See all 2 routes on Badfish Creek
Wisconsin | Southern Wisconsin
Badfish CreekOld Stage Road to North Casey Road
Fast, intimate south-central Wisconsin creek run from the DNR-supported Old Stage Road landing to the North Casey Road take-out. Reliable effluent-fed baseflow keeps the route more paddleable than most small creeks, but tight bends, riffles, wood, and post-storm debris still demand active boat control.
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Route location
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Route overview
Trip details
Access rules, camping and seasonal notes.
Permits, camping and season
Access and shuttle
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.
Access map
Put-in
Old Stage Road canoe/kayak landingOld 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-outNorth 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.
Road shuttle
Use a short rural car shuttle between the Old Stage Road landing and North Casey Road. A bike shuttle is possible on local roads, but there are narrow shoulders and fast county-road segments.
Additional access notes
- The route passes near private land outside the wildlife-area corridor. Stay in the public waterway and use only known access points.
More route and safety guidance
- Above 200 cfs at the direct Cooksville gauge, current becomes pushier and tight bends leave less time to react to wood; 301+ cfs remains outside the app's broad recommendation.
- Finish in the small river-left channel before the North Casey Road bridge. Confirm the roadside shoulder and bank condition before launching.
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Conditions
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Gauge source
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Station details and river cameras
Station observations
USGS measurements
Measurement notes and coverage
These are observations at the station. Water depth and current can differ along your trip.
River camera · USGS
View at the gauge
Badfish Creek Near Cooksville, WI. This view may be outside your paddling reach. Images are periodic and do not establish safe conditions.
Photos and recent reports
Look for recent access, obstruction and hazard observations. Context photos may show a different part of the river.
Paddler reports
Recent notes from paddlers
A few quick notes from people who were on this route recently.
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Sources and methodology
Review source dates and published guidance below. We have not inspected this trip in person.
Why this scoreData reliability: checking
This rating reflects whether the gauge measures this part of the river, whether published water-level guidance is available, and how recently the data was updated.
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Data behind the scoreWater levels, published guidance and update times
These readings and published water-level limits help explain 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 |
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| Wind | Checking |
| Gusts | Checking |
| Rain timing | Checking |
| Preferred range | 51 cfs to 150 cfs |
| Low threshold | 0 cfs |
| High threshold | 301 cfs |
| Evidence strength 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 |
NotesPublished evidence and verification notes
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 contextReported clear November 2025
A November 2025 Miles Paddled comment reports Badfish Creek clear from County A through Casey Road after recent volunteer sawing. 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.
Other routes nearby
More on Badfish Creek
All 2Nearby routes within 75 miles
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