See all 3 routes on Prairie River
Wisconsin | Northwoods Wisconsin
Prairie River
County Road CCC to Prairie Forks Drive
Check current paddling conditions for this Prairie 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
Launch at the County Road CCC public fishing wayside and take out at Prairie Forks Drive for the upper Prairie River Dudley segment. The best scenery is early, while the Bachelors Lane to Town Hall Road middle reach needs a wood check before committing to the full 6.2 miles.
Put-in
County Road CCC public fishing waysideOpen mapCounty Road CCC is a public fishing wayside rather than a full-service launch. Confirm parking, footing, and any fishing-season crowding before unloading.
Take-out
Prairie Forks Drive bridge accessOpen mapPrairie Forks Drive has a public parking lot northwest of the bridge, but the landing is still a bridge/fishing access. Scout it before passing Bachelors Lane.
Pulling access map tiles. Usually under 5 seconds.
Access caveats and watch for
Access caveats
- County Road CCC is a public fishing wayside rather than a full-service launch. Confirm parking, footing, and any fishing-season crowding before unloading.
- Prairie Forks Drive has a public parking lot northwest of the bridge, but the landing is still a bridge/fishing access. Scout it before passing Bachelors Lane.
- Bachelors Lane is the recommended shorter take-out in WRT if the logjam section below it has not been checked. Do not use nearby private farm or horse-property banks.
Watch for
- Two minor logjams upstream of Bachelors Lane and roughly five more between Bachelors Lane and Town Hall Road, including two that WRT found difficult.
- Brisk Class I riffles, shallow rocky boulder gardens, cold trout-stream water, and quick bends into wood.
- Higher water above the WRT target window pushing into strainers, lowering clarity, and making wades or portages less forgiving.
Route gallery
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Photos help show what the access looks like and what the route actually feels like on the water.
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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 | Prairie River Near Merrill, 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 | 61 cfs to 100 cfs |
| Low threshold | 60 cfs |
| High threshold | 401 cfs |
| Data confidence behind the range | Local route guidance |
| Gauge observed | Checking |
| Paddle Today updated | Checking |
| Main source behind this score | Wisconsin River Trips Prairie River Dudley gauge guide |
| 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-specific guideCounty Road CCC to Prairie Forks Drive, 6.2 mi
Wisconsin River Trips documents the exact Dudley route, access pair, shuttle, hazards, alternate take-outs, and subreach-by-subreach route shape.
- Gauge ladder61-100 cfs target; 401+ cfs extremely high
WRT ties the route to the direct Prairie River near Merrill gauge and publishes route-specific cfs estimates for low, good, above-normal, high, very-high, and extremely-high levels.
- Access supportPublic fishing wayside and public parking lot
WRT describes County Road CCC as a public fishing wayside and Prairie Forks Drive as a bridge access with a public parking lot northwest of the bridge.
- Current gauge check116 cfs / 2.06 ft at 2026-07-16 22:00 CDT
USGS Water Services returned this provisional direct-gauge reading during this automation run, above the WRT target range but below the very-high bands.
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.
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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
Prairie River paddling FAQ
What water level is good for paddling Prairie River?
Paddle Today watches Prairie River Near Merrill, WI and treats 61 cfs to 100 cfs as the target band for this route, with weather and recent trend included in the final score.
Where does this Prairie River route start and end?
This route starts at County Road CCC public fishing wayside and ends at Prairie Forks Drive bridge access, about About 6.2 mi on the water.
Is this Prairie 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.
Flag a change
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Access, hazards, wood, and shuttle details change. Send a quick correction if something looks off.