PORTER RANCH TO WHITE BIRCH CAMPGROUND
With a length of 216 miles, the Muskegon is the second longest river in Michigan. The Muskegon River watershed is a whopping 2350 square miles. The source of the Muskegon is the 20,000 acre Houghton Lake in Roscommon County.
My friend Dan and I decided to kayak a stretch of the Muskegon that is fairly close to the headwaters.
We began our voyage in Missaukee County at Porter Ranch, downstream from M55, off Jeffs Road. We used White Birch Campground for shuttle service. We ended our trip at White Birch, just upstream from the Cadillac Road bridge.
The upper Muskegon River is narrow and shallow: thirty feet wide and one to three feet deep. The bottom is pretty much all sand. The current is slow.
The riverbanks are populated primarily by hardwoods with a few stands of pine here and there.
Dan showcased his angling skills by catching several pike!
It sounds like the ideal easy kayak trip. It’s not! The river is loaded with fallen trees.
Here I am, getting back in my kayak after a portage.
We paddled over, under, and around many of the downed trees. Some had to be portaged by climbing over the trees and dragging our kayaks behind us. We had to get up on shore and carry our boats around trees only a couple times. It wasn’t all work. There were open places between sections of fallen trees.
Be careful when wading during portages. In many places, the sand bottom is not hard packed. A couple of times, I sunk into the loose sand halfway to my knees. It felt like I wasn’t going to stop sinking. Don’t stand still, keep moving!
We didn’t hear or see anybody while we were on the river. There were no homes or cabins on the shore and no roads were close to the river. It felt like wilderness even though we knew that it wasn’t.
We were tired when we arrived at White Birch, but we felt good. The river challenged us and we came out on top. It was a memorable trip for both of us. I encourage you to try it!
KAYAKING SOUTHWEST MICHIGAN 