Alternate Put-in: Red Store Lot

Park at the far west end of the Red Store Lot. Walk across the pedestrian/bikeway bridge and immediately head left into the woods a short distance to put in from low banks in a little backwater bay. At high flows, you may need to point bow upstream to ferry out into strong flow (to get beyond the reach of overhanging shrubbery along shore).

Or, you could walk about 250 yards / 0.15 mile upstream to start off with a zig-zag wave-train (and, if flows are right, a couple minor surfable waves). There is a pretty good path -- stay on the 'main' trail most of the way ... but hard to describe where to split to the left.

While Hart Park is our 'recommended put-in', there may be times people will prefer or need to use this location. (E.G., if there is an event happening at Hart Park (and/or its sports fields) that has all parking there filled.)

I actually prefer the Red Store Lot put-in for a couple reasons:

1. It is a bit more secluded, for anyone changing into/out-of boating gear (though we generally prefer to do that at the take-out area for this run, since there is virtually no pedestrian/biker traffic there).
2. It puts you in upstream of the downtown 'Tosa' pedestrian mall/bridge, railroad bridge, and the restaurants flanking the river there. (Interesting buildings backing right at rivers-edge, and often great smells from those kitchens!)
3. It adds a few nice little warmup rips.

The downsides?

1. It adds time/distance to the shuttle (really a rather minor matter: only 0.2 mile for a bike shuttle, and 0.52 mile to the vehicular shuttle).
2. It adds some complication/confusion! By bike, not much of a problem (staying on Oak Leaf Trail to cross the river, then continuing across the railroad tracks, then to the back of the parking lot). By vehicle, from State Street, you continue through the 'downtown' area to the stoplight at Harmonee Avenue. Turn left, cross the bridge, left again at the stoplight at Harwood Avenue. DO NOT pull into the first parking area to your right, but proceed left across the railroad tracks, under Harmonee Avenue, and to the far end of the parking lot. (You've done a full 360-degrees loop!) NOTE: If wood has passage blocked at the pedestrian bridge, then proceed to the far east end of that first parking lot, where you can carry to low bank to put in.
3. While it is somewhat scenic/interesting to paddle under the pedestrian mall/bridge and past the restaurants downtown, it is important to mention (as will be reiterated below) that the bridge-piers are prone to catching all manner of woody debris, which can make passage awkward (or, rarely, impossible).
4. CAUTION! At flows above 3800 cfs, the railroad bridge (and other pedestrian bridges) become either a limbo or IMPASSIBLE! SCOUT BEFORE PUTTING ON!

Paddlers might ask "Why not just continue the shuttle straight across Harmonee Avenue onto W.Menomonee River Parkway, and put-in from someplace along it?" You could, but that is a "high traffic" area (vehicles on the Parkway, bike and foot-traffic on the Oak Leaf Trail). Twice when I have put in along there, a well-intentioned good samaritan has taken exception to what we were doing, taking photos of our car/license plates and ourselves. I've had officials (the police) tell us "I can't let you do that here!" (There used to be a city of Wauwatosa ordinance against launching anyplace within the city, but not everyone knows it was repealed some years back.)

So ... why deal with that hassle! All you are missing is swiftwater and a relatively minor wave-train.