The Chippewa river is formed by the confluence of the West Fork Chippewa River, which rises at Chippewa Lake in southeastern Bayfield County, and the East Fork Chippewa River, which rises in the swamps of the southern part of the Town of Knight in Iron County, Wisconsin. The rivers' confluence is Lake Chippewa Flowage, a reservoir in central Sawyer County, which is the official "beginning" of the Chippewa River.
Although the river flows 148 miles to its confluence with the Mississippi River, trips outlined on this page will concentrate on the Upper Chippewa River basin, from its confluence with the Flambeau River upstream to the Lake Chippewa Flowage, a trophy smallmouth bass fishery in its own right.
The Chippewa River is a slow moving shallow river. There are several sections, each offering populations of smallmouth bass, muskie, and northern pike to fish. The slow current, brown water, boulders, and shoreline structure combine to produce an attractive fishy looking stream. The water has a brownish tint caused by tannic acid from all the pine trees along its shore.
The majority of the 48 mile reach from the Arpin Dam (Arpin Flowage), to the Flambeau River Confluence, features mostly calm water. The most challenging whitewater occurs in two places; at Bellile Falls Rapids, a long class II rated rapids located just below Arpin Dam and just below the Highway D bridge. The latter features numerous pitches of riffles and class I rapids over a nine-mile section. The remaining 36 miles are mostly flatwater with occasional riffles and low hazard rapids.
The river is usually runnable from early spring through late fall. Novice canoers and kayakers need to exercise extra caution when the waters levels are high. High flows generally occur through early May, after periods of heavy rainfall, and when the Arpin Dam has a water release. Paddlers should also be aware that the current can be deceptively fast, especially along the shoreline. This is an excellent river to paddle in late summer and fall when many other rivers are experiencing low water volume.
The river is the centerpiece of the Upper Chippewa River Basin. The Flambeau, Jump, Elk, Thornapple, and Couderay Rivers all feed into the Chippewa, draining an area roughly the size of Connecticut, more than 4,600 square miles.
This wide, scenic river flows through a rural countryside of mixed hardwood and softwood forests, beautiful meadows, dairy farms, and agricultural communities. Birch, oak, maple, basswood, aspen, and conifers often overhang the shoreline, canopying lush undergrowth.
Muskie and smallmouth bass are very popular to anglers along the Chippewa River. Northern pike are also very common.
White-tailed deer, gray and fox squirrels, cottontail rabbits and snowshoe hares, beavers, minks, muskrats, raccoons, loons, great blue herons can also be found along the rivers course. Songbirds are plentiful along the whole route, as well as eagles and waterfowl nesting areas in the headwaters region.
Maps from 1742 show the river as "Rivière de bon Secours ou Hahatonouadeba", and then in the 1757 edition of the Mitchell Map as "Hahatonadeba River", the maps show the transliteration of the Dakota language name for the river Ḣaḣatuŋ[waŋ W]atpa. The word "Chippewa" is a rendering of "Ojibwe." The Ojibwe people controlled most of the upper Chippewa Valley and its tributaries until the Treaty of St. Peters in 1837.
Before logging, the Chippewa Valley probably held about 46,000,000,000 board feet of lumber. The area was described as "a logger's paradise, a very large part of its area being heavily forested with the finest quality of white pine timber, while rivers, streams, and lakes offered an excellent network of transportation facilities."
By the 1850's the loggers were binding the sawed pine lumber into rafts which were guided down the lower Chippewa River to markets on the Mississippi River. Above Chippewa Falls the river was too rough and rocky for these large rafts. Masses of individual logs were driven down by log drivers, sometimes called "river pigs." To make the drives more efficient and reliable, the loggers changed the river somewhat, dynamiting troublesome rocks, cutting trees that would snag logs, building up the banks in places, and damming the river and its tributaries. Around 1876, a dam and log-sorting works were built between Eau Claire and Chippewa Falls. In 1878 a large splash dam was built at Little Falls (modern Holcombe), with so much capacity that when fully opened it could raise the Chippewa three feet 100 miles downstream. Over the Chippewa River and its tributaries the loggers built at least 148 logging dams, of various sizes and purposes.
(Map C4) Hwy 8 to Flambeau River Confluence
(Guide for Map C4) Hwy 8 to Flambeau River Confluence
(Map C3) County A Bridge to Hwy 8
(Guide for Map C3) County A Bridge to Hwy 8
(Map C2) County D Bridge to County A Bridge
(Guide for Map C2) County D Bridge to County A Bridge
(Map C1) Arpin Dam to County D Bridge
(Guide for Map C1) Arpin Dam to County D Bridge
Contact the Wisconsin DNR office in Ladysmith (715-532-3911) for water levels before paddling the river.
USGS Current Water Level Data for Wisconsin
USGS 05356500 Chippewa River near Bruce, WI
USGS 05356000 Chippewa River at Bishops Bridge near Winter, WI
Good Canoeing and Kayaking water flow levels
Flater's Flambeau Point Resort
N270 County Rd E
Holcombe, WI
715-595-4771
Trips for the Chippewa River are only shown from the Lake Chippewa Flowage dam to the confluence with the Flambeau River at this time.
(Overview Information) Hwy 8 to Flambeau River Confluence
(Map C4) Hwy 8 to Flambeau River Confluence
(Guide for Map C4) Hwy 8 to Flambeau River Confluence
For more details about the river and landings, refer to the map and guide above. This segment of the river is best paddled if the water flow is 400 cfs and the USGS river gauge located at Bruce, WI reads 1.5 feet. The river gradient for this segment is 1.5 feet per mile. These first trips can be done as short 6+ miles floats or combined into a bit longer 12+ mile floats:
The first suggested 6 mile float puts in at Hatch Landing (RM 125.7) (L) and takes out at the confluence of the Flambeau River (RM 119.7) (L). This is a bicycle shuttle of 6.8 miles taking 32 minutes.
The second trip is a 6.5 mile float putting in at Hagerty's Landing (RM 132.2) (L) and taking out at Hatch Landing (RM 125.7) (L). This is a 6.3 mile long bicycle shuttle taking about 30 minutes.
If the above two trips are combined you have a 12.5 mile long float from Hagerty's Landing (RM 132.2) (L) to the confluence of the Flambeau River (RM 119.7) (L). This is a bicycle shuttle of 9.5 miles taking 45 minutes. A vehicle shuttle would take 16 minutes.
Another short trip to consider is putting in at the Hwy 8 Landing (RM 138.3) (L) and floating 6.1 miles to take out at Hagerty's Landing (RM 132.2) (L). This is a bicycle shuttle of 5.7 miles taking 27 minutes.
The trip above could also be made longer by taking out at the Hatch Landing (RM 125.7) (L) giving you a 12.6 mile long float. The bicycle shuttle is 10.8 miles long taking 51 minutes. A vehicle shuttle takes 20 minutes.
(Overview Information) County A Bridge to Hwy 8
(Map C3) County A Bridge to Hwy 8
(Guide for Map C3) County A Bridge to Hwy 8
For more details about the river and landings, refer to the map and guide above. The river gradient for this segment is 2.2 feet per mile. This segment of the river is best paddled if the water flow is 400 cfs and the USGS river gauge located at Bruce, WI reads 1.5 feet.
This float is a nice 9 mile trip putting in at the County Road A Bridge Landing (RM 147.3) (L) and taking out at the Hwy 8 Landing (RM 138.3) (L). The bicycle shuttle is 9.2 miles long taking 45 minutes.
(Overview Information) County D Bridge to County A Bridge
(Map C2) County D Bridge to County A Bridge
(Guide for Map C2) County D Bridge to County A Bridge
For more details about the river and landings, refer to the map and guide above. The river gradient for this segment is 2.2 feet per mile. This segment of the river is best paddled if the water flow is 400 cfs and the USGS river gauge located at Bruce, WI reads 1.5 feet.
The trip puts in at the Country Road D Bridge Landing (RM 158.0) (L) and 10 miles downstream you take out at the County Road A Bridge Landing (RM 147.3) (L). There are 5 sets of Class I rapids along this stretch. Is Guide for more detailed information about locations and specifics about each set of rapids. The bicycle shuttle is 10.2 miles long taking about 51 minutes.
(Overview Information) Arpin Dam to County D Bridge
(Map C1) Arpin Dam to County D Bridge
(Guide for Map C1) Arpin Dam to County D Bridge
For more details about the river and landings, refer to the map and guide above. The river gradient for this segment is 2.2 feet per mile. This segment of the river is best paddled if the water flow is 400 cfs below Bellile Falls and the gauge reads at least 1.5 feet.
This is an 8.5 mile long float putting in at the (Lower) River Road Access (RM 166.5) (R) and taking out at the Country Road D Bridge Landing (RM 158.0) (L). The Couderay River confluence is at (RM 165.4) (R). The bicycle shuttle is 11.6 miles taking about an hour to complete. A vehicle shuttle is 17 minutes.
Map and suggested water flow levels for paddling the stretch between Winter Dam (Lake Chippewa Flowage) and Arpin Dam
These next floats can be two shorter trips or combined into one longer trip. The first leg to consider is putting in at the County Road G bridge near its intersection with State Hwy 70. This will be about a 9.4 mile long float down to the Arpin Dam Landing, located at the dam site. This has a .3 mile long bicycle shuttle taking 26 minutes along a bike trail.
The second potential trip puts in right below the Winter Dam (Lake Chippewa Flowage) and has you take out at the County Road G bridge near its intersection with State Hwy 70. This is an 8.6 mile long float. A bicycle shuttle is 7.9 miles long taking 45 minutes.
The above two trips could also be combined into a 13.8 mile long float putting in right below the Winter Dam (Lake Chippewa Flowage) and floating down to the Arpin Dam Landing, located at the dam site. This has a bicycle shuttle of 14.3 miles long taking 71minutes. A vehicle shuttle would take 22 minutes.