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Rapid WI

Homeless (Wave)

Milwaukee - C) Estabrook Park to N.Riverboat Road (PnP or up to 3.6 miles) (WI)

Monitor this Rapid
Gauge Conditions
Milwaukee River at Milwaukee, WI Upstream Primary
Runnable: 120.0 – 9,999.0 CFS

Intermediate flow. Perhaps ideal flows for beginner-to-intermediate boaters (full run or PnP at EPL, UPk, TD or North Ave). (See description for details.)

Data from American Whitewater & USGS
Description

Immediately after the bridge-piers river-right (tight toward shore), a 'heave' in the paver blocks will rake/scrape the bottom of your boat (or will be completely exposed) at flows up to 600 cfs, somewhat blocking access to the river-right eddy immediately downstream of the bridge.

At some range of flows (perhaps 900-1100) a smooth, surfable wave may exist right-center 1/4th of the river. When present, it is catch-on-the-fly, one-and-done, thus the name "Homeless". (As in, there is no eddy from which to do repeat play. Also a reference to homeless individuals who stowed stashes of sleeping bags/blankets etc under ends of the North Avenue bridge in the years before the UW-Milwaukee dorms were built on both sides of the river. Increased traffic and patrol of these areas has displacing the homeless to other less travelled locales.)

Location
Type
Rapid
Difficulty
Class N/A
Mile Marker
3.3 mi
Directions
Navigate
View Full Run
C) Estabrook Park to N.Riverboat Road (PnP or up to 3.6 miles)
Milwaukee
I-II(III) 3.5 mi
Current Conditions
5-Day Forecast
Whitewater data from
American Whitewater