| Difficulty | II-IV+ |
| Length | 0.12 mi |
| Avg Gradient | n/a |
| Gauge | Fox River at Appleton, Wi |
| Flow Rate as of 35 minutes | 2520 cfsbelow recommended |
| Reach Info Last Updated | March 4, 2025 |
River Description
The outflow from a dam in Appleton can provide some whitewater play. That said, it should be noted that most (all?) large dams in Wisconsin are posted 'Keep back 500 feet' (roughly 1/10th mile), and the most interesting water is likely to lie within that distance, making boating below most dams technically illegal.
That said, we welcome further information from anyone who has boated the Fox in Appleton. What flows have you found 'reasonable'? How many waves (and which ones) did you find playable?
Please add a 'Trip Report' below!
Caution is recommended, as it appears (on the one occasion this 'reporter' has viewed this area) that there may be many areas of slab-rock in the flow which could make being upside-down (or out of a boat) extremely unpleasant/dangerous. Further, the whole area can be extremely surging. We watched as waves/holes went from tame, to sweet, to somewhat big, to scary, and then wash-out altogether, cycling through that sequence over and over. Eddies similarly cycled from reasonable, to swirly/boily, to whirlpools.
River Features
Put In
Access PointDistance: 0 mi
Breakwall
OtherDistance: 0 mi
Signage says one must keep a minimum of 500' downstream of the dam. For reference, the end of the breakwall (alongside Fratello's and the Paper Discovery Center) is about 436' from the dam, so technically one would be legal only if they stayed another 64' downstream from that mark. That appears to correspond roughly to the downstream end of that warehouse-type building. (I.E., if you can see the NorthEast wall of the building, you're fine -- if you can't, you are technically too close to the dam.)
Take Out
Access PointDistance: 0.1 mi