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Rapid WI

Homeless (Wave)

American Whitewater 43.0599, -87.8939

Save this feature with the run it belongs to.

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.)

Gauge Conditions

Description

Location

Other Rapids on This Run (20)

Current Conditions

5-Day Forecast