Wisconsin Rivers Facts
Wisconsin has more than 12,600 rivers and streams that meander their way through 44,000 miles of varying terrain. About 32,000 miles of these streams perennially run; the remainder flow intermittently during spring and other high water times.
A Wild River in Wisconsin.
There are nearly 2,700 trout streams in Wisconsin; put end to end, they would stretch more than 10,370 miles.
The Mississippi River winds its way through about 200 miles of Wisconsin and drains the third largest area of land in the world. With its 250 tributaries and branches, the river drains 41 percent of the country's water from all or part of 31 states.
More than 100 varieties of warm water fish are found in the Upper Mississippi.
Wisconsin rivers and streams host about 4,700 dams of varying sizes, more than half of them owned by private individuals. The state owns 19 percent, and townships and county governments own 16 percent.
More than 50 percent of Wisconsin dams were built for recreational purposes, 13 percent to generate power, and 10 percent for fire control reasons or to create farm ponds.
Wisconsin is one of the nation's leading dam busters, and can claim the longest free-flowing stretch of river, the Baraboo River, as a result of dam removals. Thanks to the removal of four dams in the 1990s, canoeists and other boaters can enjoy a 112-mile free flowing stretch of this river.
Wisconsin has nearly 1,600 stream and river miles categorized as "outstanding" and recognized as the state's highest quality water resources.
Kayakers and other whitewater enthusiasts will find 503 miles of whitewater rivers to challenge them.
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