PRAIRIE RIVER, ST. JOSEPH COUNTY, CENTERVILLE to THREE RIVERS

The Prairie River is a tributary of the St. Joseph River. This stretch of the Prairie not only feels remote, but it is remote. The only time that you see or hear signs of civilization is when you are near a bridge over the river. Most of the time, it feels like you are in the middle of nowhere.

The river runs through an agricultural region. You don’t see very many crop fields from the river. Area farmers draw water from the river for irrigation purposes. The sound of the diesel powered pumps can be annoying, but fortunately they are few and far between.

The Prairie River is shallow. Most of it is one to three feet deep. The water is clear and the current is slow.

The shoreline and the land bordering the river is mostly wooded swampy lowland, but there is some wooded high ground.

All the obstacles in the river are trees and tree limbs. The obstacles are easy to maneuver around due to the slow current. The local watershed council and a canoe/kayak livery have teamed up to clear paths through fallen trees that were completely blocking the river. From a distance, some parts of the river look impassable.

When you get up close, you can easily see how to get through. I never had to portage an obstacle.

Keep an eye out for shallow water. There are a some spots where you might run aground if you’re not paying attention.

There are quite a few islands on this stretch of the Prairie River. The river is not navigable on both sides of most of the islands. I found that it was obvious which side of an island to paddle. When in doubt, I selected the side of an island that had fallen trees that were chainsawed.

If you posses basic kayaking skills, then you won’t have any problems on the Prairie. There are a few spots that will test your maneuvering talents.

I began my trip at the Centerville Canoe Park, on the north side of Centerville, on Clark Road.

I ended my trip at a canoe/kayak landing at the Sauganash Golf Club. A wide gravel path leads from the landing to the paved parking lot. The club is south of Three Rivers on Lutz Road.