Kickapoo River - Kayak Trip / Canoe Trip
Report Type: Weekend Trip Report
Trip Dates: June 2004
Nearest City: Ontario, WI
Difficulty: Moderate
Submitted by: KenE
Description:
Kickapoo River Trip - Solo
Date: June 19th and 20th, 2004
Put-in: Ontario (WI)
Take out: La Farge (WI)
Water Level: Above average. No hang-ups on gravel bars. Numerous strainers, but easily avoided. Two log jams between Landing 12 and Bridge 13. I was able to paddle over the first. The second I was able to just barely snake through. Two more log jams between Bridges 17 & 18. Both I had to drag the canoe over the top and perform acrobatics to exit and re-enter the canoe. Still, 95% of the paddle was beautiful.
Weather: Nice. Not too hot or cold -- perhaps 70 during the day and high 40s at night. No rain. No bugs to speak of.
Campsite: Finding a site was very difficult. They were not marked well. Perhaps the recent flooding washed the signage away. The site I eventually found (H) itself was fine. However, the landing was tough. Boot sucking mud followed by a very steep and high incline. This site was just before Bridge 16 on river left.
Fauna: 2 muskrats, an immature bald eagle, rabbits, chipmunks, 3 owls, great blue herons, crows, spotted fawn, Canadian goose, duck with 4 ducklings, robins, swallows, sparrows, probably others I don't remember.
Additional Info and thoughts: The banks were all boot-sucking mud. Portaging around obstacles was impossible because of this. I sunk in the mud up to my knees at the take-out canoe landing. I had to crawl a couple of yards till I reach firm enough ground to stand.
Numerous groups, mostly families, were on the river between Ontario and Bridge 12. Things really thinned out after Bridge 5. I saw no one else shortly after Bridge 12. Saw no one at all on Sunday.
Cooked over the fire on Saturday night. Made a LARGE blueberry muffin using my reflector oven and 7" bowl/plate from my mess kit. On Sunday morning I used the esbit stove to heat water for coffee.
Used my Sawvivor for the first time. I was happy with it.
Timeline:
June 19th
9:00 a.m. La Crescent Kwik Trip
10:00 a.m. Titanic Outfitters in Ontario
11:00 a.m. Shuttle Completed and Launched at Titanic Outfitters
1:00 p.m. Wildcat Mountain Canoe Launch (about 1 hour ahead of schedule)
5:45 p.m. Arrive at Campsite H, just before Bridge 16.
June 20th
6:00 a.m. Got up
8:00 a.m. Launched from Campsite
10:15 a.m. At take out (Bridge 20)
10:45 a.m. Leave La Farge
11:00 a.m. Ontario
12:00 p.m. La Crosse
12:30 p.m. Home
Accommodations:
I used Titanic Canoe Rental for a Shuttle only http://www.titaniccanoerental.com/ and I was also able to pay my camping fee there.
Outfitting:
Canoe - Old Town Penobscott 15
Freden Reflector Oven
Sawvivor saw
Esbit stove
Fees:
I camped within the Kickapoo Valley Reserve. http://kvr.state.wi.us/home/ The fee for overnight camping was $10, but that covers up to 6 unrelated people. The shuttle cost $20. So that is a total of $30. Pretty high for just one person, but the cost is the same for up to six people.
Directions:
35 miles east of La Crosse, WI on Hwy 33
Resources:
I used the maps available from the Kickapoo Valley Reserve.
Great Products from the Buyers' Guide:
