A) West Bend: E.Washington St./Dam to S.River Road (2 miles)

Quick Facts Location: West Bend, downtown to east of town. Put-in: 43.4272, -88.1836 Take-out: 43.4253, -88.1619 (Riverfront Park Landing, Riverfront Parkway, West Bend, WI) Shuttle Length/DriveTIme: 1.3 miles/3 minutes (by car) or biking the multi-use trail, 1.7 miles/9 minutes. Video Link: IMPORTANT NOTE: Gradient values should always be used for general comparative purposes only! Differences (even up to 15-20% and more) mean very little in the grand scheme of all things whitewater! Similarly, class/rating can mean relatively little. Far more important than either gradient or class/rating should be other less-quantifiable *'character factors'* such as: (1) continuous versus pool/drop, (2) wide-channel with multiple routes versus narrow channel with essentially one route, (3) straight-shot routes versus complex technical maneuvering-required routes, (4) gradual river banks versus rocky shores or steep-walled gorges, et cetera. Never rely solely on class/rating to decide if you should run a river/rapids! Character: Fairly continuous current, wide-open routes, moderately wide-channel. River banks: Begins with some areas of 'city gorge' (vertical cement walls) with occasional steps and grassy slopes , but quickly becomes much more pastoral. Typical width: 30-70 ft. Drainage area at put-in: 233 square miles Drainage area at take-out: 246 square miles Drainage increase: 5.58% 10/85 Gradient Upstream of Put-in: 4 fpm Percent Developed Upstream of Put-in: 8.7 % (The higher the above two values, the 'flashier' the stream will be! Especially if the drainage area is small.) Description West Bend has made great use of land exposed by dam removal(s) outside of town to create a multi-use trail (which criss-crosses river via numerous brdges) connecting a number of new parks. Local paddlers report finding whitewater entertainment on this stretch of river. Some illicit rock-stacking has allowed some tame play (surfs, possibly spins at some flows) in a spot or two. However, expect that the river will (within years) rearrange whatever rockwork may have been done, reverting the river to what nature intends. Do not expect too much true whitewater here ... this is mostly just good current and 'splishy splash' riffles and rips which will 'wash out' to featureless swiftwater as flows incease. At anything more than nominal flows, true whitewater boaters will be far better advised to head to other area whitewater runs.