Badfish - Hwy.59 to Hwy.59 (2.5 miles)


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Badfish,

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Hwy.59 to Hwy.59 (2.5 miles)

Usual Difficulty I(II) (may vary with level)
Length 2.5 Miles
Avg. Gradient 4 fpm
Max Gradient 4 fpm

Gauge Information

Name Range Difficulty Updated Level
BADFISH CREEK NEAR COOKSVILLE, WI
usgs-05430150 80 - 1000 cfs I-II 03h01m 114 cfs (rc= 0.1 )


River Description

Quick Facts:

Location: approximately 24 miles south from Madison.
Shuttle Length: 1.4 miles. (See details in "Directions" Tab.)
Character: Rural stream with swiftwater and atypically steady flow (See flow tab).

Put-in is approximately 811' elevation.
Take-out is approximately 800' elevation.
Thus total elevation change is approximately 11'.

General Overview

A couple of minor rapids (normally just class I) and a few rocks to dodge are the highlights of this small twisty creek. Beginner paddlers from the Madison area find this a handy place to practice in moving water.

NOTE: I have received a word of caution that Wild Parsnip is very common in the area. Summer boaters are warned to become familiar with this plant and it's effects in order to avoid it's unfortunate consequences. Two excellent sources for information are Wisconsin Natural Resources Magazine or the Virginia Tech Weed Identification Guide.


StreamTeam Status: Not Verified
Last Updated: 2009-05-27 02:16:47

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Gauge Information

Gauge Description:

U.S.G.S. gauge at put-in. Usual summer flow is 60-110 cfs.

At 100 cfs, it's a nice training ground for mild whitewater.

At 200 cfs, it approches Class II.

At 550 cfs, it gets pushy and very tricky -- you'd better have a quick and reliable backferry to navigate the many bends and twists in this small stream.

The unusually consistent flow (according to the U.S.G.S. site) stems from outflow from a treatment plant providing much (up to half) the river flow. (Outflow meets clean water standards before entering the river.)

Gauge Information

Name Range Difficulty Updated Level
BADFISH CREEK NEAR COOKSVILLE, WI
usgs-05430150 80 - 1000 cfs I-II 03h01m 114 cfs (rc= 0.1 )

RangeWater LevelDifficultyComment
0 - 80 cfs extremely Low-barely Low I Probably too low to find meaningful whitewater.
80 - 200 cfs barely runnable-med runnable I Tame beginner level.
200 - 500 cfs med runnable-a bit pushy runnable I-II Good flow.
500 -1000 cfs a bit pushy runnable-high runnable II Pushy and tricky flow for a small twisty stream.
1000 -9999 cfs barely High-extremely High I-II Probably too high to find meaningful features.

Report - Reports of Badfish Hwy.59 to Hwy.59 (2.5 miles) and related gauges

Reports give the public a chance to report on river conditions throughout the country as well as log the history of a river.

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User Comments
2009-03-04 12:04:47 (265 days ago)
There are two put-ins above 59, Cooksville, Old Stage road and the other a little further up at Old
Stone road. Here the Badfish offers the same type of beginner friendly moving water as the listed
stretch. These can be combined in to a longer run, maybe 5-7 miles total depending on which you
choose. I would recommend them over putting in at 59 because the latter two put-ins are both in
protected hunting grounds instead of by the highway. The put-in at Cooksville is on a highway, 138,
but at least its not as busy. Edit
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Rapid Descriptions

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