Kayaking Port Washington Wisconsin

By Ken Braband

Here is some information about kayaking Port Washington on Lake Michigan.

Port Washington

South Beach Kayak Surfing Video

The area where the video was shot is a public kayak/canoe launch called South Beach. It’s also becoming increasingly popular for sunbathers and swimmers.

Parking can sometimes be crowded on summer weekend afternoons. A port-a-potty is available during summer months and a public restroom is available a short distance away along the Interurban Trail. Parking can sometimes be crowded on summer weekend afternoons. The beach is immediately south of the power plant on Port Washington’s lakeshore. Longitude: -87.86968 Latitude: 43.38299

Peter O’Malley riding the waves at Port Washington.

There are about 20 free parking spots in the paved lot. It’s a short carry from the parking to the water, and the shallow sandy beach is good for launching. When winds are from the east, you get a nice area to play in the surf. Surfing waves are usually best in the spring and fall. Be aware that kayaking Lake Michigan requires proper clothing — often a wet suit or dry suit — and proper equipment: a sea worthy kayak with bulkheads and a spray skirt (or float bags and spray skirt if you have a whitewater boat). Recreational boats may be used provided the water is flat and warm and you don’t venture far from shore.

Ken Braband is a freelance writer. His website is www.RocketInk.com . Ken has been kayaking for about eight years. He canoed for about 25 years prior to that. Ken is an ACA-certified coastal kayaking instructor. He teaches private lessons as well as classes, including at the Door County Sea Kayak Symposium.

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.

Sunrise Paddle on the Embarrass River

Embarrass River starting at hwy 76

Paddling at sunrise is a beautiful was to start the day. Sunday morning, September 11, 2011 Debra and I decided to start our day with a joyous float and paddle on the Embarrass River northeast of New London. It was a great day and we were on the water for 5 hours taking in a beautiful little river that few people paddle.

We had three tricky spots getting around fallen trees on the journey.

The slideshow captures some of the moments on our trip from the hwy 76 bridge to Pfeifer Park in New London. Photos and slideshow by Debra Gehrke.

The length of this paddle was a good 12 miles. Give yourself at least 4 hours to complete this trip. We did it in 5 hours of light paddling. There are no great alternate takeouts between hwy 76 and Pfeifer Park. Spur Road does cross the river about 9 miles into the trip but the takeout would be challenging. Three log jams we had to figure out how to cross also slowed us down. With the river being narrow and lightly used, expect a few log jams and places you may have to portage. The Embarrass is named for it’s frequent obstructions that French voyagers frequently encountered.

The water level was low on this day and the river banks were mostly muddy. There are many shallow areas where the river bottom is solid and sandy giving you a few options for taking breaks right in the river when it’s low.

We are happy to report that the bugs were a non-issue for us in September. I recommend paddling the Embarrass in the Spring or Fall to avoid the mosquitos and deer flies. I paddled a section of the river upstream from hwy 76 to Cty F in July. During the middle of the Summer the Embarrass was the most buggy river I’ve experienced this year.

The Tri-Rivers Nature area map shows some additional put it spots on the Embarrass.

Also, here are some additional Embarrass River Paddling photos from earlier from June when the water was at least 2 feet higher. These photos from June are from the last third of the trip we did on September 11th.

Wolf River Yakker Meetup – CCC to 156

Fox Valley Yakkers meetup paddle from CCC to 156 on the Wolf River on a beautiful Saturday in September.

The Wolf River between the bridge at CCC and the bridge at 156 is definitely one of the prettiest parts of the lower Wolf River. The Navarino Nature Area run borders the river in part of this section. The entire area is left in it’s natural state. There are very few signs of civilization when you are on the river.

CCC to 156 is about 12 miles.

This video time lapse includes a few miles in the middle of the trip. The entire trip was 12 miles downstream on the Wolf.

Check out Fox Valley Yakkers for future meetups.

Waupaca Chain Rolling and Paddling Video

Do you like paddling the Waupaca Chain of Lakes? Enjoy watching a few rolls. Sean Grafenstein was recently out enjoying another beautiful August day in Wisconsin on the Waupaca Chain of Lakes with his friend Bob.

This video from Sean shows off some of the beauty of the Upper Chain of Lakes. You also get to see what it looks like hanging upside down under the water.

Enjoy this little trip around the Waupaca Chain of Lakes.

The Chain of Lakes from Sean Grafenstein on Vimeo.

The Upper Chain is a fantastic place to enjoy a kayak or canoe trip. The Knight Lane landing is the best place to start your paddle on the Upper Chain O’ Lakes.

More information about paddling and a map the Waupaca Chain O’ Lakes

Paddling through Rural on the Crystal River Video

Crystal River Main St. bridge and portage

The Crystal River is one of the prettiest little rivers to paddle in Wisconsin. Starting at the South end of Long Lake on the Waupaca Chain of Lakes the Crystal River is popular with paddlers. Ding Dock canoe trips run a commercial paddling operation on the river. Weekends and warm Summer days can be busy with rental canoes on this part of the Crystal River.

Start this trip at one of the landings on the Chain of Lakes. The Knight Ln. landing is a good choice for a starting spot. This launch is free for paddlers and usually has enough parking. You can enjoy the quiet waters of the Upper Chain and then follow Beasley Creek to access Long Lake and the beginning of the Crystal.

This video highlights the section from Main St. in Rural and pretty bridges and a waterfall in Rural.

If you go paddling here start in the Chain of Lakes and go to the South end of Long Lake where you will find the start of the Crystal River. At the Main St. Bridge in Rural a couple of miles downstream from the start you have to go through the left side tunnel and make a short portage to re-enter the river. The portage is on the right side of the photo above. The portage is a good excuse to stop at Wellers in Rural (directly across the road from the portage) for a 25 cent ice cream cone. Is this the best deal for ice cream in Wisconsin?

Take out for this trip is at a small park on Rural Rd. where Smith Road connects to the North. This park is just West of Cty K. Alternatively you can keep going through the mill pond and take out at Cty Rd. K near the Red Mill.

Waupaca River Paddle – Hwy 54 to Harrington Rd.

The Waupaca River from Hwy 54 in Waupaca to Harrington Rd. is a beautiful mostly wild stretch of river running right on the edge of town.

Length: 7.5 miles
Start: Kiwanis Park in Waupaca off Hwy 54
Finish: Harrington Rd. bridge
Time: about 3 hours on the river
Shuttle: Hwy 54 to Harrington Road is about 4 miles. Leaving a bike at the end could work well if you don’t have an extra vehicle.

Hazards: deadfalls in the first 2 miles block the river and with the moving water make the first section challenging.

The Waupaca River is one the nicest rivers for a leasurely paddle with changing scenery in central Wisconsin. Bob and I started this paddle at Kiwanis Park on Hwy 54 in Waupaca. The park is a convenient starting place to put in with it’s cleanly mowed river banks.

Right away we had to navigate around a large tree blocking the river. There was just enough room to get through the branches and keep our boats in the water. Trees are a challenge in the first part of this paddle. The river banks are 25 to 40 feet wide in the first 2 miles from Kiwanis Park. The river is also completely tree lined which means blow downs end up in the river. A portage or 3 may be necessary in the beginning. We only had to get out of our boats once on this day but there were many other places we had to pull our boats over logs and through branches. There is enough current in the Waupaca River to make all this maneuvering around trees an extra challenge. If you pay attention and know how to control your boat you should be fine but be prepared to portage in a few spots.

About 2 miles from Kiwanis Park the Crystal River enters the Waupaca River on the right. The Crystal is just a few hundred yards after a private steel and wood bridge. The Crystal adds plenty of extra water to the flow of the Waupaca. From here on the river gets wider and the extra width make it less likely trees will completely block your way. There were still a few spots where we had to get around large trees but less than the sections above.

There is another small private bridge to go under and the concrete remains of an old bridge to pass around before you see the bridge at Hwy 22 / 54 at about the 3 mile point. The Hwy 22/ 54 bridge could be an alternative start or end spot. We didn’t see any signs of this bridge being used by paddlers as we went by but the South side looks like the best access from our position in the river.

Longer, fairly straight sections with broad curves after Hwy 22 / 54 are nice and easy. Some of the broad shallow sandy sections may force you to walk your boat when the water is lower. We had plenty of water in the entire river. The Waupaca River runs just North of the Waupaca Airport. We saw a couple of small planes from the airport but it’s a small airport and we didn’t actually see the airport from the river. After the airport there is another small farm bridge to go under with a very sharp left turn after. The eddies and riffles after the bridge were fun to play in.

The banks of the river vary from small marshy sections to high banked outside curves. Most of the river is tree lined until you get near the end. A couple of farm fields are visible as you near Harrington Rd. The peace and calm of most of the upper sections is interrupted in the last mile with the traffic noise where the river runs near Hwy 10. We did get a view of the highway near the very end of our journey. There are not as many boulder gardens in this section like there are from Hwy Q to Brainerd’s bridge, West of Waupaca.

The Waupaca River from Hwy 54 to Harrington Rd. is highly recommended for a paddle trip as long as you are willing to deal with a few portages around deadfalls. We enjoyed seeing an Osprey circling around the river. We also saw a Blue Heron and turtles.

If you want to lengthen this trip you can extend your take out to the Lake Weyauwega landings. The landings in Weyauwega are an additional hour downstream. As of Summer 2011 Weyauwega lake has been drained to control weeds. The landings will not be very useable until the lake if filled again which will probably be sometime in 2012.

Photo Slideshow of the Waupaca River

Here’s our trip in photos:

Map of the Waupaca River – Hwy 54 to Harrington Rd.

View Larger Map

Park to Park Paddle 2011 Highlights

Park to Park 2011 was July 23rd. This was the 10th Annual paddle from Neenah to Appleton. 136 boats made the journey on the Fox River through Lake Winnebago and Little Lake Butte Des Mortes. Early morning thunderstorms and a threat of more in the forecast kept the participation down. We had sunny weather and light winds for the entire trip.

Park to Park is put on by Northeast Wisconsin Paddlers. There are 2 more NEWP paddle trips planned for 2011. The Moonlight Paddle from Depere to Green Bay on Friday, August 12th and the Appleton Locks Paddle on September 24.

Park to Park 2011 Video

Park to Park 2011 Slideshow

Big Falls Paddling – Little Wolf River

Quiet water paddlers can enjoy a short paddle with beautiful scenery at Big Falls on the Little Wolf River. Round trip this paddle is less than 3 miles until you have to turn around because the class II rapids at the Dells. Upstream paddling is easy until you reach the Dells. The rock formations along the shores are pretty and peaceful. The banks are largely undeveloped and I felt like I was dropping into the past paddling along this timeless river. Take your time and take in the scenery of this little river.

Put in at the little park with boat ramp about 100 feet upstream from the bridge at Hwy C in Big Falls.

Big Falls Slideshow

Embarrass River Paddling – New London, WI

The Embarrass River empties into the Wolf River in New London. Pfeifer Park in New London makes a good access point for kayaks and canoes. The large gravel along the banks of the river in the park make for a fairly easy place to launch. The banks are mowed and there is plenty of parking at the park. The Embarrass River is nice quiet water river. The river is tree lined near New London and can be blocked by fallen trees in the narrower sections. The river is very lightly traveled by boats. The Embarrass empties into the Wolf River about a 1/2 mile downstream from the park. The currently is usually light on the Embarrass. It’s fairly easy to paddle upstream and back to your launch spot making shuttling from launch to landing completely optional.

Photo Tour of the Embarrass River near New London

The Tri Rivers Area Map shows additional launch locations on the Embarrass River

Here’s some additional information on the Embarrass River from Wikipedia.

The Embarrass River has 3 branches, the south branch originates near Eland and passes by Tigerton, the middle branch originates in southern Langlade and the northern branch passes by Bowler, Tilleda and Leopolis. The middle and south branch converge in Caroline the river collects its north branch then flows through Pella where a dam is located. Below Pella, the Embarrass River passes by Embarrass the Embarrass River eventually converges into the Wolf River in the city of New London. “French voyageurs named this river the Embarrass, French for obstruction, because, while canoeing down the stream, they frequently found their passage blocked by fallen logs.”

Have you paddled the Embarrass River?

WI Paddle

Paddling Wisconsin

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