MENOMONEE RIVER
The Menomonee River is one of Milwaukee's three primary rivers and is visited by people fishing, kayaking, canoeing, and boating.
As you travel down the Menomonee River, you experience the Menomonee River Valley’s industrial charm and its place in history as you float past the steel dock walls that line the river. These walls created a deep channel historically used as shipping grounds for commercial goods and products that helped to build and power the city in the 18th and 19th centuries. They will also be the foreground for soon-to-be-developed riverfront land and new businesses along the river.
Fish
People find many spots to fish along the Menomonee River and Burnham Canal. You can access the river at MMSD where you might catch brown trout, salmon, or steelhead. The western end of the Valley near Three Bridges Park and American Family Field offers shallow areas ideal for fly fishing.
Photo: Eddee Daniel
Canoe & Kayak
There are four canoe/kayak launches in the Menomonee River Valley.
Paddler-friendly access (pier with retrofit)
Parking: On-street and in Keep Greater Milwaukee Beautiful lot
Three Bridges Park - South Bank
ADA-accessible trail crosses pedestrian bridge and curves down to the river
Parking: Dead end where 33rd Ct meets the Menomonee River
Three Bridges Park - North Bank
Launch accessible by stairs
Parking: Dead end where 33rd Ct meets the Menomonee River
ADA-accessible path to the river
Parking: On W Canal Street, except during Brewers games
Milwaukee Kayak Company @ Twisted Fisherman
The Milwaukee Kayak Company location at Twisted Fisherman is open for rental bookings on weekends in the summer, plus they provide rentals for Wednesday Night MKE River Roundup with Funk Club. Single kayaks and tandem kayaks available for 2 & 4 hour rentals. Guided tours with Menomonee River Valley Partners & private tours are also available.
Twisted Fisherman is a restaurant located on the Menomonee River, west of the Harley-Davidson Museum, about a quiet 20 minute paddle to the confluence of the rivers where you can paddle up through downtown Milwaukee on the Milwaukee River. Free parking in the Twisted Fisherman parking lot.
Book kayak rentals here!
The Milwaukee Urban Water Trail
The Milwaukee Urban Water Trail is a canoe and kayak route through urban portions of the Milwaukee, Menomonee, and Kinnickinnic Rivers—with more than 25 miles of paddling! Explore the interactive map for information about Access Points, Portages, Hazards, Resting Sites, and Points of Interest.
Community Rowing @ All Hands Boatworks
Explore the Menomonee River this summer aboard student-built wooden row boats or canoes!
All Hands Boatworks hosts FREE community rowing events from the Emmber Lane launch site every summer from July through September!
RSVP and reserve boats here to join the fun!
Boats entering the Menomonee River
Boats entering the Menomonee River from the Milwaukee River must pass under two bridges and may require additional clearance:
Railroad bridge at Plankinton Ave - Call 414.278.1385. Generally open 7 days a week, 6am-10pm.
City-operated Plankinton Ave Bridge - Monitored remotely via Broadway bridge. Call via radio on Channel 16 or phone at 414.286.2570. The railroad bridge must be open for the city to open the Plankinton Ave bridge.
Dining Destinations on the Menomonee River
The Harley-Davidson Museum® and Twisted Fisherman offer docks for those who prefer to float to their dining destination.
Cleaning up Milwaukee’s Rivers
We’ve come a long way in cleaning up Milwaukee’s waterways, but industrialization during the 20th century left several feet of toxic sediment that is a threat to human health and a killer of aquatic life. Since 1987 the Milwaukee estuary—our harbor and the rivers that feed it—has been a federally designated Area of Concern, one of 43 hot spots on the Great Lakes. Milwaukee is poised to launch the biggest clean-up effort in Great Lakes history.
This toxic legacy is lurking beneath our Milwaukee rivers and must be removed before Milwaukee can enjoy our waters with complete safety. Our generation has the opportunity to leave our rivers better than we found them for future generations to enjoy.
Learn more about “A Toxic Legacy: Milwaukee Prepares to Clean Up 150 Years of Water Pollution” with historian John Gurda in the following video and at https://www.mmsd.com/about-us/news/a-toxic-legacy. Menomonee Valley Partners is a proud partner in this effort.
Mapping, Enhancing & Creating Ecological Diversity
To improve habitats for area fish populations, the School of Freshwater Sciences partnered with other scientific organizations to revitalize the Milwaukee Harbor as an ecological support system for Lake Michigan and an economic engine for southeast Wisconsin. The team conducted many studies and assessments to help scientists develop strategies for future fish habitats. This will encourage fish population reproduction that supports other water and land initiatives and wildlife. To share the study findings with those who will use them, they created the Milwaukee Harbor Habitat Maps.
All Hands Boatworks
All Hands Boatworks builds up youth in the greater metro-Milwaukee area through wooden boatbuilding, work experiences, and on-water activities that result in good character, academic confidence, and workforce preparation. Adult classes offered as well! They also host free community sailing on student built rowboats in the summer.