La Crosse River
This is a mediocre river…not as good as neighboring Robinson Creek, the Black River, or the Kickapoo…but better than the Baraboo River or Lemonweir.
Trip Reports
Hwy BB to Memorial Park
Date Paddled: October 2nd, 2015
Distance: 7.1 Miles
Time: 3 hours 45 minutes
An obscure paddling prospect but pleasant, with no log jams, great water clarity, good current and a clean sandy substrate.
Fishermans Park to Hammer Road Bridge
Date Paddled: August 17th, 2014
Distance: 5.36 Miles
Time: 4 hours 47 minutes (atypical...expect 2-3 hours)
A pleasant five-mile paddle originating in the city of Sparta. The La Crosse River has a great recipe for paddlers in swift clear water, fun ledges, and is nestled in an attractive setting. Put-in: You will have a bevy of options for putting in, with almost contiguous green space access from Memorial Park to Fisherman’s […]
Read More...Public landing by Hwy 108 to Veterans Memorial Campground
Date Paddled: July 31st, 2016
Distance: 4.2 Miles
Time: 2 hours 58 minutes (2 hours is more typical)
A mediocre trip on the La Crosse. A few fun rapids and a hidden sandstone coulee are the highlights.
Read More...Veterans Memorial Campground to Holiday Heights Park
Date Paddled: May 14th, 2022
Distance: 8.6 miles
Time: 3-4 hours
This was a nice trip on the La Crosse River just upstream from the city of La Crosse. The highlight of the trip were some terrific sandbanks.
Read More...Holiday Heights Landing to Riverside Park
Date Paddled: August 15th, 2015
Distance: 6.76 miles
Time: 3 hours 10 minutes (2.5 hours would be more typical)
A visit to train and bluff country on the last section of the La Crosse River and then a side adventure on the mighty Mississippi.
Read More...Overview Map
Detailed Overview
- Fort McCoy - Upper Leg: The river looks nice here, but this goes through the heart of military training grounds so is not likely suitable for paddling.
- Fort McCoy - Lower Leg: (2.5 miles) This is technically part of a Federal Army base. You can navigate the river, but only if you register with the Fort McCoy Natural Resources department and follow their rules.
- Squaw Lake Dam to Buckley Ct: (1.4 miles) Very interesting prospect with clear water, one small waterfall, and a few nice Robinson Creek style cliffs.
- Buckley Ct to Hwy BB: (1.1 miles) An ok prospect.
- Hwy BB to Sparta: (7.1 miles)
- Hwy BB to Angelo Wayside: (5.3 miles) Clean sandy water with little development. Ends in a small flowage.
- Angelo Wayside to Sparta/Fisherman's Park: (3.3 miles) Not as interesting...but ok. River widens and has more of a messy feel with more hardwoods.
- Sparta to Hammer Road Bridge: (5.4 miles)
- Fisherman's Park to Ben Bikin Park: (0.4 miles) Nice open stretch though Sparta with some rocks.
- Ben Bikin Park to Amundson Park: (3.5 miles) The most popular and best section on the entire river. Very nice with clean water and good current.
- Amundson Park to Hammer Road: (1.5 miles) A more wooded stretch. Includes a fun ledge to kayak over.
- Hammer Road Bridge to Hwy J: (5.6 miles) Likely a good prospect...but I bet it isn't as nice as upstream sections.
- Hwy J to 17th Ave: (6.8 miles) Mediocre prospect. Upstream sections are likely nicer.
- 17th Ave to Neshonoc Lake Dam: (6.6 miles) Half the trip goes through a slow flowage. The lake is nice as far as lakes go...but I suspect this is a relatively weak section.
- Neshonoc Lake Dam to Veterans Memorial County Park: (4.2 miles) An ok paddle with some fun ledges and a nice box canyon.
- Veterans Memorial County Park to Holiday Heights Launch: (8.4 miles)
- Veterans Memorial County Park to N. Kinney Coulee Road/I90 Bridge: (2.6 miles) A mediocre stretch with some sandbars and Class 1 rapids under I90, but mostly generic eroded banks that have been heavily straightened by the railroad. Road noise here is pretty loud.
- N. Kinney Coulee Road to Holiday Heights Launch: (5.8 miles) A good leg. Features include fast current, some sandbars, mostly open banks with some nice bluff vistas, and a few really nice sandbanks. Be mindful of strainers in fast current.
- Holiday Heights Launch to Mouth on Mississippi: (6.9 miles)
- Holiday Heights Launch to Hwy B/Earl's Landing: (2.2 miles) A more wooded stretch with mediocre floodplain trees. Train traffic is heavy in this area and chances are good you'll paddle under a moving train.
- Hwy B/Earl's Landing to Mouth/Riverside Park: (4.7 miles) This is a good leg. It's more open and has really nice views of the distant bluffs.
Nearby Guages
Videos
Checkout the video to see the put-in at the dam, all the ledges, the old mill, a nice water snake, the covered bridge, steep sand banks, the clear sandy water and more. At 6:00 you can really hear the Sand Mine.
Comments
I didn't realize that storm damage had created downed trees on the Upper La Crosse. Your update is appreciated.
This was an amazing trip. Water was clear and moving at a decent flow. How ever the storms took down a lot
More trees into the river. Still able to get through them but can get difficult at some points.
Thanks for the feedback Denny. Yeah Hammer Road was a bit steep/weedy for an access, and a trip like this would benefit from a longer length.
Paddlers, if you have the time and inclination, you should definitely travel beyond Hammer Road (the takeout for the above-described trip) and continue on to Icarus Road (a narrow but mowed takeout path) or on to County Road J, near Rockland, which features a well-developed takeout and parking lot for the canoe rental fleets. While there are no fun ledges like in the first segment just beyond Sparta, the appealing river features encountered there pretty much continue: steady current, an occasional but navigable deadfall, sandy bottom.
The river slows down and widens out a bit, but is certainly no more difficult. The sand mine was quiet the day I went by. A flotilla of canoe renters were enjoying the river; some were hilariously clueless about steering a canoe (or even holding a paddle). Total paddling time from Sparta to County J was 3 hours (and I paddle fast).
Thanks for the clarification
Hi,I work for the Fort McCoy Garrison staff. I was excited to see this, and plan to paddle it. Don't worry about being bothered at the put in. We actively encourage outdoor recreation on base. Just use our website to ensure your recreation doesn't meet up with Soldiers training.
https://mccoy.isportsman.net/
Thanks for the feedback! Unfortunately the La Crosse River now is a bit high...hopefully it comes down here pretty soon.
WOW!!! Thank you so much for taking the time in documenting this trip. I have lived in LaCrosse for 16 years and I am just now planning a down river trip but I have no idea where all of our drop in sites are. Thank you for having such a detailed trip of what to expect.
Thanks for the comment.
Great article. I paddled here 20 yrs ago, the bombs!!
. I got to relive it just now reading this. I thoroughly enjoyed this. Thank you.
Aaron,
For what it's worth, I paddled the La Crosse River today (11/1/16) from Veterans Park to Riverside Park and there were no fewer than 4 serious obstructions. I cleared out and cleaned up what I could with pruners and a handsaw, but this trip would require a couple portages in high water, and those paddling a canoe would have a hell of a time.
Sincerely,
Timothy at milespaddled.com
How did your trip turn out? Questions or comments? Feel free to leave your feedback.
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