Wisconsin | Southern Wisconsin
Little Sugar River
Tin Can Road to American Legion Park Landing
Route planning details, access notes, and local verification guidance.
Route location
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Need to know
Why this call
Conditions
Gauge history and hourly forecast
Use the gauge context and hourly forecast to verify local conditions before launching.
Gauge detail
Gauge history & hourly forecastDetailed view
Gauge
Recent trend
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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
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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 Tin Can Road and follow the lower Little Sugar through Albany Wildlife Area context, joining the impounded lower Sugar and taking out at American Legion Park above Albany Dam. The selected route intentionally avoids the logjam-heavy upstream approach.
Prepare this trip
Take the plan with you
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Put-in
Tin Can Road bridge accessTin Can Road is a bridge/trail launch, not a developed ramp. WRT says the small trail and launch are northwest of the bridge.
Take-out
American Legion Park LandingAmerican Legion Park is the mandatory take-out for this card. It is upstream of Albany Dam; do not continue into dam water unless a separate portage plan has been scouted.
Plan this segment
Access caveats and watch for
Access caveats
- Tin Can Road is a bridge/trail launch, not a developed ramp. WRT says the small trail and launch are northwest of the bridge.
- American Legion Park is the mandatory take-out for this card. It is upstream of Albany Dam; do not continue into dam water unless a separate portage plan has been scouted.
- The Verona gauge is a proxy for the Little Sugar, so confirm actual depth, wind, and water quality before leaving Tin Can Road.
Watch for
- Albany Dam downstream of the take-out, slow impounded water, and wind on the final Sugar River approach.
- Private banks, hunting-season trail/wildlife-area use, cold water, and post-storm water-quality concerns.
- Fresh wood even though WRT reports the selected lower reach was clear of logjams.
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
Data and sources
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 | Sugar River near Verona, 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 | 41 cfs to 70 cfs |
| Low threshold | 0 cfs |
| High threshold | 96 cfs |
| Evidence strength behind the range | Local route guidance |
| Gauge observed | Checking |
| Paddle Today updated | Checking |
| Main source behind this score | Wisconsin River Trips Little Sugar River Tin Can Road proxy ladder |
| 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.
- Route and mileageTin Can Road to American Legion Park Landing, about 3.2 mi
Wisconsin River Trips documents this exact lower Little Sugar route and says the Tin Can-to-American-Legion split avoids the more logjam-heavy upstream reach.
- Take-out accessAmerican Legion Park public boat launch
The Village of Albany describes Legion Park on the river shore as offering a boat launch, and WRT identifies the same landing as a great public access above Albany Dam.
- Threshold ladder41-70 cfs average; 96+ cfs very high/water-quality caution
WRT ties the Little Sugar route to the Sugar River near Verona proxy and publishes shallow, average, high, and very-high cfs bands.
- Current gauge checkUSGS 05435950 38.0 cfs / 2.88 ft at 2026-07-23 15:00 CDT
USGS Water Services returned current Sugar River near Verona data during this run, in the WRT shallow-but-fine Little Sugar band.
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
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Quick answers
Little Sugar River paddling FAQ
What water level is good for paddling Little Sugar River?
Paddle Today watches Sugar River near Verona, WI and treats 41 cfs to 70 cfs as the target band for this route, with weather and recent trend included in the final score.
Where does this Little Sugar River route start and end?
This route starts at Tin Can Road bridge access and ends at American Legion Park Landing, about About 3.2 mi on the water.
Is this Little Sugar 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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