Plover River

The Plover is a small tributary to the Wisconsin River located Stevens Point.  It’s a great kayaking stream with fantastic boulder gardens. 

Trip Reports

Esker Road to Hwy 153


Date Paddled: October 16th, 2016
Distance: 6.4 miles
Time: 4 hours 46 minutes ( 3 hours would be more typical)

The far upper Plover River is rarely paddled, yet might be the best section for paddling because of its scenic firs, granite boulders and some surprise rapids.

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Hwy 153 to Pinery Road


Date Paddled: June 25th, 2016
Distance: 4.97 miles
Time: 2 hours 19 minutes

Probably the best section on the entire Plover River with good current, a few rapids, attractive woods and fine boulder beds.

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Pinery Road to Shantytown Drive


Date Paddled: May 26th, 2018
Distance: 4.9 miles
Time: 2 hours 23 minutes

While not as nice as upstream sections of the Plover, this was still a solid paddle with good current, clear water, and wooded banks filled with pines, cedars and firs.

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Hwy K to Jordan County Park


Date Paddled: July 4th, 2017
Distance: 5.3 miles
Time: 3 hours 4 minutes (2.5 hours would be more typical)

Not as elite as other Plover segments, but this diverse paddle is still enjoyable and has some fun surprises at the end.

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Jordan Park below dam to Iverson Park


Date Paddled: July 5th, 2014
Distance: 8 miles (maybe more because of the log dodging)
Time: 3 hours 52 minutes

The Plover is a popular small river that flows southwest before emptying into the Wisconsin River at the city of Stevens Point.  There are multiple sections of the river that are navigable for paddlers–the upper section being more rocky and “up northy,” with nice boulder gardens, and the southern section, which is more like the […]

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Overview Map

Detailed Overview

Nearby Guages

Videos

Comments

Jun 24th, 2022 - Aaron from Dell Creek
Update...as of June 2022, this section has been cleared of logjams.
Sep 4th, 2020 - Aaron from Dell Creek
Hi Tim...I'll forward your message to Eric. In the meantime I will say that current levels are just about at (although a bit below) the levels I did it at. If you watch my video you'll get a feel for how shallow this is.
Sep 4th, 2020 - Tim from Bureau creek
Eric, do you recall the level on June 10, 2020? I’m hoping to go mid Sept but a 5 hr drive so want to be sure it’s worth it. Thanks.
Jun 19th, 2020 - Aaron from Dell Creek
Webmaster's update...I've heard recently that there are two logjams on this stretch that will have to be portaged.
Jun 11th, 2020 - Aaron from Dell Creek
Thanks for the update!
Jun 10th, 2020 - Eric Guderyon from Wingra Creek
I did Esker Rd to Bevent Rd 5/23 with a bike shuttle, trip took about 2 1/2 hours and the bike shuttle took about 25 mins. The bolder gardens in the first half are fantastic, there are a couple of fun rapids that require some control and a nice 1-2 ft drop that is easy/fun but could be a bit scary for novice paddlers. I was solo and water was high and fast, so I choose to portage the low driveway bridge on river left. The water had a slight brown hue but the clarity was great for the entire trip. Great trip, hope to do it at least once a year Link to some of my photos from the trip https://1drv.ms/a/s!AjC8S6n5i35VgXQK2JaWce6BcaRD
Aug 6th, 2018 - Laura from Fox River
Good idea about the paddle! It was thundering so we paddled in the rain for a bit, but thought it best to get out of the metal canoe with possible lightening.
Aug 5th, 2018 - Aaron from Dell Creek
I suggest getting familiar with Class 1 rapids before attempting Class 2. Some ideas you may enjoy within a reasonable driving radius would include the lower Eau Claire, Crystal River, Waupaca River, Tomorrow River, Mecan River, Upper Dells and the lower Little Wolf (all reviewed on this site). With the Upper Plover, because water levels are so low, the rapids may be Class 1 and not Class 2...so they may be fine. But you may have to walk your boat in a few shallow areas.
Aug 5th, 2018 - Jonelle Erickson from Waupaca River River Rd. to Brainards Bridge
Hi. We are new and have very basic kayaks. From Menards, 10' Viper. We are looking for some new places to kayak in Central Wisconsin and have been reading your site. Read your review of the Plover River at Esker and it sounds great. But a little worried about the class 2 rapids with our kayaks. Wise or unwise to try? Thanks!
Aug 1st, 2018 - Aaron from Dell Creek
It's too bad to hear about that logjam. In late summer doing portages can be difficult because the banks can be so overgrown. Sometimes it helps to whack a path clear with your paddle. Hopefully somebody will clear out that jam in the future. As for the rain, that can actually make a trip interesting. I've paddled in the rain and it is actually cool seeing and hearing the droplets fall around you.
Aug 1st, 2018 - Laura and Linda from Fox River and Pewaukee River?
Hi! Thank you for sharing this information! We did this stretch in a 13 foot canoe. The water was low so we had to portage around the major log jam, however, it was through a patch of stinging nettle! (Wear jeans, maybe?) We rinsed our legs in the water and it stopped itching after a while. The bridges and some sort of pipe were deceptively low and the water was very low so make sure you are nimble enough to lay down quickly and get back up to keep paddling. It was beautiful and fun, but would have been much easier in a single kayak. We saw bald eagles, herons, Kingfishers making vertical dives, ducks, clams, and a few tires in the water. We checked the weather before we left (around 10:30am) and it wasn't supposed to storm until 3pm. It stormed a half hour in so we pulled ashore by some cedar. That made for a much more exciting trip than I anticipated! I guess you never know what to expect. Lol!
Jun 29th, 2017 - admin
Yeah, that is fine.
Jun 29th, 2017 - Mike Heinrich from Hatley/Plover River
Hi, I am a resident of the village of Hatley. I am developing a website for the village and would like to quote some of your content from this page and link to this article. Would this be OK? Thank you! Mike Heinrich

How did your trip turn out? Questions or comments? Feel free to leave your feedback.

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