Eau Claire (Wisconsin R. trib), Wisconsin, US

B) Eau Claire Dells to Badger Rd. (4.6 miles)

Eau Claire Dells

Eau Claire Dells
Photo by Mark Mastalski taken 07/01/02 @ 100cfs

Gauge Information

Name	Range	Difficulty	Updated	Level
EAU CLAIRE RIVER AT KELLY, WI
usgs-05397500	350 - 2200 cfs	II(III)	66d15h15m	685 cfs (rc= 0.5 )
	Moderate flow. Main drop may get 'sticky'/tricky. Gauge (Drainage=375 Sq.Mi.) is well downstream, thus will generally significantly overstate actual flow here (and will lag on rise and fall).

River Description

Put-in above the dam on the upstream side of the park (which straddles either side of the main road). The far-right two gates of the dam are normally runnable. 

A short stretch of rapids with some minor play potential lead to a very scenic dells with an intense zig-zag of channels and drops. Riverbooks indicate the river drops 65' in 1.5 miles (44fpm). Often boaters just do a park-and-play in a county park where the bulk of that drop is concentrated.

 Downstream of the dells, boulderbed rapids proceed past random rocky outcroppings for the next mile or so, leading down to and around either side of a large island. Better flow is to the right, and a fine set of ledges will be encountered just before the end of the island. The gradient peters out the rest of the way toward and beyond CTH.Z, before reaching another island. Either side is runnable, with the left being narrower and potentially more interesting, as it drops through a mini-dells with good waves and holes. As the island ends and the flows rejoin, the gradient eases, and the remainder of the float to Badger Road is flatwater.