Wisconsin | Northeast Wisconsin
Menominee River
Mill Street Landing to Piers Gorge Road Landing
Check current paddling conditions for this Menominee River route, including water level, recent gauge trend, weather, and route details.
Route snapshot
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Today
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Start with the verdict, current conditions, route plan, and quick facts before you commit to the drive.
Today's conditions
Gauge
Recent trend
Checking preferred range.
Checking trend.
Gauge source
-- Checking timestampMN DNR provides the current paddling level here, but not chart-ready recent samples.
Weather
Best window today
Checking weather.
Today by hour
Short-route forecast
Checking the next several hours.
Quick facts
Plan
Dial in the shuttle, distance, and access.
Use this section once the route looks viable and you need to turn it into an actual trip plan.
Access plan
Access, shuttle, and map
Launch at Niagara Mill Street Landing and paddle the Menominee through Piers Gorge to the Piers Gorge Road Landing. The route starts broad and fast, then compresses into a Class IV gorge with Sand Portage Falls, Missicot Falls, 2 Sisters, Terminal Surfer, and several powerful play features.
Put-in
Niagara Mill Street Landing Open mapMill Street Landing has hand-carry access, parking, trailer turnaround, and a pit toilet according to Wisconsin Trail Guide.
Take-out
Piers Gorge Road Landing Open mapPiers Gorge Road Landing is about 200 yards below Terminal Surfer on river left, downstream of a narrow slough; identify it before committing to the lower gorge.
Pulling access map tiles. Usually under 5 seconds.
Access caveats
- Mill Street Landing has hand-carry access, parking, trailer turnaround, and a pit toilet according to Wisconsin Trail Guide.
- Piers Gorge Road Landing is about 200 yards below Terminal Surfer on river left, downstream of a narrow slough; identify it before committing to the lower gorge.
- The take-out is in Michigan within the Piers Gorge unit of the Menominee River State Recreation Area, while the put-in is in Niagara, Wisconsin.
Watch for
- Dam-release changes from Little Quinnesec Falls Dam; water can rise quickly and the gauge should be checked the same day.
- Class IV Missicot Falls, Volkswagen Rock, Whirlpool Rapids, 2 Sisters, Terminal Surfer, sticky holes, and powerful hydraulics at higher flows.
- Intermediate paddlers should stay away above 1400 cfs per Wisconsin Trail Guide; this app route is framed for advanced/expert whitewater paddlers.
- Scout before running the gorge and avoid entering Terminal Surfer without scouting; its hydraulic is easy to underestimate from upstream.
Route gallery
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Sources
Check the data behind today's call.
Use this section when the page shows stale data, limited confidence, or a call you want to verify before driving.
Why this score Today's data confidence is checking
Data confidence mostly comes down to three things: how direct the gauge is, how clear the range is, and how fresh the data is.
- Checking data confidence notes.
- Checking data confidence cautions.
Outlook Tomorrow and weekend
This is a cautious early look. If the data is too thin, we leave it out.
Waiting on forecast.
Waiting on forecast.
Data behind the score Gauge, thresholds, and timing
These are the live readings and threshold notes behind today's score.
| Gauge site | Menominee River at Niagara, WI |
| Discharge | Checking |
| Gauge height | Checking |
| 24h trend | Checking |
| 24h change | Checking |
| Current band | Checking |
| Rain last 24h | Checking |
| Rain last 72h | Checking |
| Air temp | Checking |
| Water temp | Checking |
| Wind | Checking |
| Gusts | Checking |
| Rain timing | Checking |
| Target band | 600 cfs to 1,400 cfs |
| Low threshold | 600 cfs |
| High threshold | 5,000 cfs |
| Data confidence behind the range | Local route guidance |
| Gauge observed | Checking |
| Paddle Today updated | Checking |
| Main source behind this score | Wisconsin Trail Guide Menominee River ME1 suggested river levels |
| Gauge source | Checking |
| Weather source | Checking |
| Rainfall source | Checking |
Notes What to know before you go
These notes cover the access details, route quirks, and source caveats most likely to matter once you get there.
- Route-specific guide 2.9 miles; Class IV
Wisconsin Trail Guide publishes Menominee River ME1 from Mill Street Landing in Niagara to Piers Gorge Road Landing, with 2.9 miles, 40 feet of drop, and Missicot Falls as the most difficult rapid.
- Direct gauge USGS 04065106 at Niagara
USGS identifies 04065106 as Menominee River at Niagara, WI, 0.7 mile downstream from Little Quinnesec Falls Dam with real-time discharge data.
- Lower runnable window 600 to 1400 cfs
Wisconsin Trail Guide treats 600-800 cfs as low runnable and 800-1400 cfs as low to medium runnable, while warning that intermediate paddlers are pushed near the high end.
- Upper ceiling 5000+ cfs not recommended
The guide describes 3000-5000 cfs as powerful high water for paddlers who know the run at lower levels and says above 5000 cfs is rare, unusually high flow where paddling is not recommended.
- Endpoint coordinates 45.77032, -87.98863 to 45.75834, -87.93907
Wisconsin Trail Guide publishes NAD83 / WGS84 coordinates for Niagara Mill Street Landing and Piers Gorge Road Landing in the ME1 guide.
- Public recreation context Menominee River State Recreation Area
Michigan DNR describes the comanaged recreation area as a Wisconsin/Michigan Menominee River corridor destination with whitewater rafting and kayaking, including the Piers Gorge Unit.
- Hazards Missicot Falls, Terminal Surfer, 2 Sisters, dam releases
Scout before committing. Wisconsin Trail Guide warns that water levels rise rapidly during dam releases and calls out powerful hydraulics, sticky holes, and Class III-IV features throughout the gorge.
Verify it yourself Check the source links
Use these links to double-check the gauge, route details, and access notes before you head out.
Paddler reports
Recent notes from paddlers
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Reports
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Quick answers
Menominee River paddling FAQ
What water level is good for paddling Menominee River?
Paddle Today watches Menominee River at Niagara, WI and treats 600 cfs to 1,400 cfs as the target band for this route, with weather and recent trend included in the final score.
Where does this Menominee River route start and end?
This route starts at Niagara Mill Street Landing and ends at Piers Gorge Road Landing, about 2.9 mi on the water.
Is this Menominee River route good for beginners?
This is listed as a hard route. Treat the live score as a planning aid, then confirm conditions, hazards, access, and group skill before launching.
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Access, hazards, wood, and shuttle details change. Send a quick correction if something looks off.