FLAMBEAU RIVER, NORTH FORK and MAIN BRANCH

(Sawyer & Rusk Co., WI, 10 miles southwest from Park Falls)

LENGTH 45 mi, CLASSI-II, GRADIENT: 3' per mile (North Fork), 6' per mile (Main Branch)

SEASON: Good for canoeing throughout the summer.

PUT-IN: Launch site approximately 10 miles southwest of Park Falls along Hwy. 70 where Nine Mile Creek joins the river about 1.5 miles downstream from Crowley Dam. Several other launch sites are available.

TAKEOUT: Big Falls Dam 8 miles upstream from Ladysmith. There is a parking area on river left at the dam. To reach this takeout from Ladysmith drive 9 miles east on Hwy. 8, then head north on Hwy. X. After 6 miles on Hwy. X, at a point where the road makes a 90 degree turn to the east, you will want to take a road to the west which goes directly to the dam. It is less than a mile off of Hwy. X to the dam.

GAGE: Unfortunately for boaters the USGS gage is downstream of the dams near Bruce so it is difficult to interpret. You can call the DNR office in Winter, WI at 715-332-5271 to find out current conditions. They can also provide you with a great map that has all the launch sites and campsites along the river.

FUN FACT: A great river for canoe camping.

SHUTTLE: The shuttle can take a couple hours. If you don't have the time you might consider one of the establishments that offers a shuttle service. Some of these places also rent canoes:

Big Bear Lodge 715-332-5510

Flambeau River Lodge and Campground 715-532-5392

Nine Mile Resort and Tavern 715-762-3174

Oxbo Lodge 715-762-4786

The Shuttle from Big Falls Dam to the put-in near Crowley Dam starts out by heading east on Hwy. X from Big Falls Dam. After a mile Hwy. X makes a 90 degree turn to the south. Continue for another 4.5 miles until you come to Hwy. 8. Turn east onto Hwy. 8 and go 10 miles until you come to the junction with Hwy. M in Hawkins. Take Hwy. M north 18 miles until you reach Hwy. W. Go east on Hwy. W for 2.5 miles and then turn north onto Price Lake Rd. Follow Price Lake Rd. to the end and turn east onto Hwy. 70. After 1.4 miles on Hwy. 70 you will be at the launch site near Nine Mile Creek. You are on your own for shortcuts. We tried a few but the roads are of poor quality so you do not save much time.

A trip on the Flambeau can last about three days or you can choose a shorter segment of the river for a day trip. There are 14 canoe camp areas along the course of the river each with 2-3 campsites. The river can be roughly divided into two segments based on difficulty of the water. The first segment from Crowley Dam to the Camp 41 Landing (7 miles downstream from the Hwy. W bridge on river right) is a good beginner section. With a few sections of class I riffles and swift current. It takes up to 11 hours from the Nine Mile Creek put-in to the Camp 41 landing at a leisurely pace. If you are an experienced paddler willing to push it a little you could canoe this entire section in a long day.

Just downstream of the Camp 41 Landing the significant rapids start. You have a nice warm-up with Wannigan Rapids which is about a mile below this landing. Then you will come to Flambeau Falls which generally rates class II. Soon after this rapid the South Fork joins the North Fork. The campsite on river left at the confluence makes a great lunch spot.

Continuing about three miles down river, you come to Cedar Rapids. A rock shelf dams the river and creates a small ledge drop on river left. It is a straightforward drop, but you should scout it and make sure you can negotiate it safely. You can easily portage on river left--always a good option to consider when you have a boat full of gear. The drop rates a solid class II and is one of the more difficult rapids on the run. Local kayakers can often be found surfing here. Once you go over the first ledge you continue through several yards of moderate whitewater so you will need to maintain control. After this there are several more sections of whitewater (class I-II) until you come to Beaver Dam which is the last significant rapid on the run (class II). It requires slightly less maneuvering than Cedar Rapids, but you want to make sure you are lined up properly as you go over this 4' drop. You can easily portage on river left. After clearing this last drop the main excitement is over.

If you do not want to paddle any more flatwater you can take out after this drop at Beaver Dam Landing on river right (10 miles south on West Lane Rd. from the Camp 41 Landing). The flowage begins just downstream of this rapid. The trip from the Camp 41 Landing to Beaver Dam Landing takes up to 5 hours and makes for a good day trip if your main interest is the intermediate whitewater on this river. If you do this section use West Lane Road that runs along the west side of the river. If you continue downstream to the Big Falls Flowage it takes a few hours to reach the dam. Your progress depends on how windy the flowage is.