Canoeing the Red Cedar River,
Wisconsin
Red Cedar
1-Rice
Lake to County W. Barron County-7.8
miles. This section is a rtanquil
day trip for anglers and novice canoeists.The
river is located in beautiful hilly
countryside studded with dairy farms.
There are no rapids and few riffles.
Water levels are fairly dependable
all year. Put in at Red Cedar River
County Park at the west end of South
St. in the city of Rice lake. There
is an excellent county landing at
the Sawyer Bridge, within sight of
Hwy. 53. Take out at the Cty. W bridge.
Red Cedar
2-County
W to County I-Barron County-11.2 miles.
This is a good flatwater trip for
beginners. Put in at the Barron County
landing at the Cty. W bridge downstream
right. After Hwy. 8 there is a large
island where the river heads east.
Look for deadfall if you take the
narrow right channel. At about 2.4
miles Cranberry Creek enters on the
left. At 5 miles you come to the Cty.
OO bridge. After Brown Creek enters
on the right the river flows through
a long quiet stretch. Take out at
Cty. I, another Barron County landing
downstream right.
Red Cedar
3-County
I to Hwy. 64-Barron and Dunn County-13.7
miles. This is one of the most popular
stretches of the river. Put in at
the public boat landing at the Cty.
I bridge, a couple of miles southwest
of Chetek.The river begins shallow
but quickly becomes deeper The Chetek
River joins from the left at 2.2 miles.Just
before the Cty. 1-A bridge at 4 miles
is a nice landing. From here to Myron
Park at 9 miles it is extremely peaceful
with many deep pools. Where Cty. V
crosses the river you come to Sand
Creek and a few miles past that is
the Hwy. 64 bridge. Take out down
stream left.
Red Cedar
4-Hwy
64 to Colfax-Dunn County-15.3 miles.
This is perhaps the prettiest day
trip on the river, with many attractive
rock formations along the banks.Most
of the river is deep and tranquil,
until the last couple miles where
it becomes narrower and quicker. Put
in at the well maintained Hwy. 64
landing. At 4.1 miles there is a big
island and Popple Creek enters from
the left.Another mile down is another
island and after that Eddies Creek
enters. At 9.6 miles you will come
to 22 Mile Ford Park.. During the
last two miles you will encounter
sandy bluffs and gravel bars, but
most of the shoreline is low and wooded.
Houses on the river signal the approach
of the landing, an easy to miss spot
on the right bank within site of the
Hwy. 170 bridge.
