Category Archives: Fox-Wisconsin Heritage Parkway

Nature Current BIG Canoe Participating on Fox – Wisconsin Heritage Parkway Paddles

The Fox-Wisconsin Heritage Parkway and the North East Wisconsin Paddlers are proud to bring you the 2013 Fox-Wisconsin Heritage Paddles. This annual paddling series is designed to celebrate and explore the Parkway region.

This year our Nature Current Voyageur canoe will be joining the paddlers starting on June 22nd in Princeton and all the rest of the paddles in the series through the Sept. 28th Appleton Locks Paddle.  If you would like a ride with us on one of the these Heritage Paddles please get in touch with Mark at Nature Current. 

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Upper Fox River

June 22-23: Upper Fox Paddles
22 – Princeton to Berlin
Camp at Berlin’s Riverside Park
23 – Winneconne to Terrell Island to Rainbow Park in Oshkosh
Meet & shuttle: 9:30-10:30 AM; Launch 11 AM

Lower Fox River

July 20: Park-to-Park Paddle
Shattuck Park (Neenah) to Lutz Park (Appleton)
Meet & shuttle: 7:30-9 AM; Launch 9:30 AM

August 17: Tall Ships Paddle
De Pere to Green Bay
Paddle among replicas of historic sailing ships
Meet & shuttle: 8-9 AM; Launch 9:30 AM

September 28: Appleton Locks Paddle
Lutz Park (Appleton) to Sunset Point Park (Kimberly)
Paddle through Appleton’s four hand-operated locks
Meet & shuttle: 8-9 AM; Launch 9:30 AM

Heritage Paddle Activities

Paddlers are encouraged to seek additional heritage opportunities at each paddle event.

June 22-23: Upper Fox Paddles
Two voyageur canoes and two DNR canoes will be available. On June 23, Pierre Le Blanc will interpret fur trader times as a passenger from one of the canoes during the paddle.

July 20: Park-to-Park Paddle
Two voyageur canoes and two DNR canoes will be available. Please join us after the paddle at the Appleton Yacht Club for a special guest speaker. Paul Robbins, director of the UW Nelson Institute of Environmental Studies, will be speanking Wisconsin water bodies and the implications of climate Change.

August 17: Tall Ships Paddle
One voyageur canoe will be available, as well as historic voyageur, Pierre Le Blanc. The Tall Ships Festival will take place downtown Green Bay, August 16-18.

September 28: Appleton Locks Paddle
Two voyageur canoes and two DNR canoes will be available, as well as historic voyageur, Pierre Le Blanc.

Heritage Paddle Helpful Links

Reserve your spot in our Voyageur Canoe

Contact Mark at Nature Current to reserve your spot.  Email:  info@naturecurrent.com

 

Paddle 2013 Brings Thoughts of Thaw – Fox Wisconsin Heritage Paddle 2013

The return of the tall ships to Green Bay will highlight one of eight canoe and kayak trips in the Fox-Wisconsin Heritage Paddle series.

photo by Dave Horst – Tall Ships Paddle, Green Bay 2010

Are you having thoughts of thaw? The snow will soon turn into flowing water and the opportunity to join us on the rivers for the Fox Wisconsin Heritage Paddle season. Dave Horst lays it all out for us in this article from the Post Crescent.
David Horst’s Outdoors: Paddle 2013 brings thoughts of thaw | Appleton Post-Crescent | postcrescent.com.

Fox River Appleton Locks Paddle Video Part 5

Voyager Canoe leaving lock #4

The final video from the Appleton Locks group paddle on September 24th. 119 canoes and kayaks enjoyed a fun outing on the Fox River in Appleton. Paddlers started at Lutz Park in Appleton and traveled to Sunset Park in Kimberly, traveling through the 4 Appleton locks over the 6 mile paddle. Check out the previous 4 videos to see the entire trip in video.

Thanks for watching this final segment of the Appleton Locks paddle.

Enjoy videos from part 1, part 2, part 3 and part 4 of our paddle journey through the Appleton locks.

Fox River Appleton Locks Paddle Video part 4

Fox River Appleton Locks Oneida St. bridge

Appleton Locks Paddle 4th segment video from our group paddle on September 24th. This video is of the group paddling through the locks from Appleton Lock #3 to Lock #4 with 119 other paddlers. Thanks to Northeast Wisconsin Paddlers for organizing this group paddle outing.

Check out videos from part 1, part 2 and part 3 of the Appleton Locks group paddle.

Fox River Appleton Locks Paddle Video #1

Northeast Wisconsin Paddlers had a great paddle event on the Fox River in September. 119 kayaks and canoes started at Lutz Park in Appleton, went through the 4 Appleton locks and on to Sunset Park in Kimberly.

Here is a video with highlights from the beginning of the trip.

Stay tuned for additional videos from the Appleton Locks Paddle.

Brief History of Canoeing from The Fox-Wisconsin Heritage Parkway

This information from  The Fox-Wisconsin Heritage Parkway blog

In recent years, paddling has experienced resurgence on the Fox and Wisconsin rivers. From Green Bay to Prairie du Chien, individuals are taking to this silent pursuit in numbers not experienced since the mid-twentieth century. When paddlers ‘put in’ on the Fox and Wisconsin today, they are continuing a tradition dating back thousands of years.

Developed by native peoples, the canoe is one of the oldest forms of watercraft in North America. Early models, believed to be over 8,000 years old, were carved from large tree trunks. In fact, the word ‘canoe’ is thought to have originated from the word ‘kenu,’ meaning dugout.

A more modern design, the birch bark canoe had a tremendous impact on the settling of North America. This design was popular throughout the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries as voyageurs, missionaries, and fur traders explored the interior of North America via its many lakes and rivers.

Known for its large towing capacity and ability to handle a variety of water conditions, it was this type of canoe that Jacques Marquette and Louis Joliet selected for their 1673 journey down the Parkway in their search for the Northwest Passage. In 1847, journalist, George William Featherstonhaugh traveled the Fox River by wooden canoe as documented in his published journals, A Canoe Voyage Up the Minnay Sotor.

Read the full article at the Heritage Parkway blog.