THE KICKAPOO.
The Kickapoo slides lazily through the center of Wisconsin's Driftless Area, the part of Wisconsin that was not scraped flat by the last Pleistocene glaciation. It is a a small, twisting stream with few obstacles except downed trees and a few dams to portage. Limestone bluffs topped with twisted pines reach down to the river on the upper stretches. The lower sections flow through rounded hills and farmed valleys until the river reaches the Wisconsin near Boscobel.
Wildcat Mountain State park, near Ontario makes a great base camp for exploring the river which flows nearby. The view from the bluff above the river will inspire further exploration.
My first trip on this river was the annual fall color tour put on by the Kickapoo Valley Association. We put in just downstream from Gays Mills, the center of this area's apple growing region. Saturday night a park by the river in Steuben served as a campground for the participants. The next day was a pleasant paddle down to Boscobel. Except for a few fallen trees, the trip was uneventful, but the fall colors were exceptionally beautiful, even for Wisconsin.
The Kickapoo is a great river for family or cool weather paddling due to it's lack of rapids and easy access from the many bridges which cross it. There are trout in the upper reaches and a mixed bag farther downriver.
| 