Float the Golden Lake 2026

The annual float event of the Iron County Watershed Coalition is on Saturday, Aug. 1st, 2026.  Launch your canoes and kayaks on Golden Lake at 11:00 AM. The entrance to Golden Lake is a mile off U.S. 2, along Highway 16, thirteen miles west of Iron River.  We will paddle for a couple of hours and then find shade in the park's campsites to picnic together.  This will be a potluck, and we encourage you to bring camp chairs, beverages, and bug and sun protection.  We will enjoy a musical performance by Whitewater (the Premos). 

Golden Lake is a deep, clear, cold water lake.  Several years ago, a high wind storm brought down large trees in the park, and it was closed for cleanup until 2023.  Some of those large trunks are along the shoreline, creating ideal fish habitat.  

Unload flotation devices at the boat launch and then find parking along the edge of the entry road or campsite road.  If there is a good turnout, a bottleneck in the boat launch parking lot will need to be prevented.  Outhouses are available, but a drinking supply is not.

After the picnic, we will offer a tour of the historic Cooks Run Cabin and Trout Rearing station.  The cabin driveway has limited access because of a wash-out at the entrance.  Any less ambulatory participants will have first priority to access the cabin in a high-clearance vehicle.  Other vehicles will find parking just past the driveway where the road widens out at a gravel pit.  It is a short walk from there to the cabin and stream. 

We hope to see you for a day that offers paddling on a quiet lake with friends, sharing a meal together with music, and a visit to a one-of-a-kind historic gem in Iron County.