The Peshtigo River is world famous
for its 5 miles of continuous class II, III, and IV whitewater.
The exciting Roaring Rapids section
includes three rock garden stretches and six main rapids, including
ledges, waterfalls, and the legendary First Drop and Horserace
Rapids.
The Peshtigo averages 40 feet per
mile of gradient in this section according to the river guidebook
"Whitewater/Quietwater".
Here is an aerial view of the
layout of the river.
|
1. |
The Put-In |
|
2. |
Rock Gardens |
|
3. |
1st Drop Rapid |
|
4. |
2nd Drop Rapid |
|
5. |
Rock Garden |
|
6. |
3rd Drop & Joey's Hole |
|
7. |
5 Foot Falls |
|
8. |
Horserace Rapid |
|
9. |
S-Curve Rapid |
|
10. |
Rock Garden |
|
11. |
Flat Water |
|
12. |
Kosir's Take-Out at Hwy C
(under the bridge) |
|
 |
|
The two types of rapids on the
Roaring Rapids section of the Peshtigo River are the rock gardens,
and the ledges or falls.
This picture was done
at very low water to show structure. Usually there is 8"-2'
more water, and all but the largest rocks in this picture are
under water. |
The three main rock gardens provide
the technical boater endless play spots, and a great place to
practice eddy turns, ferries, peel-outs, and other basic and
technical maneuvers. For the weekend rafter, these are splashy
fun spots that warm you up for the main event. At lower levels,
these rock gardens can get pretty bony, and inexperienced rafters
may get stuck if they do not put some effort into steering the
boat.
The art of river reading is a must through
here if you want to have the best trip possible. I do cover technical
maneuvering and river reading in a later section. It is something
that will make your trip a lot more fun at any level, but especially
at lower water. |
The ledges and falls of the Peshtigo
are a wild ride. As the water levels rise, huge waves and holes
form. Check out Second Drop Rapid at about negative 6" on
the left, and at +28" on the right. It goes from a mild
slide down the rocks to a huge standing wave. It doesn't seem
that impressed by our 16' raft on the right. Third Drop, Joey's
Hole, and S-Curve rapids offer similar waves and slides.
The falls at First Drop, Five Foot
Falls and Horserace Rapids get huge holes and concentrated currents
that push you right into them. First Drop is extra fun at high
water (left), and Horse Race base falls at low water (right ).
The Roaring Rapids section of the
river, even at low levels, has big enough rapids and waves that
one will want either a decked boat (whitewater kayak), an inflatable
raft or funyak (An inflatable kayak or ducky), or float bags
in a canoe to run it. Open canoes do not fare well on
this stretch at all. They almost always swamp, fill with
water, and then end up wrapped around a rock like a twist tie.
Many canoes have been wrecked here, and many paddlers have taken
the walk back. I know, I have given a few lifts, and brought
back the canoe.
The rock that forms the river channel
is a granite composite, more specifically a Precambrian crystalline
dolomite, and as a result, there is very little water erosion
and undercutting. That makes this river a lot safer than some
with softer bedrock.
At lower water, the rapids in this
stretch rate Class II- III. At levels over about 800 cfs, they
rate mostly III or IV. Again, you do not want to take a canoe
down this stretch without float bags. If in doubt, raft it with
Kosir's first, and see what
you are getting into.
Next
up, First Drop..
Rafting
Page 1.....Rafting Page 2.....Rafting Page 3.....Rafting Page 4, First Drop
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