Peshtigo River Rafting

Peshtigo River Rafting

Peshtigo River Rafting trips are available right next door at Kosir’s Rapid Rafts.

The Peshtigo River is world famous for its five miles of continuous class II, III and IV whitewater. The exciting Roaring Rapids section of the Peshtigo River includes three rock garden stretches and six main rapids, including ledges, waterfalls, and the legendary First Drop and Horserace Rapids.

The Roaring Rapids section of the river, even at low levels, has big enough rapids and waves that one will want either a decked boat (whitewater kayak), an inflatable one person raft (funyak, ducky), or float bags in a canoe to run it. Open canoes do not fare well on this stretch at all. They almost always swamp, fill with water, and then end up wrapped around a rock like a twist tie.

The rock that forms the river channel is a granite composite, more specifically a Precambrian crystalline dolomite, and as a result, there is very little water erosion and undercutting. That makes this river a lot safer than some with softer bedrock. At lower water, the rapids in this stretch rate Class II- III. At levels over about 800 cfs, they rate mostly III or IV. Again, you do not want to take a canoe down this stretch without float bags. If in doubt, raft it with Kosir’s Rapid Rafts first, and see what you are getting into.