A half mile into the park the river is dammed by the road, and is channeled thru a cement diversion tunnel. At times, the river overflows the road, but negotiating the railings and footbridge at that level would, no doubt, be tricky, making this a mandatory portage at most flows. (You may prefer to just put-in below this point to skip the flatwater and the portage.) Beyond this, there are numerous footbridges and a couple road bridges (all should have adequate clearance) which you will pass under as the river carves past some high banks and meanders in the park. Shallow swift current and some class I-II rips are scattered through this stretch. (With high water, most of this just turns into swiftwater. There is not sufficient gradient to build any real rapids.) Be aware that the streambed is littered with broken concrete in a number of areas (often as a way of shoring up unstable, eroding streambanks) especially in areas surrounding the footbridges. Most of the rapids are a result of such rubble. As a result, there is significant danger if you end up upside-down or out of your boat. Additionally, being in a relatively high-traffic park, be aware that vandals and fools are prone to toss and break glass bottles on rocks near and in the river. If you don't have hard-soled shoes on, you are at great hazard should you need/choose to wade in portions of this reach.
If you proceed beyond CTH.A (the first ALT. TAKE-OUT), you will eventually enter a golf course. After passing a couple of low golf-cart bridges, you will come to an area where rock rubble lines the bed and banks, and a new bridge arches gracefully across the stream. A small dam had existed here for half a century, but was removed late in 2004 and replaced with stonework riffle beds. I have no experience with this area as yet to know whether these riffle beds offer any reasonable play, or what levels might be best if they do. Major tree snags will undoubtedly be encountered both above and below the section in the golf course.
Beyond the suggested takeout there is little or no interest (from a whitewater perspective) in the remainder of the river (3+ mi) down to the mouth in Kenosha. While it may make a tolerable paddle (flatwater float trip) even at low summer flows, there is no gradient, and the river suffers from increasing urbanization, with areas of eroded or armored banks. At the mouth, the beach is posted with warnings about "strong currents," which could translate into squirt city, for anyone so inclined to check it out as a possible park-and-play when flows are good (though higher flows are generally associated with higher bacteria counts).
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