PINE RIVER (Florence Co., WI, 20 mi. east of Eagle River)

LENGTH 58 mi., CLASS I-II (IV), GRADIENT: 6-14' per mile depending on which section you do.

SEASON: High for a week or two in early spring and then somewhat mellow through the end of spring and into the start of summer.

PUT-IN: Hwy. 55 Bridge 4 mi. south of the junction between Hwy. 55 and Hwy. 70. Other alternatives are available.

TAKEOUT: Aurora on the Menominee River.

GAGE: USGS gage near Florence downstream of the dam. 500 cfs is required for an enjoyable trip. A hotline has been installed, 906-779-2518, which provides total flow information for those who want to paddle above or below the dam, and provides flow information for the bypass reach--the original river channel at a spot that rates class IV in the spring. The information is updated daily unless flows are remaining stable.

FUN FACT: Long river with several options.

SHUTTLE: Hwy. 70 parallels the north side of the river.

ISSUES: Wisconsin Electric Power Company has a plan to remove the Pine Dam at the end of its current FERC license. This dam creates Pine River Flowage. Unfortunately, the the current liscense does not expire until 2025 so the dam will not be removed until sometime in the distant future. This removal will be subject to the FERC review process sometime around 2020. Contact Ms. Rita Hayan, Project Engineer for Hydro Licensing, for additional information (Wisconsin Electric, 231 W. Michigan St., P.O. Box 2046, Milwaukee, WI 53201-2046). In the meantime, a new and much shorter portage route will be constructed on the south side of the dam.

This is a good canoe river although there are a couple of big drops that you will need to stay alert for and likely portage.