Wilderness Paddling
The upper reaches of the Popple River run through the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, and the lower reaches are protected by the 'Wisconsin Wild Rivers Act of 1965'. These protections have greatly limited development along the river making it one of the more enjoyable wilderness, paddling treks in the state. What you will find is mile after mile of beautiful wilderness scenery.
Novice whitewater paddlers will enjoy the occasional class I and class II rapids in the section below the FR 2398 Bridge. Intermediate paddlers will like the several class III rapids and falls below the Morgan Lake Road Bridge when river levels are adequate. Everyone will appreciate the wild beauty and solitude that the river offers.
Most of the Popple above Morgan Lake Road runs through a low, open valley of grassy marsh and brushy thickets with conifers and hardwoods in the background. The openness of the river habitat makes wildlife spotting fun and easy, especially the abundant birdlife. Look for flycatchers, gray jays, chickadees, grouse, colorful woodpeckers, wood ducks and eagles. More than 20 species of warblers inhabit the small river valley. Four-legged inhabitants include beaver, deer, and black bear.
Below Morgan Lake Road, the forest closes in. Birch, aspen (popple), beech and maple are mixed with beautiful stands of pines, cedar, spruce, and hemlock. In some of the rocky rapids the river becomes so narrow that the upper canopy arches over the river, creating an intimate tunnel-like effect.
River Camping
There is a canoe campsite for single-night camping at the FR 2159 Bridge Landing. This site is also vehicle accessible so you can set up camp before you paddle if the site is available. Another canoe campsite is downriver near 9 Day Rapids. The latter is more remote and scenic. Camping at both sites is free, and availability is on a first-come, first-served basis. Please limit your stay to one night only! Both campsites are primitive.
Florence County Campgrounds
West Bass Lake Park sits next to a beautiful 55-acre lake in a northern hardwood and conifer forest. "This facility has 29 sites on a pristine and quiet lake. There is a boat launch, pit toilets, water pumps, and a sandy beach. Each site has a picnic table and a fire grate. Sites are available on a first come first serve basis." _Florence County
Camping in the Chequamegon
The Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest has five family campgrounds within 30 miles of the upper Popple River. Four are located on scenic northwoods lakes and two have reservable sites.
Morgan Lake Campground is about 1.7 miles from the FR 2159 Bridge Landing. This quiet, secluded campground sits next to a small 45-acre lake and features 18 individual sites and a shady, reservable group site that holds up to 25 people, excellent for family camping! The group site and nine of the individual sites are reservable.
Laura Lake Campground is about a 25 minute drive from the Morgan Lake Road Bridge Landing. This campground offers a fun camping experience next to a pair of idyllic northwoods lakes, Laura Lake (106 acres) and Gordon Lake (51 acres). Both clear-water lakes have wilderness shorelines and fantastic scenery. On Gordon Lake, hemlocks and pines often lean out over the water and a spruce-tamarack bog lies on the west shore. Laura Lake is surrounded by areas of hemlocks, balsam fir, pines, and hardwoods.
The other campgrounds are Bear Lake, Lost Lake, Stevens Lake, and Chipmunk Rapids. Bear Lake and Lost Lake also offer reservable sites.
Camping in the Bewabic
Michigan's Bewabic State Park is a 40-minute drive north from the Highway 101 Wayside Landing. The park offers a family campground with 129 campsites, many of which are reservable.
"Bewabic has picnic areas, a tennis court, a hiking trail, two playgrounds, an excellent beach and a boat launch to Fortune Lake. It is also part of the Iron County Heritage Trail system."
"Many other points of interest in the area are within easy reach, such as Horse Race Rapids, Chicaugon Falls, Pentoga Park with its Indian burial ground, Iron Mountain Iron Mine and the Iron County Museum in Caspian. Using scaled down, working models, the museum displays the history of the logging and mining industries of the area." _Michigan DNR
Season
In angler's terms this is a 'freestone' river, fed more by snowmelt and rainfall rather than natural springs. Although several spring-fed creeks feed into the river, their flow is not enough to maintain sufficient levels for paddling in summer and fall, especially considering the number of rapids you will encounter. The best paddling is in late spring, early summer, and after a sustained rainfall in summer and fall.