View from Forbes Road
Launching from below the bridge
Great clarity–and a lot of sand
Attractive orange channel
First logjam…not a bad portage
A straightened portion of the creek
One of many small sandbars
County Road ES
View from the bridge
Entering an open horse pasture
Nice clarity
Some erosion
Logjam #2
Not a bad portage
Wild apple blossoms
Very straight and channelized stretch
A pair of swans
A lot of different tree species on this trip
Logjam #3
Easy portage
One of several large cranberry inlets into the Lemonweir
Nice stand of pines
Large outlet from a cranberry farm
Looking upstream
View downstream
Lots of dead trees
Logjam #4
Not a bad portage
Scenic bend in the river
Another large cranberry inlet
Some surprise rapids
Entering a woods
A sandy woods
A pair of raccoons looking for snacks along the river
Another huge cranberry dike
Cranberry discharge pipes and a walk bridge
A large cranberry outlet
Getting out at Cty Road N
A young horsetail shoot
View downstream from the bridge
Lemonweir River – South Fork – Part 2
The Lemonweir is a lesser known river located between Wisconsin Dells and La Crosse. Kayakers will sometimes paddle the lower portions, but logjams scare most away from the upper stretches. Closer to Tomah the Lemonweir splits into a South Fork and East Fork. They’re both nice, but you have to choose your section carefully as deadfall is an issue in spots. I did the South Fork in 2020, which turned out to be a disappointing trip…just too many logjams and the weather was cold and overcast. Satellite images suggested the next section was much more open, so perhaps I just did the wrong stretch? I decided to return and give the South Fork one more chance.
I ended my 2000 trip at Forbes Road, so it seemed fitting to start my 2025 trip here. It’s not a very private bridge and is next to a busy interstate, but as a bridge put-in it is plenty doable with a nice sandy area under the bridge for launching.
My initial impression of the river was very positive. The water was extremely clear, but with a slight red hue (a byproduct of tannins). The current moved at a nice clip and sand was everywhere (a gift from the last Ice Age). In many ways it reminded me of the Mecan River (located at almost the same latitude). The channel to start was suspiciously straight–early settlers likely straightened it for agriculture…in this case a good thing as logjams prefer twists and tight turns.
The river though did finally start to meander closer to the County Road ET bridge, and I did have to get out for a portage. But, I didn’t consider it difficult and in general the trip proved to be relatively open.
Following ET, the river flowed past a large horse pasture which had some nice pastoral vistas. This was eventually followed by the mouth of Kreyer Creek, which roughly marked the halfway point in the trip. It actually looked fairly navigable, and in theory you could launch from it via the South ET bridge.
In the distance to the northI could see massive “sand mountains” from the the local frac sand mine. Out of curiosity, I asked AI about the frac sand industry in Wisconsin, and was told it was in heavy decline with some mines recently closing. Many of the oil producers (mostly in Texas) now prefer more local sand which is cheaper to transport. Turns out sand wasn’t such a hot commodity after all and we’re now seeing a speculative bubble in the process of popping. In the big picture this is likely a good thing as frac sand mining is fairly destructive to the environment.
As I continued north I soon entered “cranberry country” and drainage ditches started joining the river. The main cranberry bogs were slightly elevated and flanked by massive dikes. From the water,it’s hard to grasp the scale of these farms but they are massive…the one to the north was likely four square miles in area. Nearby is a large Ocean Spray bottling plant…your cranberry juice might have come from this very spot. In the fall the fields are flooded for harvest and the waste water is discharged into the Lemonweir. This is concerning, as most cranberry farmers use a lot of nasty pesticides. On a somewhat coincidental note, I didn’t see much life in the river itself…just one dead fish and some clam shells.
Aside from the cranberry farms, the river was largely undeveloped…just a lot of open grassland with a few trees. The terrain changed somewhat following some surprise Class 1 rapids (created by a cranberry farmer) as I entered a woods. This had me a bit nervous…typically, trees + Lemonweir = logjams. But in this case I only had to portage once and the “sand forest” proved surprisingly scenic.
I ended the day at Hwy N, which was a manageable bridge access. Despite four logjam portages, the trip turned out surprisingly well and I would have to rank it as one of my favorite Lemonweir trips. The highlights were, again, the amazing clarity and the nice sandy bottom. If this river was located next to a larger population center, I could see it being a more popular water trail…but, as is, I suspect few will paddle it.
Sights included muskrats, geese, cranes, two swans, one dead fish (no live ones), a clam shell, dragonflies, a red-tailed hawk, blackbirds, horses, and a heron who watched me go down the rapids. The highlight were two raccoons . One didn’t mind me and was content to drink muddy water, while the second was obsessed with hissing at the first raccoon.
Forbes Road: The bridge had a steep bank and the area has a lot of traffic. But all in all, a pretty doable and easy bridge access. Best access will be along the northeast side, where you can drag your boat down a small hill and then launch in a sandy area directly under the bridge.
Alternate Put-ins:
- Tomah Dog Park (2.5 miles upstream from Forbes): There are a number of logjams on this stretch and it is not recommended for kayaking.
- County Road ET (1.6 miles downstream from Forbes): ET is a better bridge access than Forbes (less traffic, smaller bank), but I thought the leg between Forbes and ET was pleasant and worth doing.
County Road N: Best access is northwest of the bridge. It’s a bit muddy and weedy…but otherwise, IMO, was not a bad spot to get out.
Alternate Take-outs: None really. From Cty Road N to the South/East Fork Confluence I can see many significant logjams from satellite images.
Bike Shuttle – Cty Road N to Forbes Road: 4.8 miles with 18′ of ascent. A very easy bike shuttle…flat, little traffic, and paved. FYI, in 2025 they are ripping up a short section of ET (Google says you can’t drive or bike through here, but you can).
Fences: None
Rapids: The current moves at a good pace, but isn’t too fast or pushy. There is one set of Class 1 rapids near the end of the trip created by a cranberry farmer…but it’s not very difficult to get down (3:30 in the video).
Logjams: Generally speaking this was a fairly open trip. But there were four logjams that had to be portaged plus a “hop over”. I didn’t consider any of the portages super difficult as typically the shoreline was sandy and not too steep…but in summer thick weeds might make these portages more challenging. Each logjam is marked on the trip map.
River Gauge: Lemonweir River @ New Lisbon
River Trip Depth: 680 CFS or 5.9′
River Navigability Estimates: These are just rough guesses.
- < 400 CFS: A relatively shallow depth, but I think this stretch should be navigable.
- 401-800 CFS: Average depth with good clarity.
- 801-1200 CFS: Above average depth…should still be fine for paddling, but clarity won’t be as good.
- 1201-2000 CFS: A very high depth…I think you could still float it.
- 2001+ CFS: The banks might overflow at this point. I think experienced paddlers could still float this stretch though.
Detailed Overview
Lemonweir River - Main Branch:
- East/South Fork Confluence to Cty PP: 1.0 miles. Maybe 3 logjams.
- Cty PP to Funnel Road: 2.0 miles. Very straight. Maybe 6 logjams.
- Funnel Road to 2nd Ave: 1.2 miles. Very channelized and straight. Maybe 3 logjams.
- 2nd Ave to Cty H: 1.8 miles. Maybe 4 logjams. The channel at times is not well defined.
- Cty H to River Road: 2.3 miles. Maybe 4-6 logjams. There are confusing side channels and getting lost may be an issue.
- River Road to 6th Ave: 5.4 miles. Probably doable but there are a lot of logjams.
- 6th Ave to 37th Street Landing: 4.4 miles. This is occasionally paddled but does have some logjams. Definitely a future trip.
- 37th Street Landing to New Lisbon: 6.6 miles. A big, long lake pretending to be a river. Honestly, somewhat boring, but a nice rock outcropping, fall leaves and attractive white pines gave it redeeming value when I paddled it.
- New Lisbon Dam to Hwy 12/16 Shoulder: 7.9 miles. Nice prospect with its “Little Dells” rock outcrop…but some jams (maybe 6). The Hwy 12/16 shoulder, where a small creek enters the river, is a speculative access option and may not be practical.
- Hwy 12/16 Shoulder to Riverside Park in Mauston: 4.6 miles. Mostly slow, open flowage paddling.
- Mauston Dam to 19th Ave: 4.5 miles. One of the nicer stretches on the river.
- 19th Ave to Cty HH: 13.1 miles. Not as interesting with slow current.
- Cty HH to the Mouth: 3.3 miles. Good section with attractive rock outcrops. A prelude to the Dells.
Lemonweir River - East Fork:
- Cty EW to Buckley Ave: 3.1 miles. Starts with some flowage paddling and then transitions into a marsh paddle. Some of the dikes may be confusing to navigate. Perhaps 12 logjams...but most are clustered near the end.
- Buckley Ave to Hwy 173: 4.7 miles. One of the most scenic stretches on the Lemonweir. This is a diverse paddle with a marsh, a lake, cranberry bogs, sandbars, and scenic pines. There are a handful of logjams but they are mostly located at the end of the trip and are easy portages.
- Hwy 173 to Backwater Bar and Grill: 3.5 miles. An interesting prospect through frac sand country and on my todo list.
- Hwy 173 to Dove Ave: 0.9 miles. Very open and sandy with countless small sandbars. Good prospect.
- Dove Ave to Cooper Road: 2.4 miles. Sandy stretch that runs by some frac sand mines and cranberry farms. Maybe two logjams, but mostly open.
- Cooper Road to Backwater Bar and Grill: 0.2 miles. A scenic stretch on a small flowage. Note, I called the local bar and the access by the dam is open to the public.
- Backwater Bar and Grill to Hwy 21: 0.5 miles. Likely many logjams...perhaps almost nonstop.
- Hwy 21 to East/South Fork Confluence: 0.3 miles. Maybe 2-3 logjams.
Lemonweir River - South Fork:
- Butts Park/Lake Tomah to Forbes Road: 4.5 miles.
- Butts Park to Lake Tomah Dam: 0.2 miles. A short paddle on Lake Tomah to reach the dam. Lake Tomah is a nice lake but nothing special.
- Lake Tomah Dam to Memorial Park: 1.2 miles. A smal,l sandy stretch with many downed trees to deal with.
- Memorial Park to Tomah Dog Park: 0.6 miles. A mostly open and pleasant stretch...but there is one large logjam that was a very difficult portage.
- Tomah Dog Park to Forbes Road: 2.5 miles. The first half contains many logjams, some of which are difficult portages. The second half is mostly open but does require two logjam portages.
- Forbes Road to County N: 6.9 miles.
- Forbes Road to Cty ET: 1.6 miles. Nice stretch with good clarity and a sandy bottom. There is one logjam, but it wasn't too difficult to portage.
- Cty ET to County Cty N: 5.3 miles. A nice stretch with good clarity. Scenery is a mix of open grasslands, a few trees, a frac sand mine, and a huge cranberry bog. There are three logjams I had to portage on this stretch.
- County N to Excelsior Ave: 3.0 miles. The golf course is pretty open but the woods likely have a number of logjams....maybe 6-8.
- Excelsior Ave to East/South Fork Confluence: 0.5 miles. Likely countless logjams.
Trip Map
Overview Map
Video
Photos Size:
