Bad, Wisconsin, US

A) Cayuga to Foster Jnctn. RR bridge (7.1 or 4.1 miles) (Upper)

Rocket Railroad Final Drop

Rocket Railroad Final Drop
Photo of Erik Strahler by Andrew Lovering taken 05/14/05 @ 4.3ft

Gauge Information

Name	Range	Difficulty	Updated	Level
Bad at Conley Rd
virtual-11123	175 - 500 cfs	I-II(III)	00h57m	~ 0 cfs (rc= -1.0 )
	Almost certainly too low for decent whitewater. We need your input! Leave a comment or report! Virtual gauge based on drainage at put-in being 0.137 times drainage at gauge (way downstream). Correlation will not always be accurate.
BAD RIVER NEAR ODANAH, WI
usgs-04027000	1200 - 3280 cfs	II-III(IV)	65d07h53m	255 cfs (rc= -0.5 )

River Description

In Cayuga, the Bad is a meandering quietwater stream and stays that way for the first mile or so. A railway line follows the Bad along the entire reach and the bridges provide a handy reference point. At about two miles into the run, after the first railway bridge is passed, light boulder bed rapids lead into a pair of nice ledge drops. These make a nice warm-up for the drops to come.

The Conley Road bridge is encountered at 3.0 miles and can be used as an alternative put-in (shortening the run to 4.1 miles).

The Bad starts accelerating downhill from here. Take care to count railway bridges as the river builds to fairly continuous class II-II+ water. Just beyond the third railway bridge down from Conley Rd, grab an eddy and scout river-right from the railway line. Rocket Railroad Rapids, the most challenging drop on the reach, lies just below. Rocket Railroad starts with a fast flume of water leading into a ledge (about 4' or so) leading into a steep boulder slide of perhaps another 6'. There is a fair stretch of class II below this.

The river then alternates between fastwater and class II rockbed downstream with a pair of class III boulderbed drops interspersed to liven things up. You'll pass two more railway bridges downstream of Rocket Railroad with the last significant drop being located about a half mile below these. After this the pace drops off and you'll be looking for the next railway bridge which marks your take-out.

The Foster Junction take-out is located by driving 1.6 miles west of Mellen on Cty GG and looking for a small dirt road turning to the left. A short distance down this road is a grassy area along the railway. Walk an eighth of a mile or so down the railway to the bridge over the Bad, you may wish to mark this location.

The best lodging deal in the northwoods may be at Cayuga Hotel Saloon, whose backyard is the put-in: $10 a night (as of this writing (in 2000)) includes coffee and sweet rolls in the morning with the owners (if they're awake).