WISCONSIN RIVER, GRANDFATHER FALLS

(Lincoln Co., WI, 10 mi. north of Merill)

LENGTH 1mi., CLASS III-IV, GRADIENT:

SEASON: A week or two in early spring and whenever the generators are being repaired.

PUT-IN: Hwy. 107 at the base of Grandfather Dam

TAKEOUT: Hwy. 107 at the Grandfather Falls Powerplant

GAGE: USGS gage in Merill. If the discharge at this gage is greater than 10,000 cfs the dam operators probably have the gates open on this stretch of river. A few creeks and another dam between Grandfather Dam and the gage can affect the reading, but the generators at Grandfather Dam can only handle 2,500 cfs. If you want to find out what the spring run off or flow levels are at Grandfather Falls you can call WPS's Western Area Hydro Office at 715-536-8114 or -7289 during the week from 7:00am to 4:00 pm.

FUN FACT: Big water for a short window in the spring and during times of maintenance on the dam.

SHUTTLE: From the put-in at Grandfather Dam drive 1 mi. south on Hwy. 107 to the Grandfather Falls Powerplant. There is a parking area for fisherman here.

ISSUES: Keep an eye on this dam liscense. What a treat it would be to have a release here once every summer.

This rapid on a big river like the Wisconsin is a rare treat for those of us that do our paddling in the midwest. Unfortunately for us kayakers Wisconsin Public Service Corporation diverts nearly all the flow (up to 2,500 cfs) in two big tubes that power a couple of turbines. The rapid receives water only during the spring melt, periods of heavy rain, and when repairs on the turbine need to be made. The repairs, however, are usually scheduled during periods of low flow so the powerplant doesn't loose its precious water.

Grandfather Falls is the big drop on this run but it does not look like much at low water. To see it, you can walk up along the tubes from the put-in and take the trail to the river which goes across a footbridge near the start of the tubes. You can also pull into a driveway here which is about 0.3 mi. north of the takeout.

When this section has water a powerful hole can develop below this drop. The entire run becomes a fairly continuous stretch of class III-IV big water with numerous play spots.