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Sanctuary's Canoeing Directions

Saturday morning, bright and early: eat breakfast, pack your lunch, cooler and supplies for canoeing - we must leave the camp grounds by 9:30.

  1. Take hwy 33 east into Portage, cross the Wisconsin River, just on the other side of the river continue straight onto Pierce Street (don't stay on 33 which turns right), stay on Pierce St. for 2 blocks, turn left onto Pleasant Street for 3 blocks until it dead ends at the river in "Sunset Park".


  2. Drop off your passengers & supplies; our canoes should be at our departure place, "Sunset Park" boat landing area, at 10:00 - wait for the trip leader(s) and rest of the group for a group head count.


  3. With your passengers & supplies out of your vehicle, turn around and take Pleasant Street approximately 7 blocks into the downtown area, until Wisconsin St. (which is U.S. 51 & hwy 16), turn right and follow hwy 51 towards Madison, hwy 16 will turn off but stay on 51 until county road "V, J" where you turn right onto "V, J". While continuing on "V, J", county road "J" will turn off but stay on "V", continue past the "Bears Hideaway Bar" entrance road for 2 blocks until Dekorra public boat launch/landing area (parking on the left, river landing area on the right).


  4. Park your vehicle in the public lot and Terri Knowles (cell 608-617-2818) or Glen from "T&G's Canoeing Adventures", our outfitter (also the owners of the "Bears Hideaway") will meet us and directs us to the vans which will return us back to Sunset Park, our canoe departure area. If you reach Hooker's Resort (and Judd's Marina) area, you went too far - turn around and look for the Dekorra public boat landing area.

For visual maps use the hard copy map that was handed out or go to either maps.yahoo.com or www.mapquest.com and use the following destination addresses or coordinates:

  • Sky High's address: N5740 Sky High Dr, Portage, WI 53901-8935


  • Sunset Park in Portage, use the intersection of: W Pleasant St and Sunset St, Portage, WI 53901


  • Dekorra Township, use: Dekorra, WI

Information about Sunset Park - our departure place: Originally owned by the Tenant Family, Sunset Park was donated to the City of Portage in 1931 by Zona Gale Breese and Eleanor Breese to be used solely for public park purposes. The stone wall and steps were landscaped by Betty Tenant through one of the President Rossevelt's New Deal programs of the 30's. This park has 4.5-acres and is located at West Pleasant Street and Sunset Street. There are two shelters. Shelter #1 has electricity, cooking grills, picnic tables and a pop machine. Shelter #2 has picnic tables and a cooking grill. The shelters share the restroom facility, sand volleyball court, horseshoe pit, tennis court and play equipment. A public boat launch/landing area with a small parking lot is at the far end.

Listed below are the City of Portage ordinances which should be observed by all persons in order to keep your parks safe and beautiful:

  • City parks are open between 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m.
  • Glass containers are prohibited in all parks.
  • Dogs, cats or littering in parks is prohibited.
  • No motor vehicles in park area.