Become one with the river on this epic paddle of one of Wisconsin’s most beautiful and remote river stretches.
On this trip, we’ll pack all of our possessions into top of the line canoes and carry it all with us as we paddle through the remote last stretch of the Lower Wisconsin River in the state’s southwest corner. This part of the river is beautiful, as it expands out of the agricultural area of the state and into the bluffs of the Driftless as it joins with the Mighty Mississippi. The river itself is wide and calm, but teeming with life!
And if you’ve never tried boatpacking before, it can’t be beat! Boatpacking is a lot like backpacking, just a little easier on the legs—we’ll be paddling with all of our gear, food and water, and camping on sandbars each night, finding the spots with the best views (and fishing holes!) Literally feel the demands of regular life melt away and find yourself simply enjoying finding your place in this riparian landscape, chock full of migrating wildlife and water animals that call the river home. This trip will be rugged and beautiful, and is the perfect multi-day paddle adventure!
Adventure Rating: Intermediate
This is a calm but strong river, and previous paddling experience is recommended. We’ll be paddling for multiple hours each day, traveling about 30 river miles total. We’ll be primitive camping without access to toilets.
ACTIVITIES
Paddling ~30 miles of the Lower Wisconsin River over 2.5 days. Boatpacking is an all-encompassing activity that includes unloading and loading boats each afternoon and morning. While on the river, we’ll spot for wildlife, navigate the river’s flows and have a unique opportunity to relax and unplug.
We’ll be backcountry camping along sandbars that the group will identify each night. We’ll set up camp each night, forage for firewood and prepare meals. Downtime activities can include playing cards, swimming, fishing, reading, napping and simple arts and crafts. Wanderers are welcome to bring along any leisure activities that will fit in their packs.
We’ll also learn the basics of river navigation and water reading, and will be studying maps to help us navigate the islands and channels of the Lower Wisconsin.
ACCOMMODATIONS & LOCATION
The first night of our trip, before taking to the river, we’ll be camping at the spacious and secluded group camp spots at Wyalusing State Park. There are pit toilets and water directly available at the group site, and a showerhouse and flush toilets available within a short drive.
While on the river, we will be camping on remote sandbars without access to toilets or running water. We’ll have plenty of fresh water along with us, and will be following backpacking waste disposal rules and practices.
About the Lower Wisconsin Riverway
The Lower Wisconsin is the longest free-flowing stretch of river in the Midwest. This 45,000-acre property extends along 92 miles of the river from Prairie du Sac to the confluence with the Mississippi River. A fantastically diverse resource with a wide variety of wildlife, fisheries, historical and archaeological sites, and scenic beauty found nowhere else. Abundant sand bars and islands are a popular destination for boat-in campers. Source: Wisconsin DNR
WHAT’S INCLUDED
Your registration provides you:
Two professional Wander Women guides to help make the trip as seamless and fun as possible
Camping accommodations & parking
A Wanderer swag bag full of goodies
All food and snacks—we’ll be eating backpacking style for this trip
Paddling rental and supplies, including: canoe, canoe chair, lifejacket and paddle
Use of 1 large dry bag for packing personal items
River maps for navigation and keeps
Basic paddling instruction pre-launch
Camping accessories: Camp kitchen, fire kits, first aid kits, dining ware, games, water containers
A detailed pre-trip online guide with everything you need to know for your trip
WHAT’S NOT INCLUDED
Participants will be responsible for providing/paying for:
Transportation to/from the trip (we always encourage carpooling and can connect you with other participants to ride with!) and to trip activity locations
Gear: Participants are able to rent camping gear from Wander Women
State park entrance fees
INVESTMENT
$595
PAYMENT PLAN
We offer payment plans for all our trips, so you can pay a deposit now and the rest over time! WeTravel (our booking platform) easily lets you make a downpayment (this is also your non-refundable trip deposit!) and set up automatic payments for the remainder. For the payment plan schedule, just check the WeTravel page for details. There is NO fee for choosing the payment plan option!
Deposit for this trip: $300