Canoeing Wisconsin

Wisconsin is made up of rolling hills in the South and hardwood forests in the North, cut through with hundreds of rivers, including everything from the wide, meandering Namekagan to the rough and tumble Wolf. You can find some flat-water paddling around Madison, and of course, there are Lakes Superior and Michigan, though these lakes should only be canoed by experienced paddlers with knowledge of the weather patterns. For the whitewater paddler, Wisconsin offers many rivers with varied rapids, making it an excellent place to learn and advance your whitewater skills. Few of the rivers provide the kind of wilderness experience available in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Area or in Canada, but several are surrounded by state or national forests. Part of the beauty of Wisconsin’s rivers is that they are everywhere, providing great paddling in all parts of the state, and many are dotted with campsites, making them excellent destinations for weekend or week-long getaways.