Lake Onalaska
Protection & Rehabilitation District

Accessing the Lake

Accessing Lake Onalaska can be a challenge: most access points are not on the open waters of the Lake, which is rimmed with dense beds of aquatic vegetation, barrier islands, and shallow water. The Lake Onalaska Protection and Rehabilitation District (LOPRD) maintains a project to clear aquatic vegetation in buoy-marked “travel corridors” that provide access from boat landings to the main body of the lake. The LOPRD is also working with partner agencies to control sediment inflow to the Lake.

• Access from/to the main upper Mississippi River channel
  • South Entrance, River Mile 702.7, at spillway/roller gates (outflow current): the southern-most entrance, just above lock and dam 7. This is the largest and deepest way to access the lake. Controlling depth > 10 feet at entrance.
  • Millers Chute, River Mile 705 (inflow current): directly east of the upstream end of Dresbach Island, this channel has shallowed considerably so that it is only really usable during high water.
    
  • Proudfoot Slough, ~River Mile 705.5 (inflow current): a formerly deepwater entrance slough, has now filled with a very shallow sedimentary delta with depths of only a few inches during normal river stages. Still usable during higher water, before vegetation gets thick (late June).
  • Sommers Chute, River Mile 706.4 (inflow current): by far the largest inflow current to the Lake. A closing dam was constructed by USACE across the entrance in 1991 to limit inflow currents, which had been significant enough to suck main channel barge tows into the entrance. A visible standing wave can appear at this entrance during high flows, but the depth over the closing dam is approximately 10 feet. Sommers chute provides a very deep, protected 1-mile channel to the lake until it reaches the shallow delta areas on the western end. In most years there is a two-to-three foot controlling depth "“preferred” channel leading through the delta. Its location varies from year-to-year and even within years as the delta sands shift frequently. Boaters with local knowledge sometimes informally mark the preferred channel through the shallow delta with sticks for guidance. New explorers of this delta are advised to start from the Lake end, so that if they run aground they can refloat more easily.
  • Goose Chute, River Mile 706.7(inflow current): a rock closing dam with at least 3 feet of depth controls flow from the main channel. A deep channel winds through backwater areas for about 3/4 mile, at which the much shallower braided channel delta begins. Boaters with local knowledge are able to transit the delta to Lake Onalaska.
  • Gibbs Chute, River Mile 707.5 (inflow current): a rock closing dam with at least 3 feet of depth controls flow from the main channel side. This closing dam is located near a BPCA emergency shelter which is marked with an orange triangular reflective sign. Gibbs Chute is initially deep from the main channel side, but shoals considerably as it enters backwater areas about 3/4 mile in from the main channel. Gibbs Chute begins dividing out into several forks about 1 mile in. One of the forks leads to Fred Funk landing on Brice Prairie. Part of this route passes through a shallow stumpfield which is often marked with sticks by boaters with local knowledge.
  • NoName Chute River Mile 708.3 (inflow or outflow current, depending on Black and Mississipi Rivers stages). A narrow rock-lined entrance constrains water flow through this entrance. This channel merges with the channel to Bullet Chute and Gibbs chute.
  • Bullet Chute, River Mile 708.5 (inflow or outflow current, depending on Black and Mississipi Rivers stages). A narrow rock-lined entrance constrains water flow through this entrance. The Bullet Chute entrance connects via winding log-filled backwater sloughs to NoName Chute. Bullet Chute itself is an outlet of the Black River’s braided-channel delta, and can receive considerable flow during high water from both the remnants of the Bullet Chute distributary and Hammond Chute. A winding backwater slough connects Bullet Chute with Hammond Chute and Big Marsh to the north.
• Boat Landings (suitable for trailer launch, clockwise from northwest)
  • Brice Prairie Landings
    • Fred Funk Landing, W8023 County Road ZB
    • Mosey Landing, W7207 North Shore Lane
  • French Island Landings (Town of Campbell)
    • Fishermen’s Road Landing, 2840 Fanta Reed Road
    • Nelson Park Landing, 3600 Lakeshore Drive
    • Upper Spillway Landing, end of Bayshore Drive
  • Dresbach Park Landing (Minnesota): on main channel of Mississippi River at Dresbach, MN.
• Paddlecraft/Shore Access Locations (clockwise from northwest)
  • Lytles Landing, W8609 Lytles Road (Brice Prairie)
  • The “Tubes” walkdown, W8433 North Shore Drive (Brice Prairie)
  • DNR walkdown, W8217 County Road ZB (Brice Prairie).
  • Clearwater Cabins walkdown, adjacent to W7605 County Road ZB (Brice Prairie)
  • Fishermen’s Road walk-in (French Island)
• Observation Decks/Overlooks
  • Lake Onalaska Overlook, W7687 County Road ZB (no shore access): part of the USFWS Visitor Center trail network on Brice Prairie
  • Nelson Park Overlook Deck, 3600 Lakeshore Drive (French Island)