Canoe Rentals

[ruff54]

Ok, here’s one for those 5-Star terrain enthusiasts out there.

Being short on cash (and that situation about to get worse) to purchase my own canoe, I was wondering if there was anywhere in northwest or central WI where you could rent a canoe for a weekend.

Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

[BigJim]

Can you be a little more specific? Where in NW or Central WI are you going?

All opinions, comments, and useless drivel I post are mine alone and do not reflect the opinions of the WGA BOD.

[zuma]

Yes, you can rent canoes in Eau Claire. Riverside Bike and Skate. There number is (715) 835-0088.

In Chippewa, Loopy’s rents canoes. 715-723-5667

There is also a canoe rental place (dont recall the name) at the take out point on the Flambeau River up north of Ladysmith. They will also transport you to the put in. There is also a place south of Hayward on the Namekagon, but I dont recall their name either, but you could probably google either.

zuma

[cheezehead]

There are a few in Hayward and a new place that rents kayaks too.

[zoesbrother]

Stout Adventures here at UW-Stout rents canoes and kayaks

[ruff54]

I’d love to be specific, but I’m not really sure yet. 😆

I was thinking somewhere centralized like a Wausau or Eau Claire type of area.

Thanks for the responses, guys. Now, another question: Do these places put the canoe in for you and expect you to use it on a specific body of water for a day or so? Or can you transport the canoe yourself to where you want and then bring it back afterwards? say a period of 5 days

[cheezehead]

It all depends….

[zuma]

@ruff54 wrote:

I’d love to be specific, but I’m not really sure yet. 😆

I was thinking somewhere centralized like a Wausau or Eau Claire type of area.

Thanks for the responses, guys. Now, another question: Do these places put the canoe in for you and expect you to use it on a specific body of water for a day or so? Or can you transport the canoe yourself to where you want and then bring it back afterwards? say a period of 5 days

the 4 that i mentioned will ferry you and the canoe, at extra cost, or just let you take the canoe.

If you are just looking for a canoe outiftter on a great piece of river, the outfitter on the Flambeau would be my suggestion, as neither the Eau Claire or Chippewa River is that great of a river to canoe. Fun, but not as fun as the Flambeau, which is extraordinarily beautiful.

The Namekagon is also a great river to canoe, though the Flambeau has more rapids.

z

[zuma]

Information on canoes on the Flambeau is here:

http://www.paddleflambeau.com/rental.htm

The one I was referencing was Big Bear. They are the take out point for both the South Fork and the North Fork of the Flambeau, so they are a logical place to rent from. They will take you upstream as far as you want to go, for a 1 day trip, or multi day trip.

Unless you are a very experienced paddler, you want the north fork. The south fork has some rapids that require technical skill.

Map of the flambeau: http://www.paddleflambeau.com/northfork.htm

There is also a great cache along the Flambeau, that you will want to stop at, as it is a great place to stop for lunch and to look around. See GC759C. The owner of that cache, Ken is an avid paddler and could provide you even more details, I would think.

There is also a few caches on the South Fork….Most notable is Slough Gundy, GC18E2. You can drive to it before or after your canoe trip on the north fork, to see what the rapids of the South Fork would have looked like if you had chosen that route. But dont choose the South Fork unless you know what you are doing or you may end up buying the rental company a new canoe.

(Note Slough Gundy cache is on an island in high water, but accessible by car and foot in medium to low water.)

zuma

[ruff54]

Thanks for the suggestions Ralph.

I grew up on the Mississippi and spent time on both the Eau Claire and Chippewa when I was a little older (high school and college). I was thinking more for destination caches by canoe. Gotta get that Fizzy Challenge done sometime! Thanks for the suggestion on the Flambeau though, I might just look into that.

Thanks to everyone with suggestions. It helps out a lot.

[Author]

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