Pine,

D) LaSalle Falls to Power Dam Rd (2.2 miles or PnH)

Usual Difficulty	II-IV(V) (may vary with level)
Length	2.2 Miles
Avg. Gradient	61 fpm

Gauge Information

Name	Range	Difficulty	Updated	Level
PINE RIVER BELOW PINE R POWERPLANT NR FLORENCE, WI
usgs-04064500	250 - 2000 cfs	II-IV+(V+)	03h35m	cfs

River Description

The put-in is accessed by carrying perhaps a half mile down the LaSalle Falls trail (from trailhead parking on Hall's Lake Rd) to either above or below LaSalle Falls. The drop consists of a 50 yard long entrance rapid leading into a dome type falls of about 20'. This has been run at quite a variety of flows, but the healthy hole at the base has deterred me in the past. This is a beautiful spot, and definitely worth a look even if you don't intend to run it.

Below LaSalle lies the first half mile or so of Pine Rapids (class II). There is reportedly much more of Pine Rapids under the reservoir, which can be believed considering the gradient. Shortly downstream of the head of the impoundment, the bottom reportedly drops off abruptly by ten feet or so (according to local fishermen). That, along with the flanking rock walls visible above water, would indicate another significant drop. There is access to the impoundment at a boat ramp located off of Hall's Lake Rd or one could continue downstream to portage the dam.

Below the dam lies a series of three very significant drops in quick succession in a normally dewatered reach. This area was the subject of a flow study in 1991 (the first relicensing-related flow study for recreational whitewater in the midwest). No recreational releases were provided for as a result of that study, though the dam is slated for possible removal when that license expires again in 2020. (Removal is not assured . . . it is to be considered as a possible option.) Until then, one can only consider LaSalle Falls and the falls below the dam, and dream of the additional rapids which lie buried by the flowage.

Below the three-pitch drop in the narrows, boulder-bed class I-II rapids fill the river down to the powerhouse, where good access and parking is available.