Dam Road Trip 2026 04

So this week I decided to repeat my Fox River Dam Road trip from January. With all the talk of the Wolf River flooding in New London and Shiocton, I though it may be interesting to see the water levels at these dams now.

Neenah Dam Island Park

I started my day at Island Park in Neenah again. As I parked I could already see a difference. Water washed through the fence along the flooded side walk. People fishing in waders in the flood waters.

In January I could see the rocks beneath the dam and only one gate was partially open. Yesterday however all of the gates where open and violent rapids hid the rocks. I took a few pictures of the dam and flood waters.

Menasha Dam Banta Village Park (Unofficial)

The next stop was Menasha. I found all of the gates open at this dam as well. Because of this the water below the dam was almost as high as above.

This did not deter a flock of pelicans. About a dozen pelicans swam along the opposite shore. My guess is that they were waiting for fish to wash over the spillway so that they could scoop them up.

Appleton Dam 1 Vulcan Heritage Park

My next stop was the first of the three dams in Appleton. Once again I found all of the gates open and the river raging through them.

A pillar from an old building below the dam kicked up large sprays from the current. After taking a picture of the tree that was covered in ice in January, I filmed a video I posted to Instagram yesterday.

Appleton Dam 2 Trolley Square

Moving on to Trolly Square. I took some pictures of the few Pelicans that flew above the dam here. A few years ago I took a picture of a trio of Pelicans in the waters below this dam.

Unlike in January I decided to cross the street and take a picture of the waters as they passed under the Old Oneida Bridge.

Appleton Dam 3 Hydro Electric Heritage Trail

The dam here is once again fully open and the waters are encroaching on the grass only feet from the trail. I took a few pictures of the dam and debris stuck in the spillway.

Freedom Dam Cedars Historic Overlook

I reached this dam and did not expect much difference. This vantage point is above the dam so there was not much to see in January and yesterday. So I took a few pictures of the dam and moved on.

Little Chute Dam 1 Island Park

This dam was much more dramatic. Where in the past when I visited the park and observed the dam, a large field of rocks were visible. Water foul were every where back then.

Yesterday however the rock were covered in a torrent of rapids. One of which created a wave even a pro-surfer would find tempting.

Kaukauna Dam Central Park

I had to skip the second dam in Little Chute because of time constraints so I continued onto the Kaukauna Dam. This dam however was rather mundane. There was high water but no flooding. The rapids were unremarkable.

1000 Islands Spillway

1000 Islands however was much more interesting. As I walked up to the observation dock just below the spillway I could not see any of the structure. The water covered all of the concrete structure. And most of the the “1000 Islands” were underwater.

I also took note of the flooding in the picnic area just outside nature center. The flooding had subsided a little but I could still see the path of the water across the grounds.

Rapide Croche Dam Picnic Grounds

Once again the picnic grounds at Rapide Croche Dam were closed for the season. However I was able to drive up the Highway ZZ. This highway has a great section of roadway that runs along the Fox River. If your looking for a cruise.

The Plum River connects to the Fox River just under the Highway 96 bridge in Wrightstown. Here there was significant flooding.

DePere Dam Voyager Park

I ended my road trip again in DePere. As I walked out to the Viewing Pier beneath the dam, I observed the people fishing along the shore. Out in the current I could see a boat fishing for something, I did not stop to ask them what they were catching.

One last time I observed that the gates were wide open. Torrents of water billowed down the river. But that did not stop the fishers from attempting their catch, feathered or human. Just below the dam another group of pelicans found some rocks to stand on. They were joined by cormorants.

Taking pictures and videos there, I wrapped up my day. Happy with the media I captured I left the Viewing Pier with the intent to end my day. But a Kingfisher and a Bluejay decided to cap the day off.

I am hoping to run this road trip at least one more time this year. Hopefully the contrasts in photos will prove to be intriguing.

Thanks again for reading. Hope you visit again next week.