Row, row your boat, canoe, raft or kayak--gently or otherwise--up the streams, rivers inland and Great lakes for a Pure Michigan paddling adventure.
With 11,000 inland lakes, 36,000 miles of rivers and streams, and 3,200 miles of freshwater--you can enjoy a quiet glide along a ribbon of water or follow a navigable water trail on an inland sea. In Michigan we're never more than six miles from an inland lake or river and always within a quick drive of one of the four Great Lakes. Kayaking and canoeing is a great way to explore our surroundings. And, in Michigan, you’re never more than an hour's drive from one of Michigan’s 99 state parks or recreationareas where canoeing, kayaking are favorite activities for families.
Pure Michigan waters invite us to cast off our landlocked obligations and have a little Pure Michigan water fun. Come along for a tour of some of our many miles and miles of water trails and navigational waterways:
- Michigan offers several water trails for coastline kayak and canoe trips. The Shiawassee River Heritage Water Trail begins in Holly for a seven mile paddling trip. The Bangor/South Haven Heritage Water Trail is a canoe and kayak trail encompassing 21 miles of the Black River between the cities of Bangor and South Haven.
- The Upper Peninsula’s, Hiawatha Water Trail runs 120 miles from Big Bay to Grand Marais with scenic paddling of along the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. The Keweenaw Water Trail can be covered by an average paddler in six to eight days with a mixture of uninhabited wilderness areas, intermittent parks and nature preserves and sheltered harbors.
- Northern Michigan’s Platte River offers a two-hour easy going trip on the Lower Platte for, or fast paddle adventure best suited for experienced canoe and kayakers on the Upper Platte.
- There are also several Huron-Clinton Metroparks in Southeast Michigan that offer canoeing and kayaking for the entire family. Visitors can rent canoes or kayaks and leisurely wind around a lake or river.
If you don’t own a canoe or kayak, you can rent gear from nearly 30 members of the Michigan Association of Paddlesports Providers. Now, you won’t get stranded up river without a paddle. So, what are you waiting for—it’s time you start paddling.
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