River Paddled: Pine
Trip Date: July 25, 2021
Put In
Hwy 139 Bridge
Pullout parking area with a grass path leading to rocks at the water's edge on the downstream left side of the bridge for a easy put in.
Take Out
Chipmunk Rapids Bridge
Side of the road parking and small path leading down to the water on the downstream right side after the rapid which isn't too difficult to catch.
Paddle Length: 7.5 miles
Paddle Duration: 2.25 hours
Gradient: ~7 feet per mile. Pretty good current in calm stretches, with nice Class I-II rapids to end the trip.
Here is information on stream gauge readings around the date of this paddle (Note: located at the Hwy N bridge, about 30 miles downstream of this trip's takeout.):
| USGS Stream Gage Number | Discharge Rate | Gage Height | USGS Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| 04064500 | 300 CFS | 2.3 Feet | 04064500 Gage Info |
Our Experience Paddling This Segment of the Pine at These Levels
The water level was a little too low. There were a fair amount of shallow rock beds that required some scooting and getting out and walking a few times, while the rapids at the end were slow moving.
Hwy 139 - Chipmunk Rapids
Planning: The Pine River is located in northeastern Wisconsin and flows east until entering the Menominee River, which is also the Wisconsin-Michigan border. Mike Svob has three successive trips of the Pine totaling a little over 40 miles in his book Paddling Northern Wisconsin. I used his second trip to plan for a 7.5 mile section from highway 139 bridge to Chipmunk Rapids bridge. This stretch of river is calm and riffly early on, with two pitches of the class I-II Chipmunk rapids in the last mile.
Paddling: The river had a pretty good current most of the way, while staying fairly narrow in width. The water level could have been a tad higher for comfort, as shallow rock beds became a recurring issue. I did a good amount of maneuvering to find the deepest part of the river to try and pass through along with lots of scooting and a few instances of giving in and getting out and walking until coming to deeper water on the shallow rock beds. Nearing the takeout were the class I-II Chipmunk rapids, which not surprisingly were boney and slow moving at this water level. A shallow ledge drop led to a narrow boulder garden and a shorter boulder garden in the next section of this rapid.
Observations: The river has good clarity with its orange tinted rocks showing under it dark brown water. The river bottom was mostly rock bed, with some vegetation and boulders in the mix. Beyond the water, the banks were lined with forests and occasionally had open tall grass on one side. There were a handful of houses between the railroad and forest road bridges about a mile and a half in to this trip, with neither houses or bridges from here to the takeout. In my near three hours paddling, I came across no other paddlers but did spot some ducks, a turtle and four deer, with one being a fawn.
Reflecting: This river trip and the Pine river in general, being a wild and scenic river, has lots of potential with its nice current, narrow width, rapids, scenery and surroundings. I would recommend this section or any of the Pine in Mike Svob’s Paddling Northern Wisconsin. The only consideration would be to account for the water level, as I clearly did not. So I’m sure I’ll revisit this section of the Pine at some point at a higher water level for a nice uninterrupted paddle with an actual run of Chipmunk rapids.
Here are some pictures from this trip:
