Pine

As a state designated Wild River improved access to LaSalle Falls and Gorge is naturally rugged and purposely limited. There are 4 very different options for access to LaSalle Falls. Option 1) For the easiest, no-shuttle trip, put in at the flowage (public landings on northside (45.829455, -88.255353) or southside (45.828694, -88.258641)) and paddle ½ mile west, up the flowage, then ¾ mile upriver.  This upriver section is usually gently flowing flatwater but when flows are high (over 1500 at USGS flow station) you may need to do a short carry (river-right) around a river-wide, 2-foot standing wave caused by the submerged ledge just upriver from Halls Creek.  Takeout at the portage trail (river-right, signed, 45.829406, -88.285598) at the end of the Gorge Rapids and portage 0.4 miles up the trail to the falls. Option 2) Paddle 4.1 miles (about 1.25 hours) downriver from the Hwy 101 put-in to the signed, LaSalle Falls portage (river-right, 45.831951, -88.292100) for scouting.  This route involves a 10-mile shuttle.  Don’t seriously consider using White Ash Road as access.  It is a long, rugged road and often impassable in spring or with wet weather.  Option 3) Drive in to the trailhead parking lot for LaSalle Falls trail and carry in 1 mile to the falls.  This trip can have a 4.5-mile all-backroads shuttle if you hike in and out from the trailhead parking lot, or a 5.3-mile backroads shuttle if you take out at the generating station at the end of Breakwater Gorge.  Option 4) For an all-paved road option, when backroads are soft from frost or heavy rain, a put-in at Hwy 101 and takeout at County N makes for an 8.5 mile, all-river trip, with a 10.5 mile shuttle.

Just above the Pine Dam, there is boat ramp access to the impoundment at the WE Energies campsites on the north side (45.829455, -88.255353, campsite #34 by Pine River Rd.) and south side (45.828694, -88.258641, campsite #24 by Pine Dam Rd).  Both north and south access roads are backwoods-gravel and can be rugged but the road in from the north tends to be the better choice in early spring or when roads become soft after heavy rains.  The Southside landing does have a hikable path to Breakwater Falls.

There is no establish put-in but the river-right bank below the Pine Dam is on WE Energies land and open to the public.  A significant stretch of mowed lawn and riverside rock (45.828489, -88.254102) is available to choose where to launch from.  The most common access to Breakwater Falls is to park near the generating station (45.826598, -88.248065, do not block utility access).  The service road is publicly available for walk-in access to Breakwater Falls.  There is a closed vehicle gate by the generating station but there is an open man-pass on the right end of the gate.  Carry 1,800 feet up the gravel service road.  Continue to the right, on the mowed slope down to the river when the service road goes left, up to the top of the dam.  There is no easy access to put-in on river-left. The river’s flow over Breakwater will not be the same as at LaSalle (or what is posted by the USGS for the Pine River).  The best indicator of flow over Breakwater Falls is at: https://accel.wisconsinpublicservice.com/environment/hydrodata.aspx

Portaging around the Pine Dam is the thru-paddlers route to Breakwater Falls.  The portage trail is very clearly marked once you get there (45.828146, -88.255984) but it is in a small bay and coming downriver across the flowage, the location of the portage takeout cannot be seen.  The takeout is on river-right just before the dam’s perimeter exclusion cable with orange buoys.  The total portage trail is 2,700 feet but after the 600-foot trail through the woods there is a metal walking bridge over the diversion canal that delivers water to the penstock pipes/generating station.  Coming off of the metal bridge, turn right and continue along the gravel service road.  At the generating station, there is a closed vehicle gate with an open man-pass on the right end of the gate, leading directly to a parking area (and public outhouse).  On the river-side of the parking area signage directs you down 52 wooden steps to a narrow landing.  The put-in is in the very small eddy just below 3 metal stakes just off the shore.  The takeout at County N is 2 miles downriver (mostly swifts) on river left immediately after the bridge.  There is a large parking area and outhouse (during peak summer-use) at the County N landing.  The USGS flow station is river-left just above the County N bridge.  The visible staff gauge on the downriver middle support for the bridge is not what is reported on the USGS website as gauge height.  The USGS gauge is not publicly viewable.

Below the three-pitch drops of Breakwater Falls, a boulder-bed, class II-III rapids fill the river about a quarter-mile down to the powerhouse.  Put-in to run just the gorge rapids is on river-right just after the third pitch of Breakwater Falls.  Getting to the river from the service road involves turning towards the river at a point (45.828728, -88.251927) where the large cement blocks are on the uphill bank just off from the service road.  The descent to the river is steep.  At the river, there is not marked put-in spot.  Launch adequately upriver from the downriver island to allow a cross-river ferry maneuver.  Shortly after entering the left channel the river is narrowed and larger waves develop as it passes a very large boulder sticking out from the left bank.  As the river widens again, take the right channel.  The left channel does not have a usable exit.  Near the generating station is the final bit of bigger wave action.  Immediately after the waves, there is a large, calm-water eddy on river-left but in high flows crossing both the river and the outflow of the generating station to get to the takeout landing on river-right may not be possible.  If you do takeout at the generating station (45.826767, -88.247734), the take-out landing is unmarked from the river.  The takeout is in a very small eddy just below where 3 metal stakes were probably placed I the river there with the hopes of providing a small bit of calm water.  At high flows the takeout is in fast flow.  The takeout at County N is 2 miles downriver (mostly swifts) on river left immediately after the bridge.  There is a large parking area and outhouse (during peak summer-use) at the County N landing.  The USGS flow station is river-left just above the County N bridge.  The visible staff gauge on the downriver middle support for the bridge is not what is reported on the USGS website as gauge height.  The USGS gauge is not publicly viewable. It is on river right, immediately after the generating station (across the outflow from the station).

The takeout at County N is 2 miles downriver (swifts for most of the way) on river left immediately after the bridge.  There is a large parking area and outhouse (during peak summer-use) at the County N landing.  From here the river continues (with swifts) as what locally and is called the “Oxbow” (very popular for tubing in summer) because 3.5 miles downriver from the County N landing is a takeout landing (45.843301, -88.224323) from where it is a 10 minute walk back to a car parked at the County N landing.  There are no significant rapids downriver except one set, a half-mile up from the confluence of the Pine and Menominee Rivers, that was submerged when the Ford Dam was built on the Menominee River for power at the nearby Ford Motor Company plant in 1923.  There are two landings on the Pine River at 2.3 miles and 5.84 miles beyond the Oxbow takeout and eventually a landing on Cowboy Lake off off of the Menominee River about 8 miles past the Oxbow takeout.