Milwaukee, Wisconsin, US

A) Grafton Dells: Bridge Street to CTH.T (PnP, 1.2, or 2.7 miles)

Overall View at Falls Road

Overall View at Falls Road
Photo by Rob Smage taken 04/28/09 @ 2230 cfs

Gauge Information

Name	Range	Difficulty	Updated	Level
Milwaukee River at Grafton
virtual-7238	250 - 2000 cfs	I(II)	00h51m	~ 0 cfs (rc= -1.0 )
	Too low for reasonable whitewater experience. Run will be a total scrape. Virtual gauge takes Milwaukee at Cedarburg flow and subtracts Cedar Creek flow to more accurately reflect flow on this reach.
MILWAUKEE RIVER NEAR CEDARBURG, WI
usgs-04086600	6.42 - 8.71 ft	II(III)	03h54m	7.37 ft (rc= 0.6 )
	~1000 cfs to ~2000 cfs; Likely boatable. (Likely to 'blow out' ice at least from gradient areas.) In winter, revert to using this stage reading (which obviously is not adjusted for Cedar Creek flow). Ignore this gauge when other gauge is reporting.

River Description

Quick Facts:

Location: Downtown Grafton to south of town.
Shuttle Length: 2.8 mile. (See details in "Directions" Tab.)
Character: Minor rocky shoals lead to a sweet wide bedrock slide (runnable on a couple different routes, depending upon flow). A short paddle leads to another minor area of possible play at a small bedrock intrusion in Lime Kiln Park. Downstream, the river enters the "Grafton Dells", a pleasant swiftwater scenic area. The gradient quickly peters out, as one has a fairly pastoral float to the next road access.

Put-in is approximately 715' elevation.
Take-out is approximately 673' elevation.
Thus total elevation change is approximately 42'.

General Overview
At lower water levels (below about 500 cfs), the listed 'full run' may be suitable as a beginner/novice whitewater trip and scenic paddle.
At moderate to higher levels (~700-1300  cfs), the first mile of this run offers a fine handful of interesting play options (for those at least mildly experienced in whitewater). 

At virtually any flow, the ledges at Falls Road can be quite sketchy, particularly for novice canoists. The portage around them is not easy. To avoid the ledges at Falls Road as well as possibly tricky ledge, currents, and shallows around the island in Lime Kiln Park, canoeists not experienced in whitewater should put-in at the Lime Kiln park canoe landing (at the end of the driveway well to the back of the park).

Recent Notes
Removal of the dam in Lime Kiln Park is complete. The larger dam at Bridge Street (immediately above the listed put-in) is slated for future modification to allow for fish passage which has apparently been mandated. At issue is whether to accomplish that via reconfiguration/reconstruction of the dam (to include a fish ladder) or via removal. A binding referendum was passed (April 6, 2010) to preserve the Bridge Street dam until at least 2019. Design and funding of the fish ladder is underway. It is highly doubtful that any restructuring of this dam will affect runnability of this section of river (nor is it likely to make the dam any more 'friendly' for boaters).

In January of 2001, the "Chair Factory Dam" (which had existed just upstream of Falls Road) was removed, adding to this mildly interesting stretch of river. While no significant 'new' rapids were revealed, there are a couple rather tame playable waves (at elevated water levels), as well as a couple great squirt spots (good eddylines with good depth). (Watch for these along shores where the current banks off of rock walls.) A few minor playable waves also exist on this early going at good flows. We highly recommend paddling close to shore in areas of high rock-wall 'dells' (mostly on river-left along this stretch of river), to more fully take in their detail, with little caves, nooks and crannies, ferns, moss, and cliff swallows.

As you approach Falls Road, you will encounter some bedrock ledges which can create opportunities for local novice boaters to practice and learn boat control in good moving water with some interesting, twisting currents. Those interested in maximizing whitewater play may just do a park-and-play at this site. It will be best to scout these before putting in, to know whether you feel comfortable running them (at the water level you have when you are there). Portage (if necessary) should be on river-left, since river-right is private property, and has large rock-rubble making very unstable and awkward footing for scouting or portaging (not that the river-left portage is easy, but at least the footing is more stable).
Note: there may be some remaining rebar (metal rods) and there is definitely much rock rubble in the river below the old dam site. Specifically, numerous large rocks and bedrock splines lie just beneath the surface (especially in areas closest to either shore) and will be brutal on boaters who flip or swim.

For those proceeding downstream, passing under the Falls Road, a quarter-mile paddle (through uneventful 'bobble water' shoals) brings you to the former dam-site in Lime Kiln park, where an island will be encountered. The left channel is riffles and rips, leading to a slightly undercut wall as the river is diverted to the right to rejoin the other channel. Caution! At the end of the island, as the two channels rejoin, there is a tree onshore with branches overhanging and into the strong current in the outflow of this river-left channel. Experienced paddlers will be easily able to avoid this hazard if the left channel is taken. The river-right channel twists left and trips across a short bedrock intrusion ('ledge'). At levels around 800-1300 cfs this is a fine playspot (though backed up rather immediately by much shallow rock, and having an eddy which can be challenging to regain the wave). Where the currents rejoin at the end of the small island, depth is generally sufficient for bow-stalls and stern-squirts. Again, this may make a fine park-and-play spot, either on its own or in conjunction with the Falls Road ledges.

Downstream, a pleasant series of rips leads to the aforementioned Lime Kiln Park canoe landing (the usual and recommended put-in for canoe trips downstream). Just downstream lies Grafton Dells. This is a fairly scenic (for this part of the state and country) and somewhat popular stretch of river for novice canoe trips. While there is virtually nothing of interest to the experienced whitewater boater (little or no playable features), wildlife is commonly seen while boating this reach (deer, heron, turtles, etc.). Recommended take-out for whitewater boaters is at Hwy.T, since the river becomes increasingly flat and slow below there, containing no additional whitewater.

Canoists proceding downstream will come to the confluence with Cedar Creek (at mile 3.2 from listed put-in, or mile 2.0 from Lime Kiln Park canoe launch), Hwy.C (at mile 4.5/3.3) (recommended alternate take-out), and Highland Road (mile 7.5/6.3) (not recommended as a take-out, due to general lack of good parking). From here down, you are in the backwater from the dam in Thiensville, where power boats will increasingly be encountered. The dam in Thiensville has a fun-looking slide far to river-left, and (at some levels) looks like it could provide some entertainment or play. Additionally, a new (November, 2010) fish ladder exists on river-right. However, the entire area (within 200' of dam) is off-limits for boating, the police/fire station is quite nearby (right at the entrance to the park, within sight of the parking area by the dam), and enforcement is reportedly fairly strict.