• The 'Story': Upper Yahara River Adventure
  
• Put in: WI Cty 'N', just downstream of Dunkirk Dam  
  
• Takeout: Murwin Park, near Fulton, WI 
• Water level (gauge/reading): Stougthon - 233cfs, Fulton - 335cfs   
  
• Weather Conditions: Cool Cloudy for early Sept, Upper 70's  
  
• Anything Else?: Easy to reach, S of Stoughton, W of Edgerton 

The Upper part of the Yahara River is rarely paddled, at least by me or PSC.  Many years ago it was paddled from Stebbensville Rd just below an old broken down dam and to my surprise in early April, the dam has been removed, probably many years prior to this trip.  The removal of this dam has made clear passage possible and the 11 mile trip to Murwin Park an enjoyable trip.  I had paddled this stretch on April of 2022 with Mad City Paddlers, as I recently joined this paddling club.  Miles Paddled website suggests a flow of ~420cfs at Fulton makes for a good paddle. But with Fulton at ~335cfs, we had a very enjoyable trip, although one had to watch for occasional sandy shoals and stretches of exposed boulders, it was a great time.  This stretch is "rustic", as there are few houses along the way, not much fishing boat traffic probably due to the shallow nature of this stretch.  The river above Rt.59, or the Badfish Creek confluence, was ~40-50 ft in width, after the confluence the river widened to ~60-80 ft in width and picked up more flow and depth. The river is very clean, clear, cool with a mostly sand bottom - heavy forest to portions of marsh bottoms.  Wildlife was abundant as well, the sighting of a large owl was an extra bonus. A total of 5 paddlers (4 from PSC, 1 from Mad City) enjoyed the day.  Would we return, absolutely.  This is a great trip for late spring or early fall, as it would be quite buggy on a hot/humid summer day. 

Dave W