See all 2 routes on South Fork Jump River
Wisconsin | Northwest Wisconsin
South Fork Jump River
Little Falls to Big Falls
Check current paddling conditions for this South Fork Jump River route, including water level, recent gauge trend, weather, and route details.
Route snapshot
Loading the route snapshot. This usually takes a few seconds.
Today
Get the answer fast, then scan the route.
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
Put in at Little Falls and finish at Big Falls County Park, or use the named falls as park-and-play objectives. This is a short advanced whitewater card with a misleadingly quiet middle at County N and a serious Big Falls finish.
Plan a shorter segmentOptional
Access planner
Pick a shorter segment
This changes launch and take-out logistics, not today's river score.
Peltier Lake to Long Lake is the full route. Shorter access pairs are useful when wind, time, or group energy changes the plan.
Put-in
Little Falls roadside accessOpen mapScout Little Falls and Big Falls from shore before committing; the route is not adequately assessed from the County N bridge.
Take-out
Big Falls County Park accessOpen mapBig Falls County Park is a real public park and campground, but use the posted park access and rules rather than inventing informal carry routes.
Pulling access map tiles. Usually under 5 seconds.
Access caveats and watch for
Access caveats
- Scout Little Falls and Big Falls from shore before committing; the route is not adequately assessed from the County N bridge.
- Big Falls County Park is a real public park and campground, but use the posted park access and rules rather than inventing informal carry routes.
- Poison ivy is specifically called out by American Whitewater around the falls areas.
Watch for
- Little Falls Class II+ technical water with sticky features around roughly 1,000 to 2,000 cfs.
- Big Falls Class III-IV technical action, waterfall/ledge hazards, holes, and portage decisions.
- Scraping below the AW runnable floor and pushier expert-only consequences near the upper part of the band.
- Fast-rising post-rain water, cold-water swims, and wood in the runout.
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.
No approved route photos yet
Start the gallery with shots of the access, river character, or any detail that helps paddlers know what this run actually looks like.
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 | 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 | 600 cfs to 2,500 cfs |
| Low threshold | 600 cfs |
| High threshold | 2,500 cfs |
| Data confidence behind the range | Local route guidance |
| Gauge observed | Checking |
| Paddle Today updated | Checking |
| Main source behind this score | American Whitewater South Fork Jump Little Falls-to-Big Falls runnable range |
| 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.
- Exact AW reach2.7 miles; II-III(IV)
American Whitewater publishes the Little Falls to Big Falls reach as a 2.7-mile South Fork Jump route with II-III(IV) difficulty.
- Runnable range600 to 2,500 cfs
American Whitewater ties the exact route to USGS 05362000 Jump River at Sheldon and publishes a 600-2,500 cfs runnable band.
- Big Falls hazardClass III-IV technical action
American Whitewater describes Big Falls as a 0.25-mile stretch of solid Class III-IV technical action and marks it as access, portage, hazard, waterfall, and playspot.
- Endpoint and feature coordinatesLittle Falls, County N, Big Falls
American Whitewater publishes coordinates for Little Falls, the County N bridge reference access, Big Falls, and Runout Rapids.
- Camping supportBig Falls County Campground and Park
Price County describes Big Falls as a river-edge park on the South Fork Jump with a first-come six-unit campground, vault toilets, hand-pump water, picnic facilities, and hiking along the falls area.
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.
See what others have shared, then add a condition report, upload photos, or flag anything that needs fixing.
Share your trip
Keep exploring
More routes to check next
Compare another stretch on this river, or jump to nearby options before you pick a plan.
Quick answers
South Fork Jump River paddling FAQ
What water level is good for paddling South Fork Jump River?
Paddle Today watches Jump River at Sheldon, WI and treats 600 cfs to 2,500 cfs as the target band for this route, with weather and recent trend included in the final score.
Where does this South Fork Jump River route start and end?
This route starts at Little Falls roadside access and ends at Big Falls County Park access, about 2.7 mi on the water.
Is this South Fork Jump River route good for beginners?
This is listed as a hard route. Treat the live score as a planning aid, then confirm conditions, hazards, access, and group skill before launching.
Flag a change
See something outdated?
Access, hazards, wood, and shuttle details change. Send a quick correction if something looks off.