Wisconsin | Northwest Wisconsin
Jump River
Wayside Park / Highway 73 to Haley Park
Check current paddling conditions for this Jump 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 at the Highway 73 Wayside Park access and take out at Haley Park in Sheldon. This lower Jump River route follows the Rusk County Highway 73-to-Sheldon paddle and the Wisconsin River Trips Wayside Park-to-Haley Park report.
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
Wayside Park / Highway 73 Jump River AccessRusk County publishes the official Highway 73-to-Sheldon route coordinates as Jump River Access and Sheldon Access; use those named sites rather than informal bridge shoulders.
Take-out
Haley Park / Sheldon AccessWayside Park has good public access near Highway 73, while Haley Park spans both sides of the bridge in Sheldon and has an outhouse according to Wisconsin River Trips.
Plan this segment
Access caveats and watch for
Access caveats
- Rusk County publishes the official Highway 73-to-Sheldon route coordinates as Jump River Access and Sheldon Access; use those named sites rather than informal bridge shoulders.
- Wayside Park has good public access near Highway 73, while Haley Park spans both sides of the bridge in Sheldon and has an outhouse according to Wisconsin River Trips.
- The direct USGS gauge is at Sheldon near the take-out, so check the gauge before staging there and before deciding whether to extend downstream.
Watch for
- Frequent shallow Class I riffles and boulder gardens that can require scraping or walking below the low band.
- Fast current and stronger Class I-II wave trains when the Sheldon gauge is high or rising after rain.
- Wind on more open stretches, cold water in spring, and changing wood or strainers after high water.
- Do not use the 2200 cfs Sheldon Canoe Race observation as normal recreational guidance; that is extreme, fast water for this app audience.
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 | Jump River at Sheldon, 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 | 200 cfs to 400 cfs |
| Low threshold | 100 cfs |
| High threshold | 1,000 cfs |
| Evidence strength behind the range | Local route guidance |
| Gauge observed | Checking |
| Paddle Today updated | Checking |
| Main source behind this score | Wisconsin River Trips Jump River lower-corridor 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.
- Official routeHighway 73 to Sheldon
Rusk County Tourism publishes the Jump River Highway 73 to Sheldon trip, describes a boat launch just east of the village of Jump River, and says the paddle to Sheldon takes less than three hours when run straight through.
- Endpoint coordinates45.354054, -90.788597 to 45.307764, -90.955985
Rusk County publishes coordinates for the Jump River Access and Sheldon Access on the official Highway 73-to-Sheldon route page.
- Exact route report11.1 miles from Wayside Park to Haley Park
Wisconsin River Trips documents the exact Wayside Park / Highway 73 to Haley Park / Sheldon route and describes both accesses as good, unobstructed public launch and take-out options.
- Direct gaugeUSGS 05362000
USGS operates the Jump River at Sheldon gauge immediately in the take-out corridor, and Wisconsin River Trips uses that gauge for the exact Wayside-to-Sheldon and adjacent Haley-to-County-G route reports.
- Usable flow ladder101-400 cfs normal runnable range
Wisconsin River Trips describes the local Sheldon gauge as accurate for the adjacent lower route and estimates 0-100 cfs as likely too shallow, 101-200 cfs as low but likely navigable, 201-300 cfs as average, and 301-400 cfs as high but likely okay.
- High-water caution1001+ cfs maybe too high
The same Wisconsin River Trips ladder treats 501-1000 cfs as extremely high and 1001+ cfs as maybe too high for recreational paddling; the exact Wayside-to-Sheldon race report at 2200 cfs confirms that water can be very fast at extreme levels.
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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Keep exploring
More routes to check next
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Quick answers
Jump River paddling FAQ
What water level is good for paddling Jump River?
Paddle Today watches Jump River at Sheldon, WI and treats 200 cfs to 400 cfs as the target band for this route, with weather and recent trend included in the final score.
Where does this Jump River route start and end?
This route starts at Wayside Park / Highway 73 Jump River Access and ends at Haley Park / Sheldon Access, about 11.1 mi on the water.
Is this Jump River 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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