A 130-mile tributary of Lake Michigan via Green Bay, running south through Oconto County from the Nicolet National Forest to the lake. The river is well known among Wisconsin anglers for brown trout, steelhead, and salmon — particularly in autumn when the salmon run brings fish up from Lake Michigan and draws anglers from across the region.
The upper sections of the river, above the town of Oconto Falls, offer good kayaking and canoe paddling through forested landscape with few roads nearby. The lower stretches near the city of Oconto have canoe access points and are manageable for paddlers of modest experience. The river corridor is also important habitat for mink, great blue herons, and bald eagles. If you are in the area during October for the salmon run, the section below Stiles Falls is worth visiting even if you are not fishing.