I always thought that Upper Crooked was a fully developed lake, lined with homes and cottages from shore to shore. I found out differently while surfing satellite photos on Google Maps, looking for new waterways to explore. Large portions of Upper Crooked are undeveloped or sparsely developed. My kind of lake! I immediately planned a voyage. A seventy degree weekday in late October filled the bill.
The public access is on Delton Road, one and one eighth miles west of highway M43 and west of the village of Delton. The boat landing is a Prairieville Township park. There is a gate at the entrance that opens with a seven dollar payment, cash or card. Fees subject to change.
The parts of the lake that I explored were mostly shallow in nature and portions of these waters were covered with lily pads and other aquatic plants. Since my trip took place in the fall, the vegetation was in the process of seasonal die-off. Even though the waters looked choked with weeds, I easily paddled anywhere I wanted to go. In the summer, some of the areas that I explored would be difficult to traverse.
There was no boat traffic during the day of my trip. The lake can get busy during summer, especially on the weekends.
If you prefer kayaking the developed shorelines of Upper Crooked, you can tell where to go by simply viewing the lake. I will focus on the undeveloped areas, which are a little less obvious to find. Only a small portion of the lake is visible from the boat landing.
After shoving off from the launch site, head south along the west shore. After passing a small peninsula, the coastline gradually curves west.
Continue following the lake shore as it curves north toward a channel.
The channel leads to a large cove.
At the west end of the cove, a channel leads to another cove.
At the west end of this second cove, a Parker Road causeway separates Upper Crooked from a unnamed lake.
After exploring the two coves, there’s still more to see. Retrace your course back to the first channel.
After leaving the channel, go south along the west shore.
At the far south end of this part of the lake, you will come to another Parker Road causeway that separates Upper Crooked Lake from Lower Crooked Lake.
After touring this part of the lake, I decided to meander toward the boat landing. On my way back, I followed the east shore south from the landing to a narrow channel that opens up into a cove.
It was choked with lily pads, so I decided to end my voyage. As you may have guessed, that’s a lot of paddling! I didn’t know what to expect when I decided to explore Upper Crooked Lake. I was quite pleased with the outcome. The undeveloped areas of the lake were very scenic. Be sure to put this lake on your “to do” list!
KAYAKING SOUTHWEST MICHIGAN 