milwaukee River aims to increase success of fish spawning by providing habitat. Kayaks and fishing boats share the river with party boats. Not much, but this is probably seasonal.  Saw a great blue heron and clams (which do a great job of cleaning up rivers) and some painted turtles.  In fact, we were able to catch a small painted turtle and took a bunch of photos of his “alien abduction.”  A number of nice plants and flowers (many of which were past their prime).  Best were the water lilies and the flowing Potamogetons in the clear water.  For trees, there were a number of maples, which would make this a great fall river trip.  Also, there was one grove of white cedar, which was kind of unusual, and unfortunately a lot of dead and dying ash trees from the Emerald Ash Borer. Best nearby. Enlarge Map of Milwaukee, 1862. 600+ CFS might be not as fun, but likely doable for the determined. Took 2 1/2 hrs. On Sunday, I saw a guy on the Riverwalk near Rock Bottom Brewery stand up and dive into the Milwaukee River. The best times of the year will be mid-summer to late fall. The swim was covered by the Milwaukee Sentinel and the Chicago Tribune—it was a big deal. The day I did learn of it, in August of 2019, I went immediately to Turtle Park, which is located at the southern tip of the Greenway—and which, not coincidentally, is the home of the River Revitalization Foundation (RRF), Milwaukee’s urban land trust. About sixty miles northwest of the city, several tributaries converge to form the river near Campbellsport, and it heads east through the towns of Kewaskum , Barton , and West Bend , then veers in a zigzag fashion through the villages of Newburg , Waubeka, and Fredonia . The underground bunker was 8-feet deep, 8-feet wide and 20-feet long. Policies and Notices, U.S. Department of the Interior | Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I am new to kayaking. Appreciate the comment! Rental Cars See rental cars from $31/day. The Milwaukee River is a river in the state of Wisconsin. Milwaukee in Estabrook Park, 2,000 ft downstream from Port Washington 6, 1929, nonrecording gage near Putting in by the Main Street bridge in Newburg, Looking upstream with alt-access on south (left) bank, Intake pump for the sturgeon nursery at Riveredge Nature Center…normally not this covered with water, Local nature center does a good job of protecting this part of the river, Might be tough to duck under in really high water, There are riffles here, but are obscured by the higher water, Homeowner carved a viewing hole into the tree line (kid you not), Think there are limestone bluffs hiding behind those white cedars, Shoreline no longer protected by the nature center, Good disembarkation ledge SE side of the bridge. Published DRAINAGE AREA .--696 square miles. 108 Restaurants within 0.3 miles. present site at different datum. Residents. A number of reviewers have warned about how shallow this section of the river can be, but honestly, it was good for our trip and, if anything, could have been paddled at lower flow rates.  The nearest gauge on the Milwaukee River is close to the town of Cedarburg (not to be mistaken for a nearby gauge on Cedar Creek that is located right in Cedarburg).  Noted canoe author Mike Svob says if you go below 350 CFS you’ll scrape a lot, but this was incorrect, as we went at 260 CFS with negligible shallow water issues.  I suspect you can go down perhaps as low as 200 CFS.  NOT 100 CFS.  Maybe 150 CFS with many bumps…don’t know.  Call either of the aforementioned liveries or the local Riveredge Nature Center at 262-375-2715 for current conditions.  Don’t paddle this river too high, as you’ll lose the water clarity, which is the highlight of the trip. Might have missed it, but couldn’t find it. Saving a Dam: and the Heart of a Community, Main Street Bridge (Newburg) to Hwy A Bridge, Jsonline.com Article about the Newburg Dam Removal, American Whitewater writeup and background on the Grafton dam, Map from the River Alliance of dams in Wisconsin that have been removed, Review of “Saving a Dam: and the Heart of a Community”, Amazon review/link of “Saving a Dam: and the Heart of a Community”, KML date of trip with elevation/time/distance/route, http://waterdata.usgs.gov/usa/nwis/uv?site_no=04086600. National Water Information System: Web Interface. What time of year / month? National Weather Service Flood Forecast Page, Add up to 2 more sites and replot for "Discharge, cubic feet per second", Add up to 2 more sites and replot for "Gage height, feet, [15-min Interval]", Accessibility Find the cheapest and quickest ways to get from The Pabst Theater to Hilton Milwaukee River. Milwaukee River Parkway Trails. 1.46   1.28 vaww02. Road bridge and 6.6 mi upstream from mouth. WSP 924: 1940. It’s been a while since I did this route, but if I remember correctly there is usually an obvious route around the islands, and the minor channel isn’t navigable. The news of the Bucks-ification of the Milwaukee River was first reported by the Journal Sentinel, which also noted plans to deck The Hop streetcar in Bucks garb and … Want a great, easy way to explore the city on foot? PROVISIONAL DATA SUBJECT TO REVISION. Graff admitted to firing three gunshots into the Milwaukee River because he was frustrated that his dogs had run away, Lucas said. After the trip, we checked out the nearby Riveredge Nature Center, which you might also want to consider visiting after a paddle on the Milwaukee.  Described as a “a jewel in the landscape of Ozaukee County,” the sanctuary contains roughly 380 acres of various habitats adjacent to the Milwaukee River and is a resource for both scientific research and recreational opportunities.  It has extensive trails and woods, prairie plantings, a boardwalk by a pond, and an outdoor play area (with a fort) for kids (and adults) to play in.  One of Riveredge’s more interesting projects is the nursery program for baby Lake Sturgeons.  Water is pumped from the Milwaukee River into the tanks so when the young Sturgeons are released into Lake Michigan, they will return to the Milwaukee River (hopefully) as adults to spawn. It was designed by the firm Howard, Needles, Tammen & Bergendoff and in 1975 won the American … Summary of all available data for this site, Instantaneous-data availability statement. Can you refer me to a map. Milwaukee County is home to over 950,000 people living in one of 19 communities, which range in size from the City of Milwaukee, with 595,000 residents, to the Village of River Hills, with roughly 1,600 residents. 27 Other Attractions within 0.3 miles. Be notified when future paddle reviews go live by subscribing! The Milwaukee RiverWalk winds through the heart of the city, tying together three distinct riverfront neighborhoods the Historic Third Ward, Downtown, and Beerline B and bringing you to the doorstep of some of the citys best restaurants, brewpubs, shops, and nightlife. Will do this again & again. Otherwise, this would be an easy 3.18 mile bike shuttle over paved roads with little in the way of hills.  Car shuttling is, of course, always an option. None.  Maybe one tough duck-under and tricky rapids in REALLY high water, but at most flow rates, this is an easy paddle well suited for beginners.  At our flow rate, the rapids were mostly just riffles, with the exception of some class 1’s (easy) at the put-in. Datum of gage is 606.91 ft NAVD 88 (levels by U. S. Army as "near Milwaukee" prior to 1936. There could be an exception now though because of the very high water. Additional access options are visible on the overview map.  Special thanks to Milwaukeeriverkeeper.org which has some detailed information on the river, including this great map. The Milwaukee River will be dyed green Friday to tip off what Bucks hope is a long playoff run party Juvenile Lake sturgeon do have a little longer pointed tail than the adults and there also has ...more never been a documented Pallid Sturgeon in the Milwaukee River, whereas Lake Sturgeon are stocked here. The Milwaukee River begins in Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin and flows past Grafton to downtown Milwaukee, where it enters Lake Michigan. Collaborative Office Space: 600 E. Greenfield Ave. | Milwaukee, WI 53204 | (414) 287-0207 (414) 287-0207 Up to you if you want to include the various branches. If you have Google Earth, you can download this KML file to see the trip route.  To see a graph of the elevation drops, just select “tracks” on the left pane, then go to Edit > Show Elevation Profile.  This will show where the steep areas/riffles are and the locations of the drops on the river. Once you are out on the water, you can paddle along the Milwaukee River or make your way over to the Menomonee River or the KK River. Corps of Engineers). There are 170.85 miles from Milwaukee to Black River Falls in northwest direction and 196 miles (315.43 kilometers) by car, following the I-94 W route.. Milwaukee and Black River Falls are 2 hours 56 mins far apart, if you drive non-stop .. REMARKS.--Prior to 2018, occasional regulation During the twelve years from 1836 to 1848, when the prospect was abandoned, the only actual work done besides making surveys was the construction of a dam across the Milwaukee river at Milwaukee. WDR WI-79-1: Drainage area. Pallid Sturgeon have a much longer nose. This portage runs across busy Hwy 60 and a commercial area, then to the river behind an old mill. Fishing Reports and Discussions for Milwaukee River, Milwaukee County - Wisconsin Fishing Reports and Discussions for Milwaukee River, Milwaukee County - Wisconsin ... Just curious as to how long after a heavier rainfall like we (FINALLY) have had for the last couple days is best time to hit the rivers for trout and salmon? This will allow for best clarity. There are 266.25 miles from Milwaukee to River Falls in northwest direction and 308 miles (495.68 kilometers) by car, following the I-94 W route.. Milwaukee and River Falls are 4 hours 36 mins far apart, if you drive non-stop .. 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