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Devils River Campground Falls

Waterfall / Large DropClass III+44.30000, -87.77700

Description

To reiterate from the body of the description: if you can find the proprietors at home, you may be able to gain access from the campground, thereby eliminating the access paddle. However, recently I have heard second-/third-hand info suggesting they are not boater-friendly, and are likely to protest your presence (due to liability and other concerns) to scout or portage. Thus, we generally urge keeping as low-profile a presence as possible when scouting/portaging this area. (Keep as quiet as possible, keep as near the river as possible, and do not linger any more than necessary!) I have never had a problem (never been confronted) here, but, then, I have never attempted to boat this during summer, when campground is likely to be full and active.

Remnants of a former dam flank the river at the brink of this 'falls'. The river spills down a stairstep of bedrock ledges into a hole (at higher flows, anyway), sheeting across a short (flowing) pool before dropping off another short ledge (into a potentially sticky-looking hole). At low-to-moderate flows, this may rate class II+ or III. At moderate-to-high flows, this will be class IV (and a likely portage for many boaters)!

Downstream of the main ledge sequence, you will find a very busy stretch of dells (most likely with a lot of overhanging cedars and other shoreline vegetation to complicate navigation) before the banks open up and the river widens a bit.


Photos