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 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
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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
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.
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
Waubedonia Park (Fredonia)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.
Take-out
Veterans Memorial Park (Grafton)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.
Plan this segment
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.
- Veterans is the planned finish upstream of the Highway 60 bridge dam. Use the named canoe/kayak pier and do not continue downstream without a separate, source-backed dam-portage plan.
- 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
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 | 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 |
| Evidence strength 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.
- Dam boundaryVeterans Memorial Park is upstream of the Highway 60 bridge dam
The route-specific report places the Veterans take-out on river-right immediately upstream of the Highway 60 bridge dam and identifies the floating canoe/kayak pier as the intended finish.
- 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
Paddler reports
See recent photos and notes from people on the route.
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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
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.