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Fox River, Menomonee Falls to Waukesha. Put in at CTH Y in the Village of Menomonee Falls to begin this challenging, approximately ten-mile route. The river flows through Waunakee Golf Course which contains numerous portages around golf cart paths. The next stretch consists of wooded wetlands, slow current, very scenic. Spring Creek enters from the west. Downstream of North Ave. the river becomes narrow and heavily wooded with many snags and obstructions. The stream becomes significantly larger below the influence of Poplar Creek. Downstream of Watertown Plank Rd. it opens up and becomes a wider, deeper, larger river. Pewaukee River enters from the west and the river continues as a long, straight, slow moving channel until you reach the take-out point at Frame Park upstream of the dam. Takes four to five hours. |
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Pewaukee River, Pewaukee to Waukesha. Put in at the Pewaukee Village Hall at 235 Hickory St. in downtown Pewaukee. After leaving the village, the river slowly meanders through wetlands that provide excellent wildlife viewing opportunities. Take out at Frame Park in the City of Waukesha. Extremely low water will make passage in some areas difficult. High water may make the I-94 bridge impassable and pose a challenge at a rocky chute at the private bridge just upstream of the Hwy 164 bridge. This trip is approximately 6 miles and takes about two hours. |
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Fox River Parkway. Put in at Bethesda Park, off of College Avenue in the City of Waukesha. This is an easy, two-mile canoe stretch with a slow to moderate current and no obstructions. Take out at the improved canoe launch just upstream of Hwy 59. Takes about two hours. |
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Fox River, Hwy 59 to Vernon Marsh. Put in at the canoe launch just upstream of Hwy 59. This is an approximately five-mile trip with few obstacles. The first half of the trip consists of residential development, while the remainder is characterized by heavily wooded areas providing wildlife viewing opportunities. Take out at the CTH I bridge five miles south of Waukesha. Takes two to three hours. |
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Fox River, Vernon Marsh. Put in at the CTH I Bridge five miles south of Waukesha. This route is about six miles to the take-out at the CTH ES bridge (two miles east of Mukwonago). Floating through Vernon State Wildlife Area will bring many opportunities to observe a variety of wildlife. This will be a slow, quiet ride as the current is mild adding to your viewing pleasure. Takes about two hours. |
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Mukwonago River, Phantom to Fox River. Put in at CTH ES, just east of Phantom Lake. A moderate current will take you approximately two miles on one of the area’s most exceptional natural resources, the Mukwonago River. The route then enters the Fox River, where you can take out at CTH ES, east of Mukwonago, or continue on with canoe route #7 to Big Bend. Takes about 3 hours. |
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Fox River, Mukwonago to Big Bend. Put in at the CTH ES bridge east of Mukwonago. The route to the take-out at the Village Park boat landing in Big Bend is about seven miles. The Mukwonago River enters the Fox River from the right side about a mile into the trip. An alternate take-out/put-in at the Center Road bridge will shorten your trip by half. This section of river has a light current with many turns and some deeper holes. Full distance takes two-and-one-half hours. |
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Fox River, Big Bend to Tichigan Lake. This trip from the Village Park boat landing in Big Bend to Tichigan Lake is a seven-mile route. Numerous backwater sloughs occur in this section of the river. Take the deeper left channel around the island just before the Bridge Road bridge. Take-out is just down stream from the bridge (right side) at the Tichigan State Wildlife Area. The wildlife area has plenty of parking and nature trails for you to explore. Takes two-and-one-half hours. |
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Mukwonago River, Beulah Road to County Hwy I. The Beulah Road put-in is located five miles west of Mukwonago just south of Hwy LO on Beulah Road. This is arelatively short trip of about three miles to the CTH I bridge take-out. Taking your time on this float will reward you with abundant wildlife to view. Beaver dams might slow you down on the first stretch of the river but most obstacles are manageable. The outlet stream from Lake Beulah enters on your right side about 3 miles downstream. Many deep holes are found in the remaining stretch of river, so a fishing pole may be in order. Takes 3 hours. |
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Fox River, Waterford to Burlington. Put-in at Waterford behind the library just upstream from the Hwy 20 (Main Street) bridge. This is an eight mile route to Burlington’s Riverside Park taking about three and a half hours. For the adventurous, the first leg of this float is somewhat challenging with a portage around an old dam in Rochester and shallow water after it. An alternate route avoiding the obstacles would be the put-ins at Saller Woods (Hwy 83/36 bridge) or the CTH W bridge. Both of these accesses are undeveloped, but provide roadside parking. Both routes will also shorten your trip to the Riverside Park (Congress Street) take-out. |
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Fox River, Burlington to Wilmot. Put in is at Burlington’s Riverside Park (Congress Street). The entire route to Wilmot is seventeen-and-a-half miles. There are several put-in and take-out points along the route to provide optional lengths for you. Shortly after a mile from the put-in at Burlington, Bushnell County Park appears on your left side. A picnic area and playground are available here. Undeveloped access points at Hoosier Creek Road and at the CTH JB bridge, both about six miles south of Burlington can also be used. The best access to the river is at the Fox River County Park landing located just downstream from the CTH F bridge. Take-out at Wilmot is located down stream left from CTH C. This take-out is undeveloped but has a low shoreline and ample parking. Trip takes six hours. |
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Des Plaines River, Pleasant Prairie to Russell Road. About six-and-one-half miles. Put-in from East Frontage Road near I-94, one mile south of Hwy 50 (75th Street). On this section of the river, beaver dams can be a nuisance but generally are easy to manage. Halfway through the trip, Prairie Springs Park will appear on your left side with another access point at the Hwy 165 bridge. Take-out is at the Russell Road bridge down stream left with paved parking. Trip takes two-and-one-half hours. |
