Pine River in Wisconsin

Trip Overview

My husband and I took a Sunday afternoon paddle down this section of the Pine River, recommended by a friend. He said the family goes inner-tubing down it in the summer, taking about 3 hours... but it only took us 1 1/2 hours in our kayaks.

The water level was good, with a steady, gentle current. The Pine River is part of the Wisconsin Wild Rivers, and is stunning with peaceful, untouched woods and wilderness on both sides. We saw a ferret(or something like it??), and a bald eagle.

There are parts of the Pine River where rapids and more rocks are encountered, but this stretch had just a few boulders, and a couple places where the water was more "riffly". Very nice for beginners and people like me who want NO white water!!

A few trees down, but the river is quite wide, and easy to just keep going through. It was a beautiful, relaxing trip where you could paddle or just let the river take you, and enjoy the view!

Accommodations:

No outhouse or anything.

Fees:

None

Directions:

In Florence County, go north on Hwy. 101, east on "C", north on "N" until you find a boat landing where the road crosses over the Pine River. Put in there.

The take out is actually only a 1/4 mile down the road on the right side of "N", so we could do it with only one car, and walk back! There is a sign that says "Oxbow Take-out". Also, when you are on the river, there is a bright orange little arrow, and a brown sign with yellow paddles on it that tell you where the take out is. Very nice! You'll have to carry your boat up a small hill when taking out.

Resources:

The man who recommended it gave us a Florence County recreation map. It was excellent!