Big Muskego Lake

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)