See all 2 routes on Badfish Creek
Wisconsin | Southern Wisconsin
Badfish Creek
Old Stage Road to North Casey Road
Check current paddling conditions for this Badfish Creek route, including water level, recent gauge trend, weather, and route details.
Route snapshot
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Today
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Start with the verdict, current conditions, route plan, and quick facts before you commit to the drive.
Today's conditions
Gauge
Recent trend
Checking preferred range.
Checking trend.
Gauge source
--Checking timestampMN DNR provides the current paddling level here, but not chart-ready recent samples.
Weather
Best window today
Checking weather.
Today by hour
Short-route forecast
Checking the next several hours.
Quick facts
Plan
Dial in the shuttle, distance, and access.
Use this section once the route looks viable and you need to turn it into an actual trip plan.
Access plan
Access, shuttle, and map
Launch at the maintained Old Stage Road landing on Badfish Creek Wildlife Area and take out at North Casey Road. This is a lively narrow-creek route with reliable water, riffles, and quick bends, but it only stays friendly when wood is clear and the Cooksville gauge is not pushing high.
Put-in
Old Stage Road canoe/kayak landingOpen mapOld Stage is the stronger endpoint: Wisconsin DNR confirms maintained canoe/kayak launches and parking in the wildlife area, and paddling reports describe a parking area and trail to the landing.
Take-out
North Casey Road take-outOpen mapNorth Casey Road is a bridge take-out rather than a developed park. Miles Paddled describes it as good, but you still need to confirm shoulder parking, bank condition, and bridge traffic before launching.
Pulling access map tiles. Usually under 5 seconds.
Access caveats and watch for
Access caveats
- Old Stage is the stronger endpoint: Wisconsin DNR confirms maintained canoe/kayak launches and parking in the wildlife area, and paddling reports describe a parking area and trail to the landing.
- North Casey Road is a bridge take-out rather than a developed park. Miles Paddled describes it as good, but you still need to confirm shoulder parking, bank condition, and bridge traffic before launching.
- The route passes near private land outside the wildlife-area corridor. Stay in the public waterway and use only known access points.
Watch for
- Fast current around tight bends, especially above 200 cfs at Cooksville.
- Deadfall, sweepers, and fresh storm debris even after volunteer clearing work.
- Shallow riffles and rock bumps at lower levels, wild parsnip at access points, and wastewater-effluent water-quality context.
Route gallery
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Sources
Check the data behind today's call.
Use this section when the page shows stale data, limited confidence, or a call you want to verify before driving.
Why this scoreToday's data confidence is checking
Data confidence mostly comes down to three things: how direct the gauge is, how clear the range is, and how fresh the data is.
- Checking data confidence notes.
- Checking data confidence cautions.
OutlookTomorrow and weekend
This is a cautious early look. If the data is too thin, we leave it out.
Waiting on forecast.
Waiting on forecast.
Data behind the scoreGauge, thresholds, and timing
These are the live readings and threshold notes behind today's score.
| Gauge site | Badfish Creek Near Cooksville, WI |
| Discharge | Checking |
| Gauge height | Checking |
| 24h trend | Checking |
| 24h change | Checking |
| Current band | Checking |
| Rain last 24h | Checking |
| Rain last 72h | Checking |
| Air temp | Checking |
| Water temp | Checking |
| Wind | Checking |
| Gusts | Checking |
| Rain timing | Checking |
| Target band | 51 cfs to 150 cfs |
| Low threshold | 0 cfs |
| High threshold | 301 cfs |
| Data confidence behind the range | Local route guidance |
| Gauge observed | Checking |
| Paddle Today updated | Checking |
| Main source behind this score | Wisconsin River Trips Badfish Creek gauge guidance |
| Gauge source | Checking |
| Weather source | Checking |
| Rainfall source | Checking |
NotesWhat to know before you go
These notes cover the access details, route quirks, and source caveats most likely to matter once you get there.
- Published flow ladder51-150 cfs best broad window
Wisconsin River Trips publishes a Badfish Creek Cooksville-gauge ladder: 0-50 cfs low but generally paddleable, 51-100 cfs very good, 101-150 cfs ok, 151-200 cfs normal-to-high, 201-300 cfs very high and experienced-only, and 301+ cfs likely not enjoyable.
- Direct gaugeUSGS 05430150
USGS operates the Badfish Creek Near Cooksville monitoring location on the same creek and route corridor, just downstream of the Old Stage-to-North Casey reach.
- Route supportOld Stage to North Casey
Wisconsin River Trips documents Old Stage Road to North Casey Road as a Badfish Creek trip, reports 70 cfs as a good depth, and identifies the Old Stage-to-Highway 138 and Highway 138-to-Riley subreaches as the creek highlights.
- Access supportDNR wildlife-area launches
Wisconsin DNR says Badfish Creek Wildlife Area has two maintained canoe/kayak launches with parking, including the southern Old Stage Road corridor landing.
- Take-out supportNorth Casey Road
Miles Paddled describes the North Casey Road take-out as very good, on river-left before the bridge, and identifies Old Stage Road to Casey Road as a favorite 6.75-mile Badfish Creek segment.
- Recent obstruction contextCleared September 2024
Wisconsin River Trips comments report that Mad City Paddlers cleared Badfish Creek from Old Stage to the Yahara on September 16, 2024. Still treat fresh storms and wind events as a reason to re-check wood.
Verify it yourselfCheck the source links
Use these links to double-check the gauge, route details, and access notes before you head out.
Paddler reports
Recent notes from paddlers
A few quick notes from people who were on this route recently.
Reports
Photos, paddler notes, and updates.
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Quick answers
Badfish Creek paddling FAQ
What water level is good for paddling Badfish Creek?
Paddle Today watches Badfish Creek Near Cooksville, WI and treats 51 cfs to 150 cfs as the target band for this route, with weather and recent trend included in the final score.
Where does this Badfish Creek route start and end?
This route starts at Old Stage Road canoe/kayak landing and ends at North Casey Road take-out, about 6.75 mi on the water.
Is this Badfish Creek route good for beginners?
This is listed as a moderate route. Expect more planning than an easy float, and use the live score, route notes, and source links before committing.
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