In November of 2019, Morrow Lake was drained for dam repair. The draw down was improperly done and tons of sediment were washed down the river, creating a environmental nightmare. The exposed lake bed was soon covered with vegetation.
When the lake was filled in the spring of 2021, much of it was covered with aquatic vegetation.
By 2025, about half of the lake had recovered from the draw down. The other half of the lake is still choked with vegetation. The areas of the lake that are covered with vegetation were once open water.
This voyage begins by paddling the Kalamazoo River from Galesburg to Morrow Lake. Exploring Morrow Lake can be divided into two parts. The east end of the lake features many islands and channels. The west end of the lake is the main basin. In order to see everything that there is to see, I recommend making two separate trips. If you’re a fast paddler taking a direct route, then one trip will suffice. After reading this post, you’ll be able to decide which plan is best for you.
Let’s get to the start of the trip! Galesburg Community Park is located behind Galesburg City Hall on Michigan Avenue. The Kalamazoo River boat landing is at the south end of the park, at the end of a gravel road.
The river winds its way toward Morrow Lake at a moderate pace. The river corridor is wooded and there are only a few homes on the river bank.
There are two islands on this stretch of the Kalamazoo. The first one is so small that if you blink, you’ll miss it.
The second one is quite large and the river channels are navigable on both sides of the island.
Past the islands, the river travels under the 35th Street bridge. Downstream from the bridge, the river enters the delta region of Morrow Lake. The main river channel runs west through the north side of the delta to the main basin of the lake.
The many islands of the delta area are south of the main channel. The delta is a little over a mile long and is about a quarter mile wide. When exploring the channels around the islands, be mindful of shallow water. I ran aground several times.
There are three small islands that mark the end of the delta and the beginning of the main basin. One island is next to the north shore at the River Oaks County Park boat ramp. The other two islands are next to each other and next to the south shore. The channel between the north island and the two south islands is about two hundred yards wide. The channels around the two south islands are overgrown with vegetation.
I paddled around the two south islands. It looks like solid ground, but there was just enough water to float my kayak. These two photos were taken quite a few years ago. Now, this water trail may be too overgrown to paddle:
This view is looking east from the main basin toward the channel.
The trip ends at either of two boat landings. The River Oaks County Park lake access is on the north shore at the east end of the main basin. The boat ramp is hidden from view by a small island. This is the north island that was mentioned earlier.
The MDNR lake access is farther west, on the north shore. The boat ramp is straight north from Rowe Island, the only island on the main basin.
If you’re interested in a trip without vehicle spotting, launch your kayak at River Oaks, head east and explore the delta, and return to River Oaks. I have used this option a few times myself.
The entrance to River Oaks is on the south side of Highway M96, just west of Galesburg. Follow the park signs to the boat landing.
For the MDNR landing, head south on Rosemont Road from Highway M96, about halfway between Comstock and Galesburg. The boat ramp is at the end of the road, on Plaza Avenue.
MORROW LAKE MAIN BASIN
I’ve never paddled the shoreline of the main basin, so I revisited Morrow Lake in July of 2026 for further exploration. I recount my trip to give you an honest picture of what you can expect when you visit the main basin. Kayakers may not like paddling the lake during summer because of the vegetation. Early spring or late fall may be a better option. You may like a different itinerary than the one that I chose.
I used the River Oaks County Park boat landing. Modern restrooms and secure parking made it a good choice.
I began my voyage by paddling south to the opposite shore.
I followed the shoreline as it curved to the west.
On the south side of some lakes, shade along the shoreline prevents aquatic vegetation from growing. This leaves a narrow pathway for kayakers to follow. I was hoping that this would be the case on Morrow Lake and it was.
I wanted to follow the south shore all the way to the west end of the lake. However, after a while, the water trail gradually began to disappear.
Eventually, my progress was stopped by a thick field of cattails, lily pads, and other vegetation. Exploring doesn’t always have the desired outcome.
I reluctantly turned around and retreated. I tried to take a shortcut across the mouth of a bay, but I was stopped short of my goal by thick vegetation. If you’ve never paddled through thick stuff like this, don’t try. It’s not worth it.
I returned to the shoreline and continued east, then northeast. Finally, I reached open water.
I paddled west along the north side of the cattails. The immense area of the cattail bed seemed to take up the entire south half of the main basin.
I reached a vantage point that enabled me to see far ahead. The cattail bed stretched all the way to the dam.
I had two options: follow the edge of the cattail bed west to the dam or head north to the opposite shore. I needed a change of scenery, so I turned north. I stopped on the west side of Rowe Island to get out of my kayak and take a break. The island isn’t exactly picturesque.
Looking north from the island reveals the MDNR Morrow Lake Access. Look closely and you can see a narrow channel through the vegetation that leads to the boat ramp. Information for this landing was mentioned earlier in this post. This is a good alternative landing if you choose a different itinerary than the one that I chose.
From Rowe Island, you can head west along the wooded north shore or you can follow the north shore east toward River Oaks Park. I decided to take the east route. I was tired of slogging through thick vegetation, so I stayed in relatively open water.
I spotted a large cattail bed up ahead. It looked like there was a channel in between the north shore and the cattails.
The channel proved to be nonexistent. Thick vegetation turned me back once again.
I paddled all the way around the cattail bed.
I ended up back on the north shore at the River Oaks landing.
This is one of many itinararies that you can use to explore the Morrow Lake main basin. Kayaking the open waters of the lake offers scenic views of the wooded shoreline, but venturing into areas of vegetation is not as rewarding.
KAYAKING SOUTHWEST MICHIGAN 