The Muskegon River is the "Friendly Giant" of Michigan's rivers, and at 230 miles long, it is Michigan's second longest river, (with the longest being the Grand River.) It has 3 major dams: Rogers, Croton and Hardy, which together generate about 45,600 kilowatts of electricity, (which is enough electricity to serve a community of 23,000) The river has its headwaters in Houghton Lake, and snaking its way across the western portion of Michigan's lower peninsula, it flows in a continuous south-west direction, until it eventually reaches Muskegon lake, ( before being discharged into Lake Michigan via a one mile long channel.) It drains a watershed of more than 2.300 square miles. Major branches of the river are: the Little Muskegon River, Hersey River and Cedar Creek. It was once a favored logging river during the boom years of 1880's thru 1890's, and it is said that during these times, that there was more logs transported down the Muskegon River, than down any other river in the world, and that after the Great fire of Chicago of 1871, that the river also played a large role in supplying much of the lumber that was used in rebuilding the city. Some say that there are areas of the river where there are still remnants of logs embedded into the rivers bottom, and that if one has a keen enough eye, they can still pick out the remnants of the logs that were abandoned during spring logging runs.' Through the years the river has gained some recognition as a recreational fishery; boasting large Steel-head, Salmon, and Brown-Trout. The predominate species in this area are; Small Mouth Bass, Walleye, Brown Trout, Rainbow Trout, and Northern Pike. The Muskegon River has been Nationally ranked as one of the top 20 rivers for fishing by "Field and Stream," and has been ranked among the top 12 by "National Geographic" for recreation.
The river is a beautiful and peaceful waterway, abundant in wildlife. Each year the rivers mild currents carry paddlers through miles of quiet forests, with each bend bringing forth more surprises of beautiful scenery. Paddlers can occasionally see deer, beaver, assorted waterfowl, and even eagles while on their river trips.
Please come and join us this year for a day of family fun. We hope we'll be seeing you soon... down by the river.