Island Street Wave

Island Street Wave

Gauge Information

River Description

A fine stretch of sloping bedrock between and below a couple of dams allows boaters some convenient 'in town' exercise. In fact, this stretch has grown quite a following. With its east-central Wisconsin location, boaters are coming from throughout the state (and beyond!) to catch this when it has good flows.

A few features may be regainable (depending on water level, hull speed, and boater skill). Most of the features, however, will be catch-on-the-fly one-shot play. Eddies are very few in this reach, especially as water levels increase. Most of the river (at most sane boatable flows) will be too shallow for vertical moves in most features, but various waves and holes should allow a great mix of surfs and spins.

Caution: A potentially dangerous dam interrupts this reach of river. The dam (between Part II and Part III, as defined below) angles across the river, river-right to river-left. The rightmost river-channel (above the dam) is the outflow from a powerhouse which will almost always carry significant flow, causing strong crosscurrents as the dam diverts virtually all that flow across to river-left. Excellent water reading skills and full knowledge and confidence in setting a ferry-angle to paddle across strong flows will be necessary to successfully negotiate this section of the river.

The braided channel and significant walled-in, fenced-in, and private property areas along the river make getting out of the river not an option through most of this reach. For these reasons, it is highly recommended that this section should not be boated alone, nor by beginner boaters without the company of experienced boaters for safety. (That said, experienced, skilled whitewater boaters should not be at all intimidated by this reach.)

The Lower section (Part III below) can be paddled down to around 4,000 cfs. Access for that is typically by parking at 1000 Islands Nature Center, paddling/ferrying over to an island, to carry across and up into the "Hidden Channel" to surf Mystery Wave. Levels of 4,000 to 7,000 cfs make this wave quite fun, with fast carving and spins/roundhouses possible. River right eddy service is available at the lower flows.
 

The reach starts by putting in from the parking lot of the RiverView Middle School.

Since early 2008, a temporary construction access ramp has been in place near the normal put in. This has created a much better/safer point of entry. It is unknown how long this ramp will remain in place.

Absent that ramp, at 'one gate' flows, it is possible to lower (self and boat) down a six foot retaining wall (as far upstream as a fence allows) to a cement step/ledge which extends about two feet out from the base of the wall. At 'two gates' (or higher flows), the ledge will be submerged. 'Seal starts' from the top of the wall are not recommended due to the presence of this ledge, in addition to the generally shallow nature of the river. If the ledge is not visible (and thus not available to put-in from), it is recommended to walk upstream under the Main Street (Highway 55) bridge to a corner in the chain-link fence. Pass boats over the fence and carefully lower them down to the river. In the river, a fair sized cement pier with manhole cover should facilitate put-in here.

Note: Some boaters (before putting in) may hike upstream to look at the larger dam above this reach. At some flows, a couple powerful waves may form in the outflow from that upper dam. Any boaters who may be considering a tricky put-in up here (to try some surfs on those waves) should be aware that these waves are formed by a 'rubble pile' of slab rock which looks almost like heaps of broken concrete. Extreme caution is advised! (In general, this is just not worth the effort, and very few boaters will ever bother.)

Right in front of the Middle school (at lower water levels -- one or two gates) is Ten Boat Wave, a smooth, glassy wave which (when well formed) appears you could have ten people surfing at once. Smaller play boats may have difficulty staying on this wave at certain levels. A cylindrical cement pier (with manhole cover) forms a minor eddy a ways out from the left shore/wall. Boaters may be able to attain and regain the wave from here, but it will take some effort and skill. At levels above 'one-gate', this will become submerged and provide no refuge. At about 1.5 gates, a great breaking wave (Wall Wave) can form against the concrete wall on surfer's left (river-right). Tricky eddy service along this wall is possible

Just downstream you will pass under a bridge (Island Street at Oak Street). Just right-of-center (just to the left of the river-right bridge-support-pier in the river), Island Street Wave should allow surfs and spins. Surfers-right becomes an outstanding "western style" surf experience at levels over 11,000 cfs. Surfers-left provides for a great carving surf. Don't miss the set of waves just below, which can be difficult to catch, but worth the effort.

Another pair of smooth waves (Wall Wave II) forms river-right and below (pretty much against the right wall). Eddy service can be possible at lower flows, but generally (more often) will be one-shot play. A railroad bridge crosses just below, and there are signs warning of the dam downstream.

If you can't catch the features you want your first time down (or want to do them again), one option is to head to the right shore near the railroad trestle just downstream. Some recent shoreline boulder work provides a small eddy just below the trestle. This option (which appears to exist only at low/medium levels) will allow you to carry back up to the put in, for repeat play on the features outlined above.
 

Immediately below the railroad bridge, a large island splits the channel. From here there are two options:

A) Left channel (from the railroad bridge)

Swiftwater (tripping over shallow rubble on channel-left which may at some levels create some minor features) leads to a pair of wave/holes to the right of the channel (Goose Ledges, in honor of the Canada Geese which regularly 'watch' the action from the river-left bank/wall). The upper is the more well-formed, and may allow surfs and spins. (Both have no eddies, and will be catch-on-the-fly.)

Just downstream, some minor waves precede a road bridge (Elm Street). Eddy on far left or right immediately below the bridge. A wave on river-right, upstream of the bridge, appears enticing, but may preclude getting to what may be better action river left.

The leftmost section of the bridge has a small pocket-wave immediately downstream, while the second-from-the-left section has a better wave/hole on it's right side immediately under the bridge. Eddy service may be minimal, so if you and your friends all want to have a shot at it, it may be best to 'queue' upstream waiting to take turns.
Downstream, more sloping bedrock leads to a few more offset waves (center-to-right) which may provide some additional catch-on-the-fly surfs. At higher levels, a couple good waves form tight to river-left where there is a large eddy behind. Looking downstream from this point, one will see the lower dam on this reach. Even though the river has been split by an island, this channel is quite wide. Boaters must make a ferry all the way across the channel toward the island (to the right) for the next part of the river.

Another warning: Beaching a boat for a throw-rope rescue is likely to be difficult or futile. Anyone missing a roll or swimming will be swept quickly toward the dam, which varies from about four to seven feet in height, and (in this section) all lands hard on sloping bedrock (no cushion, no boil). Rescue of a swimmer in the reach above the dam is most likely to be by grabbing onto another boater's kayak and aggressively swimming and paddling to try to make it to the island (channel-right shore) or to river left. If you are swept past the end of the island (as a swimmer, or as a boater-with-swimmer-in-tow) odds are slim you will be successful in avoiding being swept over the dam.

When you have finished playing the features in this channel, head far to channel-right, and immediately at the end of the island, hang a right, and paddle 'upstream' (parallel to the dam, against the diverted flow of the other channels), past the outflow of the right channel (described above in 'option A'), and into the outflow from the powerhouse channel. The dam is much shorter on this side of the river than it is further to river-left.

At some flows, the center of this rightmost section of the dam could be run, dropping about 2' onto slab, sheeting horizontally 10'(+/-) into a shallow wave/hole. Being off center will drop you into a uniform boil (to either side). At higher water levels, the entire width will be a very uniform low-head-dam/boiling hole. In all instances, it may be difficult to judge (from the river upstream) just where it is potentially 'safe' to drop over. Therefore the recommended route is either tight to the right shore, or well to the left of this section of dam, where trees dot small islands immediately below the dam. In either of these locations, the flow off the dam spills onto a series of shallow ledges, where one can quite safely bobble down. Generally the flow should easily allow boat-scouting to pick a line in the clear spaces between tree-filled small islands.

In all cases, it is highly recommended all boaters take a close look at the dam from within 1000 Islands Environmental Center before running this reach. All should have a firm visual impression of what they will need to do to successfully negotiate this area. Done correctly, it can be a piece of cake; done incorrectly it could really ruin your day. While technically, it is not a 'class IV' drop on the river, it is the reason for that rating in the listing, just so less experienced paddlers are aware of the potential hazard it represents.

It is also possible (at various water levels) to drop over the dam at various other spots (to skip the rightmost channel below the dam as described in Part III A below). Specifically, some paddlers opt to paddle over a very low section of dam directly downstream from the big island for more direct access into the Hidden Channel. There is a large dead tree on the island just below the dam that can serve as a landmark for this line. Treat this seemingly simple move with respect should you choose this line. There is no way to adequately scout these routes from shore, so they should be done only by boaters well familiar with the reach.

B) Right channel (from the railroad bridge)
(Not recommended at high flows, nor by novice boaters at any flow!)

Before even considering running this channel, make certain you scout from the Elm Road bridge (while running shuttle, before putting on), and make careful assessment of the retentiveness of the holes, and your ability to handle this area. All novice boaters (and many others) at most levels should instead use the left channel around the island (option A, as previously described).

A small pocket wave leads to a wave-train passing under the next road bridge (Elm Street), which has three piers, creating four 'tunnels'. In the left, left-center, and right-center tunnels, increasingly interesting (left-to-right) smooth-tongue waves form immediately under the downstream edge of the bridge. The rightmost tunnel has a bigger ledge (and more dynamic hole!), hidden well back under the bridge. At 'two-gates', this is a great ride, and there are adequate eddies across the whole river (again, at 'two-gates') to allow repeat play, as well as allowing play across all four of these waves (The Trolls)! Utmost caution is urged, however, because of what lies downstream (as will be described below).

Downstream, a route to far left leads through a series of waves over shallow rocky debris and spills over a short ledge. A few diagonal waves and holes may allow surfs before you spill into the slackwater below. A route to far right slides uniformly down into a great looking wave, with a good eddy below on the right. However, the sloping bedrock leading into it (coming downstream from the Trolls) has a slight right-to-left tilt.

The entire center of this channel (immediately to the left of the just-mentioned lower wave) drops over a short ledge and forms a very uniform hydraulic which should be avoided by most boaters at almost all levels. The lower dam (mentioned by the warning signs above the railroad bridge) is not far downstream. Anyone caught in the hydraulic who ends up swimming will be swept toward the lower dam, and will be largely at the mercy of where the currents take them to spill over the dam.
 

A) Right channel

Brief slackwater below the lower dam leads to another short wall/dam in this river-right channel. Two sections of the wall/dam (just left-of-center) are broken out, creating a bit of a chute and a wave below. These may be difficult to spot from in your boat until you are quite close. These left-side chutes may provide some surfs and vertical possibilities, but care must be taken not to get into the uniform part of the hydraulic formed by existing sections of the wall/dam. The center of this short dam creates a wave/hole (Spin Cycle) which (at low-to-moderate levels) allows effortless surfs and spins as the water sheets thinly across the shallow bedrock and into a mushy foam pile. At higher levels this whole area may become quite sticky and most may do well to avoid it. A viewing platform/pier extends into the river just below, and provides a convenient place to exit. Doing so, however, misses some of the best play waves on this river. Islands split the river into numerous braided channels (hence the name of the area, '1000 Islands').

B) Hidden (middle) channel

Work your way left down narrow channels through the trees, and ferry across to a large island. Beach and carry across the island (using deer-paths), then upstream to discover a wonderful set of waves in a secluded channel. Carry up further on the ferry island nearly to the base of the dam. You will cross one dry or swift flowing "creek" (overflow channel) to get to the next flowing water about 30' below base of the dam.

Run this mini side-channel (leading away from the dam) which is about 80' long and ends in a sweet 4' drop over Infant Falls You can easily scout the falls; A left/center line is preferred. Make sure to miss the small hang-up rock in the middle of the channel about 12' above the lip of the falls. Great boof practice into a deep pool. Running the falls is a great companion feature to the Mystery Wave at lower levels.

Mystery Wave (AKA "Hidden Channel Wave") can be caught from an eddy just upstream of the wave. Peel out into the strong current, and do your best to stall yourself for a fast ride on a steep-faced wave. A couple more waves downstream may be surfed as well, but caution is urged, as the outflow pushes straight into islands and trees. At moderate-to-high water levels, those who miss the wave on their first attempt (and those successful, looking for another ride) will need to get quickly to channel-left, take-out and carry up for another attempt at these waves. (Eddy service is available at lower flows.)

C) Left channel

As you exit the bottom of the Hidden Channel, you connect to the Left Channel. The Left Channel features really come to life at a range of around 8,000 - 14,000 cfs. Water spilling off this part of the dam flows across shallow sloping bedrock, and forms a smorgasbord of surfing opportunities starting on far surfers left and culminating at far surfers right with the Mill Wave. Mill Wave has good eddy service and becomes a bigger, better breaking wave at higher levels, but don't forget how shallow the water is. A flip here may mean a close encounter with the flat limestone riverbed.

At higher flows, boaters may wish to carry up the bedrock and ferry across to a couple wide upper waves which can provide good surfs. Fair eddy service exists to allow repeat play of these waves, if they are well formed enough to entertain you.

Once they've had their fill, boaters will bobble down the remaining shallow rock-rubble rapids, through more braided channel before the islands cease and the full width of the river takes on the appearance of a large lake. Paddle across to the far right to the improved canoe landing (just off Hwy.Z on Hwy.ZZ) to exit the river.

While the description makes it sound lengthy, again, this is just a 1.5 mile reach, though you will probably feel like you have paddled much further, as it can give you an excellent workout.