Gourdneck Creek offers some of the finest small stream kayaking in southwest Michigan. Kayakers can paddle the creek upstream from Gourdneck Lake to Oakland Drive and downstream back. No landing exists at the Oakland Drive bridge. There are two beaver dams to portage. The last half of the trip involves paddling through a series of dense lily pad fields. That part of the trip is best paddled in early spring before the pads come up or late fall after the pads die off. I kayaked the pad field section in June of 2020 and it was very tough going. I almost turned around several times but I decided to tough it out. The scenery upstream was worth it.
Your trip begins in the southern outskirts of the city of Portage at Hogset Lake. There are two ways to access the lake, both are off U Avenue. One is Prairieview County Park and the other is a one lane dirt road through Gourdneck State Game Area. A channel at the northwest end of Hogset Lake will take you to Gourdneck Lake.
Follow the west shore of Gourdneck Lake to the creek mouth and you are ready to begin. The creek is anything but straight. The first portion of the creek is bordered by wetland with a few scattered trees.
The scenery transitions to a mostly wooded area interspersed with wetland.
Next, you will enter a cattail marsh surrounded by woods.
The first of two beaver dams is relatively small but a portage is still necessary.
The second beaver dam is larger and must be portaged as well.
The portages over the beaver dams are not difficult. Remember to secure firm footing with every step while portaging a beaver dam.
After the two beaver dams, the creek enters a vast cattail marsh. If it is early spring or late fall, the paddling through the marsh is easy. In the summer, the stream in this section is a series of dense lily pad fields that will give you a workout. Good cardio!
The end of the last pad field looks like a dead end, a barricade of cattails.
It may take you awhile to find the creek channel but it is there. I wish I could give you landmarks to find the channel but there aren’t any. It all looks the same. Perseverance reaps rewards. Once you are in the channel, the creek gets very narrow in places.
The stream travels through a wooded wetland.
The creek then travels through the backyards of a small row of homes. You have arrived at Oakland Drive. I investigated paddling the creek past Oakland Drive to Justin’s Marsh, which is across Shaver Road from Big Sugarloaf Lake. There were too many obstructions, so I didn’t pursue it any further. I took a break and headed back downstream toward Gourdneck Lake. The return trip is easier, traveling with the current.
The thing I like most about this waterway is its pristine condition. This is nature at its finest.
KAYAKING SOUTHWEST MICHIGAN 