Wisconsin | Northeast Wisconsin
Popple River
Morgan Lake Road Bridge to Highway 101 Wayside
Check current paddling conditions for this Popple 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 the Morgan Lake Road / Forest Service Road 2159 bridge and take out at the Highway 101 wayside. This is the lower Popple whitewater run through Little Bull Falls, Big Bull Falls, tight boulder gardens, marked portages, and protected Wild River forest.
Put-in
Morgan Lake Road / Forest Service Road 2159 bridge access Open mapThe Morgan Lake Road put-in is a bridge/gauge-area access rather than a developed livery launch. Confirm shoulder, parking, and road conditions before unloading.
Take-out
Highway 101 Wayside / Popple River bridge access Open mapAt Highway 101, American Whitewater describes the take-out on river left near the bridge and shallow gravel shore. Identify the exit before continuing downstream.
Pulling access map tiles. Usually under 5 seconds.
Access caveats
- The Morgan Lake Road put-in is a bridge/gauge-area access rather than a developed livery launch. Confirm shoulder, parking, and road conditions before unloading.
- At Highway 101, American Whitewater describes the take-out on river left near the bridge and shallow gravel shore. Identify the exit before continuing downstream.
- Several scouting or emergency paths touch private land. Stay on signed/accepted river-portage routes and keep the group tight.
Watch for
- Little Bull Falls, where an aggressive hole and submerged bedrock feature can make rescues difficult.
- Big Bull Falls and its approach, where swift current can carry paddlers past the portage landing.
- Low-water scraping below 150-250 cfs and technical boulder dodging even inside the runnable range.
- High water, sticky holes, strainers, deadfall, spring ice shelves, cold water, and limited road exits in the Wild River corridor.
Route gallery
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Photos help show what the access looks like and what the route actually feels like on the water.
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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 | Popple River Near Fence, 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 | 250 cfs to 600 cfs |
| Low threshold | 150 cfs |
| High threshold | 800 cfs |
| Data confidence behind the range | Local route guidance |
| Gauge observed | Checking |
| Paddle Today updated | Checking |
| Main source behind this score | Wisconsin Trail Guide Popple River PO2 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 reach 5.4 miles; Class II-III+
American Whitewater documents Popple River C from Morgan Lake Road to Highway 101 as the best whitewater section of the Popple, with 14 rocky rapids, Little Bull Falls, Big Bull Falls, and a Highway 101 take-out.
- County access support Morgan Lake Road #5 to Highway 101 #4
Florence County lists Morgan Lake Road to Highway 101 as a 5.4-mile Popple River paddling trip, identifies Morgan Lake Road as access point #5 and Highway 101 as access point #4, and warns the lower Popple requires advanced skills.
- Direct gauge USGS 04063700 at Morgan Lake Road
USGS locates Popple River near Fence on the left bank upstream from the Forest Service Road 2159 bridge, at 8037 Morgan Lake Road, in the route put-in corridor.
- Gauge bands 150 / 250-600 / 800 cfs
Wisconsin Trail Guide gives a 150 cfs minimum, 250-400 cfs low-to-medium enjoyable flow, 400-600 cfs medium runnable flow, 600-1000 cfs high runnable flow for intermediate and advanced paddlers, and a suggested maximum of 800 cfs. The app uses 800 cfs as the broad-audience ceiling.
- Endpoint coordinates 45.763611, -88.463611 to 45.79995, -88.39662
The put-in coordinate is the USGS gauge/bridge location at Morgan Lake Road. Miles Paddled publishes the Highway 101 take-out GPS point and describes the landing downstream of the bridge with dedicated parking.
- Hazards Little Bull Falls, Big Bull Falls, portages
American Whitewater warns Little Bull Falls can form an aggressive hole with a difficult rescue, and Big Bull Falls has a signed portage where swift current can carry paddlers past the intended landing.
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
A few quick notes from people who were on this route recently.
Reports
Photos, paddler notes, and updates.
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Quick answers
Popple River paddling FAQ
What water level is good for paddling Popple River?
Paddle Today watches Popple River Near Fence, WI and treats 250 cfs to 600 cfs as the target band for this route, with weather and recent trend included in the final score.
Where does this Popple River route start and end?
This route starts at Morgan Lake Road / Forest Service Road 2159 bridge access and ends at Highway 101 Wayside / Popple River bridge access, about 5.4 mi on the water.
Is this Popple 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.