See all 6 routes on Milwaukee River
Wisconsin | Southeast Wisconsin
Milwaukee River
Waubedonia Park to Veterans Memorial Park
Check current paddling conditions for this Milwaukee River route, including water level, recent gauge trend, weather, and route details.
Route snapshot
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Today
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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
Start at Waubedonia Park and finish at Veterans Memorial Park for a longer lower-Milwaukee day with a mix of light rapids up top and slower suburban river miles near Grafton.
Put-in
Waubedonia Park (Fredonia)Open mapWaubedonia is a clean county-park launch, and the county says the park is open to day visitors from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., but campground activity and event use can still change how easy the parking feels.
Take-out
Veterans Memorial Park (Grafton)Open mapVeterans Memorial Park is a village launch with adjacent parking rather than a large isolated landing, so expect more neighborhood context and less room to spread out gear.
Pulling access map tiles. Usually under 5 seconds.
Access caveats and watch for
Access caveats
- Waubedonia is a clean county-park launch, and the county says the park is open to day visitors from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., but campground activity and event use can still change how easy the parking feels.
- Veterans Memorial Park is a village launch with adjacent parking rather than a large isolated landing, so expect more neighborhood context and less room to spread out gear.
- This route is long enough that a slightly too-low river can quietly turn into a slow frustrating day, so do not treat the gauge as an afterthought.
Watch for
- Scraping or shallow riffles when Cedarburg falls toward the floor.
- One ledge-like upper-river feature plus scattered light rapids that deserve a quick look if levels are high.
- Murky faster current after rain and boat traffic closer to Grafton.
Route gallery
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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 | Milwaukee River near Cedarburg, 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 | 390 cfs |
| High threshold | Not calibrated yet |
| Data confidence behind the range | Local route guidance |
| Gauge observed | Checking |
| Paddle Today updated | Checking |
| Main source behind this score | Conservative same-gauge floor from Milwaukee River community trip reports |
| 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 shape13.25 river miles
MilesPaddled documents Waubedonia Park to Veterans Memorial Park as a 13.25-mile downstream Milwaukee River shuttle.
- Conservative low-water floor390 cfs
The app carries forward the same Cedarburg-gauge minimum used on the immediately upstream Newburg to Waubedonia route. That same-gauge floor is a safer low-side call than pretending this lower route has its own clean published minimum.
- High-water reference day760 cfs = high
MilesPaddled reports this Waubedonia-to-Grafton run at about 760 cfs on the Cedarburg gauge and describes the river as high that day.
- Supplemental downstream context101 to 200 cfs low side; 801+ cfs maybe too high
Wisconsin River Trips treats the Thiensville stretch of the same river and same gauge as low but navigable around 101 to 200 cfs, average at 201 to 300 cfs, and potentially too high for enjoyable paddling above about 801 cfs. That is useful context, but not a route-specific standard for this whole Waubedonia-to-Grafton corridor.
- Route characterLight rapids upstream; more suburban and flowage paddling near Grafton
Wisconsin River Trips’ Milwaukee overview breaks this corridor into a livelier Waubedonia-to-Ehlers section and a slower Grafton Canoe Launch-to-Veterans section with only minor rapids in the upper stretch.
- Access qualityCounty-park launch to village canoe/kayak park
Waubedonia Park has a public boat/canoe/kayak launch, and Veterans Memorial Park has a village canoe/kayak launch plus adjacent parking.
- Official park operationsWaubedonia 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.; public launch at no cost
Ozaukee County says Waubedonia is open to day visitors from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. and that boats, canoes, and kayaks are welcome at the public launch at no cost.
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.
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More routes to check next
Compare another stretch on this river, or jump to nearby options before you pick a plan.
Quick answers
Milwaukee River paddling FAQ
What water level is good for paddling Milwaukee River?
Paddle Today watches Milwaukee River near Cedarburg, WI and uses 390 cfs as the conservative low-water floor for this route. The ideal range still needs more paddler reports.
Where does this Milwaukee River route start and end?
This route starts at Waubedonia Park (Fredonia) and ends at Veterans Memorial Park (Grafton), about 13.25 mi on the water.
Is this Milwaukee 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.
Flag a change
See something outdated?
Access, hazards, wood, and shuttle details change. Send a quick correction if something looks off.