kishwaukee river forest preserve

This park is on Both sides of the Kishwaukee River. They do not connect, so you must leave the park for about a 1/4 mile, cross the Blackhawk Road bridge and re-enter on the other entrance. They are only about 100 yards or less wide but the road follows the entire route except for about 200 feet at the very end. Parking can be a problem on a very busy summer day. Bass fishing is excellent when wading into the Kishwaukee River at the very end, again only about 2-4 feet deep with rocky/sandy bottom. (of course it has some holes, so be careful). Lot's and lot's of picnic tables along the route.. only about 1 mile long. This is a very popular park for the area. Winnebago county preserves, no matter which one you go to, are well kept and clean. This is also the end of the South walking path (paved) of the Kishwaukee Springs Forest Preserve to the North. Enjoy

I agree about the kayaking. great in early spring for quick ride or a great workout paddling upstream first when it calmer in mid summer. Enjoy a lazy ride down after the workout. I launch at Bauman Park it's quick and easy. Head upstream and get a good upper body workout.

We rented a kayak from kishwaukee canoe and had a great time. They shuttled us from Atwood park (where we left our cars) to Bauman park, about an 8 mile trip on the river. It was the perfect length, we were on a mission and finished in 2 hours but the normal time is 3 to 4 depending on how much you swim or float. We have kayaked all over Wisconsin and other places and this is one of the best as far as not having lots of jams to maneuver around. Which makes it perfect for families with younger children/teens. We are going to go back and tube it soon.

This river is a great find for water floating fun. Came here to kayak, had so much fun came back to tube it the very next week. There are many parks to take in, out, our stop for a picnic. The water is never deep and clean enough to get wet in. Very few obstructions and moves along at a pleasant pace. There is an outfitter, and the Black hawk campground rents tubes but has no shuttle. We chose to take 2 vehicles but the drive time between the parks is minimal, so worth it. Busier on the weekends but very refreshing and relaxing for a summer day.

Fishing is good here, be aware that on Saturdays in summer there are literally hundreds of drunken canoer's partying, so if that isn't your thing, go elsewhere on those days.