THREE LAKES TO GREER ROAD
Gull Creek is part of the Kalamazoo River watershed. On its way from Gull Lake to the Kalamazoo River, the creek flows through the Three Lakes chain. This trip follows the creek as it meanders through wetlands between Greer Road and Three Lakes.
The starting point for this trip is the public access for the east lake of the Three Lakes chain, located on the east side of 35th Street between EF Avenue and FG Avenue. Look for a small gravel parking lot with a launch area underneath a big willow tree. A narrow channel takes kayakers through the lily pads to the open waters of the lake basin.
Go to the northeast end of the lake. The beginning of the creek channel is on the other side of a large field of lily pads.
Paddling through the pads is quite a chore, but it’s the only way to get to the creek. It’s easy to paddle upstream against the slow current of the creek.
At the time of my voyage, the water level in the creek was low, so I had to keep an eye out for shallow water. Running aground is hard to avoid if you stray from the channel into the shallows.
In some places, side channels branch off from the main creek channel. Deciding which way to go can be difficult. I tried to take the channel with the most current flowing through it, but that didn’t always work. I had to turn around and try another way a couple times. It’s all part of exploring!
A couple homes have frontage on the creek, but I didn’t see any signs of activity.
This portion of Gull Creek varies in width from eight feet to twenty feet or more. The wide parts are also shallower. It may take some searching to find water deep enough to float your boat through these wide shallow areas. Hopefully, the water level will be higher when you take this trip.
One bridge spans the creek. Ducking your head will give you plenty of room to clear the bridge. If the water level is high, slouching down will give you more clearance.
The creek flows through a culvert under a driveway.
I had to pull myself through the narrow culvert by hand.
A short distance upstream from the culvert, a willow tree blocks part of the creek. Between the tree and the creek bank, the water was only a couple inches deep. I could have easily gotten out of my kayak and pulled it through, but I elected to turn around.
I was close to the Greer Road bridge. There is a place upstream from the bridge to land a kayak. On my most recent trip, I drove my car to the bridge to check it out. A beaver dam under the bridge prevented passage to the landing area. Another good reason to turn around.
Heading downstream allowed me to enjoy the scenery for a second time.
I only made one wrong turn and it was easy to get back on the right track. Slogging through those lily pads at the creek mouth again was not my favorite part of the trip. Paddling across the lake back to the landing was scenic. Kayaking a small stream is a great way to spend time on the water!
KAYAKING SOUTHWEST MICHIGAN 