Paddle the Bois Brule River
Details
Join Jared and the Mad City Paddlers for a paddle on the gorgeous upper Bois Brule River. We'll put in at Stone's Bridge Landing and paddle at least to the Winneboujou Landing. This stretch is characterized by mostly calm flatwater (including three lakes) punctuated by riffles and a few short Class I rapids.
Anyone who wants to do a bit more whitewater is welcome to run the rest of the section from Winneboujou down to the campground. This 1.5 mile stretch has nearly continuous Class I whitewater with a Class II rapid known as Little Joe. They've apparently demolished the huge boulder in the middle of the channel, so this rapid is much less dangerous and difficult than it used to be. I will be taking out at Winneboujou no matter what to begin the post-paddle shuttling.
We will begin our shuttle from Stone's Bridge Landing at 10am sharp, so be unloaded and ready to shuttle at that time. If you are joining the caravan from Bois Brule Campground to the put-in, we will leave the park at 9am. You are welcome to leave later as long as you are there and ready to shuttle by 10am.
We will stop for lunch on an island or gravel bar, so bring a packed lunch with you on the river.
This trip is not suitable for beginners, but anyone with some moving water experience should be capable of running this section successfully. Any length boat is acceptable, but shorter boats will have an easier time in the riffles and rapids. Crossover boats with a deployable skeg are ideal for this section.
We will have a book-your-own site camping event at the Bois Brule Campground (aka Ranger Campground) in the Brule River State Forest, so you are welcome to book your own site now, especially if you want to bring a camper or RV or want to sleep in your car. I have space for 5 people on my site. View that event and RSVP on the Madison Area Outdoor Group Meetup. You will need a $5 one-time MAOG membership.
Check out the Google MyMap with points of interest and caravan, shuttle, and paddle routes for this trip: https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=11ZI5exE0CHERjUV0rkvclFNAXhw&usp=sharing
View the Miles Paddled Report on this section here: https://milespaddled.com/bois-brule-river-i/
As always, failure to obey park rules or the direction of the event host will result in your removal from FVK.