Menominee River Kayaking Guide

The Menominee River forms a long stretch of the Michigan–Wisconsin border, running from the confluence of the Brule and Michigamme rivers southeast to Lake Michigan at Menominee and Marinette. It is one of the great whitewater rivers of the western Great Lakes region — and it demands respect. This is not beginner water: the documented runs include serious rapids, powerful hydraulics, and a Class IV falls.

The best-documented paddle run in our area is the Piers Gorge section: a 2.9-mile run from Mill Street Landing in Niagara, Wisconsin, to Piers Gorge Road Landing on the Michigan side. The Wisconsin Trail Guide documents Class II–III rapids through the gorge plus the Class IV Missicot Falls, and the Michigan side of the gorge is part of the Menominee River State Recreation Area, managed cooperatively by the Michigan and Wisconsin DNRs. Commercial raft trips run the gorge on summer weekends — a thrilling show, and a good reminder of what this water can do.

Plan this river the way you would any serious whitewater: check flows, scout what you cannot see from your boat, and paddle with people who know the lines. The coordinates below come from the Wisconsin Trail Guide's Menominee River guide and give you real put-in and take-out points to work with.

Paddling the Menominee River

Mill Street Landing to Piers Gorge Road Landing (2.9 miles)

Put in at Mill Street Landing in Niagara (45.77032, -87.98863). Downstream you will pass 4th Pier and Sand Portage Falls (45.76020, -87.96450), then 3rd Pier — Missicot Falls (45.75790, -87.94910), the Class IV drop that most paddlers scout carefully or portage. Below that comes 1st Pier and Terminal Surfer (45.75766, -87.94252), a wide, deep hole formed by a submerged ledge that the trail guide warns is easy to underestimate and impossible to see until you are in it — scout from the left bank and run the right side. Take out at Piers Gorge Road Landing (45.75834, -87.93907), about 200 yards past Terminal Surfer on river left.

Beyond the gorge

The Menominee continues for many more miles to Lake Michigan, but this guide documents only the Piers Gorge run. Other sections have their own dams, rapids, and access considerations — do not assume the whole river paddles like the gorge.

Hazards & Portages

Missicot Falls is Class IV water with a history of humbling experienced paddlers — scout or portage it. Terminal Surfer is a powerful, hard-to-read hydraulic; the trail guide is explicit that it cannot be seen until you are on top of it. Flows on the Menominee are influenced by upstream dams, so levels can change. Cold water, remote gorge walls, and weekend commercial raft traffic add to the seriousness. This is not a first whitewater run.

Access & Parking

Piers Gorge Road access: from Highway 8 north of the bridge into Michigan, turn west onto Piers Gorge Road; the river-access parking area is about a mile from the intersection on the left, with hand-carry access, parking, and trailer turnaround. Mill Street Landing in Niagara serves as the upstream put-in. Both are documented in the Wisconsin Trail Guide.

Map

The marker below is an approximate reference point at Piers Gorge on the Menominee River — not a substitute for the put-in and take-out coordinates in the guide.