Menomonee River

The Menomonee River is another great river to paddle in the city. It is currently at the point the Milwaukee River was 10 years ago. There is still a lot industry that calls the river valley home. There are a lot of initiatives underway to improve the waterway and to clean areas that really need it.

I actually paddle the Menomonee River the same day I paddled the Milwaukee River. It was an accidental paddle that lasted 2.5 hours. I had launched from the Bruce Street Launch. I had paddled to the North Avenue damn paddled back and returned back to the branch of the river where the Milwaukee and Menomonee River connect. There is an active train trestle bridge that goes over the access point to the Menomonee River. The plan was to just go under the bridge. I got lucky and had the opportunity to paddle under the trestle as the Hiawatha was returning to the station. It was really cool it’s one of those things that puts a grown woman at awe and feel for a brief moment like a kid again. I went under the bridge and saw the 6^th Street Viaduct that wasn’t too far so I kept going. At that point I had a great view of the valley that led up Miller Park and that became my goal. It was a great goal although I only made it just past the 35^th Street Viaduct and in one of the back lots of Miller Park. I got to a point where it was too shallow for me to continue. The boat itself wasn’t bottoming out but I wasn’t able to dig my paddles in without hitting bottom so I finally turned around.

For the most part it was a great ride. There is a lot of industry along the way however I wasn’t able to see most of it because I was so low to the water in the boat. With the tall retaining walls along the sides in areas it’s hard to see. Surprisingly it was fairly natural in some areas. At no point did I forget that I was in the city. The sound of the city was definitely loud. Traffic, sirens, the huge train roaring over the massive bridge near the 27^th Street Viaduct was pretty intimidating. That was also the point in the river where all the debris of the city, parking lots, and businesses accumulated. It was almost trapped on the south side of the bridge with no way to get through so it just sat there. It was pretty disgusting and it was hard to continue on at that point. I did keep going and it did clear up and actually become very remote. The river became more natural and the water actually was clearer than it had been until that point. The river runs alongside the Hank Aaron trail and besides the occasional walker or biker I had the river all to myself. Unfortunately after the 35^th Street Viaduct the river became very shallow and couldn’t continue. I was maybe a ¼ mile from Miller Park which was a bit disappointing.  The ride back was great. Outside of the point near the 27^th Street bridge it was clear paddling. One of the great aspects of the Menomonee River is there was very little boat traffic. There is one restaurant off of Canal Street call the Twisted Fisherman which had a live band outside that day. There is rumor that they have great seafood and delicious margaritas. I didn’t stop because I was kayaking solo but it seemed like a comfortable place to grab some food and a drink. It’s maybe a ½ mile from the Milwaukee River branch and is a little more remote than the bars along the Milwaukee River. The rest of the way back into the city was neat. Going under all the bridges a lot of folks on the street & bridges above liked to wave. A couple folks even asked a few questions about kayaking.

It was a great ride but it made for a long day and something I recommend after a long day of paddling would be to stretch or if you are in cleaner water (not the Milwaukee or Menomonee Rivers) take a quick swim. A great day of paddling can easily be ruined by a week of muscle pain.


Bonus Links:

http://milwaukeeriverkeeper.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/muwt_map_0.pdf

(map of the Milwaukee River, Menomenee River, & Kinnickinnic River)