Big Muskego Lake in Muskego, Wisconsin is one of the best
places to kayak in southeastern Wisconsin. It’s more of a deep water marsh than
a lake which makes it an ideal spot to kayak, enjoy the wildlife, and not be
bothered by the skiers, jet skis and high speed boaters you find in other lakes
around the area. Since I got my kayak three years ago I have probably paddled
this lake a dozen times. It’s always a different and unique experience. The
$7.00 launch fee is reasonable and is the typical going rate for any boat
launch no matter if you have a motor or are self-propelled. It’s a huge lake
that can be tackled a lot of different ways. I have launched from both the
Boxhorn boat launch and the Durham Drive boat launch. Both sites have their
benefits. I have yet to paddle the entire perimeter of this lake. Without
stopping it would probably take 4-5 hours. I generally don’t spend more than
2-3 hours at any given time unless I have planned and prepared for it. This
means I make sure I have plenty of water and a granola bar. If it’s your first
time out on Big Muskego or any new lake it’s a good idea to have a little food
and water along.
Depending on the type of paddle I would like to do on any
giving day is how I determine my launch site and areas in which I will paddle.
The Boxhorn launch is a good place to start for your first time out. It’s the
easiest launch to find again after a few hours out on the lake. Generally if
you go straight west from the launch cross the entire lake and start your
paddle south and follow the perimeter back to the launch it should take 2-3
hours depending on your pace. The southern end is pretty wide open there are a
few cattail islands but they are fairly large and there is a lot of lake
between the islands which is quite different from the north end. There are a
lot of birds in this area a large portion of the lake is designated as a
wildlife protection zone. The eagles nest is located at the southern end near
the damn. I have seen the bald eagle a lot in my time out there. The southern
end is also home to some of the Potawatomi Burial grounds which date back to
pre-European settlement of the area. When they built Caesars Dam at the south
end of the lake a canoe believed to be from the Potawatomi’s was uncovered(1).
The Durham Drive boat launch in the
northeast corner of the lake caters more to those who want to paddle the north
end of the lake. There is a small channel that will lead you to the main part
of the lake. Before you exit the channel you should notice that there are two
faded orange buoys. These will help you find the right channel when you want to
return to the launch. You can definitely start paddling in any direction but I
really like following the north rim of the lake that leads to an area of the
lake that has very high cattails with canals running throughout the northwest
part of the lake. If you follow the maze and take all the north leading
channels you will eventually make it to bass’ bay. Its a great little lake that
is maybe a 30-45 minute paddle. There are a lot of houses and if you would want
to get out for swim this would be the place to do it. Its clean and deep.
Outside of being able to make your way to Bass’ Bay you can really pick any
branch of the maze and you will have a great trip. This area of the lake is
where I typically see the occasional beaver and the blue herons trying to hide
amongst the weeds. The herons don’t
generally let you get real close before they take off but it’s great to watch them
take off with no noise. The maze’s for the most part end when you hit the half
way point of the western side. At that point you can keep going and do the
whole lake but that generally where I make my turn around. There aren’t many
noticeable landmarks on the lake. There are few homes along the middle portion
of the eastern end of the lake but they can be hard or impossible to see
depending where you are in the reeds. Some of the best points of reference on
the lake are the 2 gun clubs on the lake. One of them is Boxhorn it’s the same
place as the Boxhorn Boat launch on the eastern side of the lake. The other is
Hunter’s Nest located on the north end of the lake. When they have shooting
going on, which is fairly often during the week and mornings on weekend days.
The sound really helps navigate the lake when there are no visible points of
reference.
Regardless of where you want to paddle for the day you
really can’t go wrong with either launch site and really I encourage you to go
in any direction. Again outside of the occasional fisherman I pretty much have
the lake to myself. The number of kayakers has increased over the years but
it’s so large that the other people really don’t get in the way at all. I
guarantee if you go once you will be hooked and will definitely make many trips
back.
(1)Patch.com Muskego’s Big Lake: A History Book of the City;
By Denise Konkol’
Bonus Link:
http://www.cityofmuskego.org/DocumentCenter/View/288
(Map of Big Muskego Lake)
http://patch.com/wisconsin/muskego/muskegos-big-lake-a-history-book-of-the-city
(Great Article on Big Muskego)