WOLF RIVER, SECTION 4 (Menominee Co., Menominee Indian Reservation)

LENGTH 9 mi., CLASS III+, GRADIENT: 12' per mile

SEASON: Most save this run for summer and continue boating it into the fall. The Menominee Tribe typically closes access to the river from Novemeber 1st until May 1st.

PUT-IN: Otter Slide launch area on Hwy. 55 near Co. Hwy. B.

TAKEOUT: At Big Smokey Falls Rafting on Hwy. 55. about 20 mi. north of Shawano

GAGE: USGS Gage at Langlade. The river is runnable at all levels. At 1000 cfs it starts to become significantly more challenging with rapids pushing class IV. Kayakers typically refer to a staff gage on Section 3. The following approximate conversions can be used to interpret this gage: 21"= 1200 cfs, 18"= 950 cfs, 15" = 750 cfs, 12" = 600 cfs, 9" = 450 cfs, 6" = 350 cfs, 3" = 250 cfs.

FUN FACT: A favorite summer play river for the boaters of the state. Pool drop with some nice big drops.

SHUTTLE (MAP): All legal access to the river is controled by the Menominee tribe--access to the river is a privlege granted by the tribe and it's good to check with local boaters if you have not been boating here lately. You park your car at the takeout for this run, load your boat on a trailer, and hop in an old pickup truck for a ride to the put-in. In April of 1998 the Menominee tribe raised the fee to $20 for access to the river and shuttle service, although price changes from time to time. Ralph, who runs the rafting operation and provides the shuttle service, has indicated that you will need to call ahead to purchase the pass and arrange a shuttle (he has to pick up passes from the tribal office and may not have enough on hand if you don't plan ahead). Call 715-799-3359 (office) or 799-4945 (home). Be considerate and call at reasonable hours. Ralph has always been very supportive of kayakers.

ISSUES: The single most important issue facing this river over the years has been the proposed Zinc and Copper mine at the headwaters 11 miles north of Lily, WI near Little Sand Lake. The River Alliance of Wisconsin can provide you with information on how the mine and its current status.

When the hot days of summer arrive and the rest of the rivers in the state are too low to run this section of the Wolf provides challenging water for intermediates. It also has about a dozen play spots and several micro eddies for advanced boaters working to perfect their skills. This may be class III water but you can still practice class IV moves. Two drawbacks to the run are the rafts and the expense of a pass. On summer weekends a long train of rafts will parade down the river, sometimes with only a few seconds in between each raft to grab a wave for a short surf. Keep your cool though. The Menominee Reservation issues day permits for river users and the rafters bring in more money. If conflicts arise, the kayakers will lose out--and they have with the recent increase in fees. This stretch of river has been closed to kayaking in the past. If you can not stand the rafts either get an early start, boat the river on a weekday, or wait until fall. This river really is beautiful when the colors begin to change.

The run itself is classic pool-drop, with each drop followed by a short stretch of flatwater. You start out at the put-in with a bit of flatwater. When the current picks up and the river splits into two channels you will soon see the horizon line that marks Sullivan Falls (a 6' drop). It is possible to scout this drop on river left although the owner of the concesion stand is not friendly toward kayakers and has displayed violent behavior on occasion. Discussions or arguments with this individual are unlikely to resolve the situation, and are likely to make matters worse for all of us. After running the drop you can grab an eddy and start surfing the wave at the bottom. This is not recommened during the rafting season, however, as conflicts with the concession owner here are likely to lead to a further reduction in opportunties to boat this section. An alternate route that avoids this problem area is available by taking the river right channel.

The next drop is Upper Ducknest. It is a good rapid to practice eddy hopping. The wave train at the bottom is a lot of fun, but make sure you are in control at the bottom because it gets really shallow. The eddy at the bottom of this drop can hold several boats and you can take turns grabbing a really sweet front surfing wave. Lower Ducknest follows and it can be scouted on river left. You can just blast down the center or catch a couple of the micro eddies along the wall on river right. Depending on water levels there are a few surfing opportunities here.

The next drop down is lunch stop. It is just a small ledge, but there is a large flat rock on river left that makes a great place to pull you kayaks up and grab a bit to eat.

Just downstream the Dalles begin. Upper Dalles is the raft launching point for those doing a half day trip and you can actually drive up to it by way of a dirt road from the takeout. After the first pitch you can grab an eddy on river left and work your way up to a sweet ender spot. The final pitch ends with a couple of good surfing waves. A little ways down river is King of the Hole. At a point where there is an island in the river, it is a small ledge in the river right channel that forms a really nice sidesurfing wave. For intermediate paddlers it is a friendly hole. It has room for a few boats at once but a game of King of the Hole often develops where one boater tries to maintain his position while others try to bump him out.

You will recognize the Lower Dalles where the river enters a small canyon with rocks cliffs on either side. The entrance move is a little tricky but you can scout from the bank on river left. You can usually find some nice surfing waves in the canyon. From this point it is a fair amount of flatwater to the last big drop.

The last drop is Big Smokey Falls. This drop can look really big for those on their first intermediate trip, but if you have negotiated all the drops to this point successfully you should be fine. The channel narrows on the right side of an island and screams down an incline for about 100 yds. before you ski jump off the last pitch of about 6' in height. You can scout the drop from river right. Form maximum excitement hit the rooster tail on the last pitch.