Horicon Marsh in Wisconsin

Trip Overview

Horicon Marsh is a broad flowage in the Rock River near its headwaters in southeast Wisconsin. A 6.5-mile canoe trail winds its way through the marsh, starting at the eastern edge, going generally west for about 3.5 miles and turning south to end at the village of Horicon.

You can do the full trip with a shuttle or you can do an out-and-back from several possible launch sites. The water is quiet and the traveler sees and hears herons, ducks, and geese. The water level changes very little through the summer, making Horicon a nice trip when other places are too dry.

Accommodations:

There is an outfitter at Blue Heron Landing at 311 Mill St. in Horicon that rents canoes for a mere $20 for a day. You can do an out-and-back from there, or the proprietor will shuttle you to the other end of the trail. There is also a public launch site just downstream from Blue Heron Landing, but river right.

Fees:

You can launch from Blue Heron Landing for $5, while the public launches are free.

Directions:

The downstream terminus is Blue Heron Landing, which is just northeast of the WI 33 bridge in Horicon. For the upstream launch, go northeast on WI 28 and then north about 1.5 miles on Bayview Road and west to the launch site.

Resources:

The trip is barely mentioned in Mike Svob's Paddling Southern Wisconsin.

A brochure is available at Blue Heron Landing or at
dnr.wi.gov/topic/lands/documents/horicon/canoeing.pdf.

The outfitter's web site is at
horiconmarsh.com/canoe-and-kayak-rentals/

More information can be found at
dnr.wi.gov/topic/lands/WildlifeAreas/horicon/canoeing.html
and there is a narrative description at
www.wisconsintrails.com/outdoors/Explore-Horicon-Marsh-by-canoe-206922731.html