See all 6 routes on Baraboo River
Wisconsin | South-Central Wisconsin
Baraboo River
Giese Park to Haskins Park
Check current paddling conditions for this Baraboo River route, including water level, recent gauge trend, weather, and route details.
Route location
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Need to know
Why this call
Conditions
Gauge history and hourly forecast
The top card is the quick read. This lower section keeps the longer gauge trend, gauge context, and hourly forecast together.
Gauge detail
Gauge history & hourly forecastDetailed view
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
Hourly forecast
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Next 8 hours
Short-route forecast
Checking the next several hours.
Route overview
Quick facts and what's next
Distance, difficulty, shuttle basics, and the near-term outlook before you commit to the drive.
Quick facts
Plan ahead
Upcoming outlook
These are early planning reads. Re-check live conditions before you commit to the drive.
Waiting on forecast.
Waiting on forecast.
Plan
Plan your trip
Launch points, shuttle details, distance, and access notes.
Route logistics
Access and shuttle
Launch from Giese Park and paddle into West Baraboo to the Haskins Park ADA kayak launch. The leg is short and mostly straightforward, but it sits immediately above the Baraboo Rapids corridor, so take out at Haskins unless you intentionally planned the separate downstream route.
Prepare this trip
Take the plan with you
Download the canonical route, add a calendar hold, or send a simple float plan to your group.
Put-in
Giese Park canoe launchGiese Park has river access and seasonal portable restrooms but no overnight camping.
Take-out
Haskins Park ADA kayak launchHaskins Park is the cleaner public take-out and start for the downstream Baraboo Rapids card.
Plan this segment
Access caveats and watch for
Access caveats
- Giese Park has river access and seasonal portable restrooms but no overnight camping.
- Haskins Park is the cleaner public take-out and start for the downstream Baraboo Rapids card.
- The Baraboo map treats Giese-to-Glenville as a larger corridor with exposed-rock difficulty below 250 cfs; this card uses that as the conservative low-water floor.
Watch for
- Exposed rocks and slower passage when the Baraboo gauge drops below the official 250 cfs floor.
- Strainers, muddy banks, and private shoreline before West Baraboo.
- The downstream Haskins-to-Glenville riffles and Class I ledges if you miss or skip the planned take-out.
Route gallery
See this route on the water
Photos help show what the access looks like and what the route actually feels like on the water.
Score & sources
Why this score
See the gauge, weather, and source notes behind today's call.
Why this scoreToday's evidence strength is checking
Evidence strength mostly comes down to three things: how direct the active gauge is, how clear the range is, and how fresh the data is.
- Checking evidence-strength notes.
- Checking evidence cautions.
Data behind the scoreGauge, thresholds, and timing
These are the live readings and threshold notes behind today's score.
| Gauge site | Baraboo River Near Baraboo, 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 |
| Ideal range | Needs paddler reports |
| Known low-water floor | 250 cfs |
| High threshold | Not calibrated yet |
| Evidence strength behind the range | Official data source |
| Gauge observed | Checking |
| Paddle Today updated | Checking |
| Main source behind this score | Baraboo River paddling map Giese-to-Glenville low-flow 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.
- Put-in accessGiese Park on Hatchery Road
Town of Baraboo says Giese Park sits at Hatchery Road and Rock Hill Road, offers Baraboo River access and summer portable restrooms, is open 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., and has no overnight camping.
- Route continuationGiese to Gander, with Haskins as the better downstream landing
Wisconsin River Trips documents the Giese Park-to-Gander World route and says Haskins Park is 3.5 miles downstream from Giese, with a few rock outcrops and a few rapids before Baraboo proper.
- Official corridor warningBelow 250 cfs can expose rocks
The Baraboo River paddling map says the larger Giese-to-Glenville reach drops 50 feet in five miles, has riffles and some small Class II rapids in high water, and that flows below 250 cfs can make passage difficult due to exposed rocks.
- Current gauge check274 cfs / 7.30 ft at 2026-07-23 05:00 CDT
USGS Water Services returned current Baraboo River near Baraboo discharge and stage during this run, just above the selected 250 cfs floor.
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
Paddler reports
See recent photos and notes from people on the route.
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More routes to check next
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Quick answers
Baraboo River paddling FAQ
What water level is good for paddling Baraboo River?
Paddle Today watches Baraboo River Near Baraboo, WI and uses 250 cfs as the conservative low-water floor for this route. The ideal range still needs more paddler reports.
Where does this Baraboo River route start and end?
This route starts at Giese Park canoe launch and ends at Haskins Park ADA kayak launch, about About 3.5 mi on the water.
Is this Baraboo River route good for beginners?
This is listed as an easy route, but conditions still matter. Check today's score, water level, weather, and access notes before you go.
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Access, hazards, wood, and shuttle details change. Send a quick correction if something looks off.