Lower Wisconsin State Riverway Visitor River in r W s we i n L o s co Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources ● Lower Wisconsin State Riverway ● 1500 N. Johns St. ● Dodgeville, WI 53533 ● 608-935-3368 Welcome to the Riverway Please explore the Lower Wisconsin State bird and game refuge and a place to relax Riverway. Only here can you fi nd so much while canoeing. to do in such a beautiful setting so close Efforts began in earnest following to major population centers. You can World War Two when Game Managers fi sh or hunt, canoe or boat, hike or ride began to lease lands for public hunting horseback, or just enjoy the river scenery and fi shing. In 1960 money from the on a drive down country roads. The Riv- Federal Pittman-Robinson program—tax erway abounds in birds and wildlife and moneys from the sale of sporting fi rearms the history of Wisconsin is written in the and ammunition—assisted by providing bluffs and marshes of the area. There is 75% of the necessary funding. By 1980 something for every interest, so take your over 22,000 acres were owned and another pick. To really enjoy, try them all! 7,000 were held under protective easement. A decade of cooperative effort between Most of the work to manage the property Citizens, Environmental Groups, Politi- was also provided by hunters, trappers and cians, and the Department of Natural anglers using license revenues. Resources ended successfully with the passage of the law establishing the Lower About the River Wisconsin State Riverway and the Lower The upper Wisconsin River has been called Wisconsin State Riverway Board. This the hardest working river in the nation, a law established the land management and title well deserved. It contains 25 hydro- acquisition standards for the riverway and electric dams with 21 storage reservoirs, The Wisconsin River valley is a scenic marvel comprised of stately bluffs, became effective on August 9, 1989. more than any other stretch of river in the mysterious wooded bottomlands and over 500 miles of sandy shoreline. Numerous United States. From its point of origin on islands provide camping and outdoor recreational opportunities free from crowds. Early Beginnings the Wisconsin-Michigan border at Lac The Wisconsin River fl ows unimpeded by Vieux Desert, the river fl ows south, then Riverway Recreation with them for litter. Canoes are the most any man-made structures for 92.3 miles west to its confl uence with the Mississippi, Two thirds of river users can be found on popular method of transportation and may from the dam at Prairie Du Sac downstream a distance of 430 miles. the stretch of river between Prairie Du be rented from liveries listed elsewhere in to its mouth at the Mississippi River. The Wisconsin drains 12,280 square Sac and Spring Green. Those looking this publication. Fishing and recreational Approximately 80,000 acres of land on miles (7,859,200 acres) or about one third for a more private experience will enjoy boating are also popular, so please be both sides of the river have been designated of the state. The dam at Prairie Du Sac the middle section from Spring Green courteous, load and unload quickly at as the lower Wisconsin State Riverway. is the farthest downstream and marls the to Boscobel, and for the user wishing the boat landings, and let everyone enjoy This area has a rich history of conserva- upper end of the Lower Wisconsin State solitude, the stretch below Boscobel is the river! tion practices and resource management, Riverway. The 92.3 miles of the LWSR the most secluded. Be Safe beginning in 1917 with the establishment is the longest free-fl owing section of Camping is allowed on state owned of Wyalusing State Park (originally named river anywhere in the Midwest. The river islands and sandbars except for a two Safety is the main concern of the riverway Nelson Dewey State Park). In 1922, Tower current ranges from one to fi ve miles per mile stretch from Ferry Bluff downstream staff. The cautions listed in this publica- Hill State Park was established near Spring hour and can be faster during high water to Grape Island. Campers must access tion are intended to help you have a safe Green. Two decades passed and the state’s periods. Locally heavy rains can cause the their campsite by boat or canoe, and are and enjoyable experience. Please read holdings increased again when the family river to rise two to three feet overnight. allowed to camp for a maximum of three them carefully. of Louis A. Clas presented the Wisconsin Canoeists must always be cautious when nights at one location Glass containers are Relax and enjoy the river and the fi ne Conservation Commission a gift of a 66 using the river and choose campsites with prohibited in the riverway, and all trash resources of the valley. Come again when acre island near Sauk City to be used for a this in mind. must be taken out with you. All boats and you can. canoes must carry a waterproof container Unique Resources The Lower Wisconsin State Riverway contains a fantastically diverse resource Leave No Trace with a wide variety of historical and archeological sites, wildlife, fi sheries, Try to imagine 1,000 people on the Wis- Deeper is not better since it inhibits the and scenic beauty found nowhere else. consin River on a hot summer weekend. bacteria that breaks down the waste. Shal- You will enjoy your visit here and likely Then try to imagine the waste they will lower depths increase the chance it will return again and again. create. Anglers, campers and sunbathers be exposed by wind or high water. Lastly, The Riverway boundary contains all generate waste in the riverway—it’s a provide a paper sack for used toilet paper 79,275 acres, of which over 44,000 fact of life. and feminine hygiene products. Either are in state ownership, divided into 26 People must take the trash they create pack the sack out or burn it right before management units. Signs identifying with them. We have a “carry-in, carry-out” you douse your campfi re. For more infor- each are installed when state ownership policy. Riverway law requires a waterproof mation on "Leave No Trace" principles, is signifi cant enough to avoid trespass container for trash in every boat/canoe and go to www.blm.gov/education/l nt problems. The management is a team These distinctive signs identify various glass containers are prohibited. But what Please, don’t bury campfi res, sand will State Riverway work units located along about the other stuff? smother but not extinguish the fi re and it the project’s 300-mile perimeter. Human wastes don’t have to have an will burn for hours or even days. People River Ethics adverse affect on the river if disposed walking barefoot on sandbars can severely effort by wildlife managers, fi sheries of properly. Nobody likes to fi nd them burn their feet in a thinly buried fi re pit. staff, foresters, park managers, wardens Have a good time. by accident when they are disposed of Try to use up all the charred fi rewood. land agents and various natural resource improperly. Blackened logs are unsightly and mar the specialists. The Lower Wisconsin State Pickup after yourself. To properly dispose of such waste beauty of a sandbar. Riverway Board, a unique and separate requires little effort. Find a place where If you carry along a plastic grocery State agency, is responsible for the scenic Don’t bother others. there is some vegetative shelter and soil sack, you have a handy water carrier to protection of the river valley. (See article mixed with the sand. Simply dig a hole 6 put out your campfi re and it will serve on page 2.) inches deep to bury your group’s waste. double duty as a trash collector. Lower Wisconsin State Riverway Visitor 2 Aesthetic Protection Pioneers The Lower Wisconsin State Riverway Board By Mark E. Cupp, Executive Director homes, construc- the “Riverview the Riverway concept. However, in the Lower Wisconsin State Riverway Board tion of utility Zone,” selective vast majority of cases, landowners and facilities as well harvesting is per- local residents have been cooperative and as walkways or mitted and small supportive. The Riverway Board works “The Wisconsin River is very broad with stairways which clear cuts are diligently to maintain a positive working a sandy bottom forming many shallows provide access to allowed. On the relationship with landowners and attempts which render navigation diffi cult. It is the river. Permits tops of the bluffs, to minimize the impact of the regulations full of vine clad islands. On the banks also are required the “Bluff Zone,” on the daily lives of Riverway residents. appear fertile lands diversifi ed by for timber har- again, only selec- The board recognizes the importance of woods, prairies and hills. We saw oak, vests conducted tive harvesting is protecting the rights of property owners walnut, basswood and another kind of on the 80,000 allowed. A mini- and local individuals and constantly seeks tree armed with long thorns.”—Father acres within the mum number of ways to achieve maximum protection of Jacques Marquette (June 1673) project bound- trees must be the resource with minimum regulation. Over three hundred years have passed since ary. retained in the The continued cooperation and support Father Marquette penned the fi rst known residual stand for of landowners and local residents is the “The Wiscon- written description of the Wisconsin River.