From its source in northeastern Wisconsin to Sauk City in the southwestern part of the state, this river is dotted with 25 hydroelectric dams, 21 reservoirs, 12 major communities and several paper mills.
The last dam on the river is near the twin towns of Prairie du Sac and Sauk City, about 40 miles north of Madison. From there to the Mississippi River, 92 river miles away, the Wisconsin River retires. The main channel flows lazily beneath towering sandstone bluffs and meanders around hundreds of small islands and sandbars.
