World Hot Air Balloon Championship
Air show in conjunction with championship, July 1-8, includes daily balloon launches; special shaped rodeo; night balloon illuminations; full-fledged air show with military participation; static displays; three, $50,000 Grucci fireworks displays; Funland Amusement Park with over 35 rides, games and food booths; specialty foods and novelty vendors on the midway; daily entertainment and comedians; evening concerts; and arts & crafts festival. Contact: Battle Creek Hot Air Balloon Championships, Inc., 3300 6th Ave. Ste. B, Battle Creek, MI 49015, (616)962-0592.
Canoeing
AuSable River
Popular canoeing river is heavily used just below Grayling, and this area can be avoided if paddlers begin a trip at the Wakeley Bridge. The 75-mile Grayling to Mio run takes from three to five days. Below Mio, the current is very slow, and six hydro dams must be portaged. Counties: Crawford, Osconda and Iosco. Length: 180 miles. Location: From west of Grayling to Oscoda near Lake Huron.
Big Manistee River
For the first 28 miles, the one to three feet deep river twists through cedar swamps. At mile 40, Portage Creek enters the main stream. The water continues fast to the backwaters of Hodenpyl Dam where pike, bass and panfish can be caught. The portage is on the north side of the dam. A quarter-mile portage at Tippy Dam is also on the north side. Downstream of this dam, the river runs through 90 miles of wild country, requiring a minimum of at least two days to cover. Counties: Crawford, Missaukee, Kalkaska and Manistee. Length: 200 Miles. Location: From west of Frederic to the dock area on the north end of Manistee Lake.
Brule River
Good to excellent canoeing on a river that flows along the boundary of Michigan and Wisconsin. County: Iron. Length: 44 miles. Location: From backwaters of Brule Island dam to Brule Lake.
Cass River
Easy canoeing on a wide, peaceful slow moving river that arises in the thumb area and flows through a state game area and Sanilac Petroglyphs archeological site. The river corridor is sparsely populated and the home of a variety of wildlife. Ideal for the novice canoeist with small children. Counties: Saginaw and Tuscola. Lengths: 21, 9, 13 and 22 miles. Locations: From Saginaw River to Frankenmuth; from Frankenmuth to Vassar; from Vassar to Caro; and from Caro to headwaters.
Flat River
A canoe trail from Langston to the dam at Lowell, the river runs through the Langston and Flat River State Game Areas which provide excellent opportunities for wildlife viewing. The segment between Gowen and Greenville can be virtually impassable because of fallen trees. Put in points at Langston, Greenville off M-57, Belding or any of several access roads in the Flat River State Game Area. Smallmouth bass fishing ranges from fair to good. Counties: Montcalm, Ionia and Kent. Length: 45 miles. Location: From Langston to Lowell Dam.
Grand Stream
Good canoeing on a slow moving stream with few rapids and dams and many parks along its corridor; the ledges at Grand Ledge are one of the few rock outcroppings in lower Michigan. Counties: Ottawa, Kent, Ionia, Clinton, Eaton, Ingham and Jackson. Lengths: 18, 43, 7, 24, 15, 18, 29 and 22 miles. Locations: From Eastmanville to Hwy. 131; from Hwy. 131 to Maple Rd.; from Maple Rd. to Weber Dam; from Portland Dam to Clinton-Easton county line; from Clinton-Eaton county line to Lansing Dam; from Moores Park to Eaton Rapids; from Willow Creek to Portage River and from Hague Rd. to Culver Rd.
Kalamazoo Stream
Good floating on a long stream with city and county parks along its corridor; it flows through farm and forest areas, the city of Battle Creek and the greater Kalamazoo area. Counties: Allegan, Calhoun and Kalamazoo. Lengths: 23 and 112 miles. Locations: From Saugatuck to Allegan Dam and from Allegan Dam to Marshall. Manistique: Outstanding floating in a relatively undisturbed, forested water-shed. Counties: Luce and Schoolcraft. Length: 64 miles. Location: From paper company flowage at Manistique to Manistique Lake.
Muskegon Stream
Excellent fishing on a mild stream with no dangerous rapids; the upper half—Hersey is the mid-point— is a canoeist's delight. The state's second longest river, it provides hours of relaxing canoeing and tubing through a state-owned corridor with few signs of civilization and plenty of wildlife. Watch for rocks above Evart. Bass and pike fishing on the 13 miles of backwater from Big Rapids to Rogers Dam. Portage the dam on the right side. Paddling in pond water in the 16 miles from Rogers to Hardy Dam. Take out on the west side of the dam. Good fishing for bass, pike, rainbow and walleye in the Croton Dam backwater below Hardy. Take out at Croton is on the right bank. Good trout fishing From Croton to Newaygo. Good smallmouth fishing on the 13 scenic miles from Newaygo to Bridgeton after which the water slows down but walleye fishing is good. Counties: Roscommon, Missaukee, Clare, Osceola, Mecosta, Newaygo and Muskegon. Length: 227 miles. Location: The west shore of Houghton Lake where the river rises to Muskegon Lake.
Paw Paw River
Canoeing river that features steelhead fishing. Counties: Van Buren and Berrien. Length: 40 miles. Location: From put in at CH-681 about midway between Hartford and Lawrence to the St. Joseph River.
Pere Marquette River
Swift, crystal clear, popular fishing and canoeing river noted for brown trout, steelhead runs in spring and salmon runs in autumn is a National Scenic River and State Scenic River. Peace and tranquility are attributes many boaters apply to the waterway, and those who like wildlife viewing are treated to a variety of species while floating along. Free of hazardous rapids, it can be canoed by novices, but canoeists must be wary of submerged logs and rocks which can upset canoes. U.S. Forest Service permit required for canoeing. Counties: Lake and Mason. Length: 43 miles. Location: From Forks Landing, three miles southeast of Baldwin, to Custer Bridge, 1.5 miles south of Custer. Access Points: M-37 bridge, Gleason's Landing, Bowman Bridge, Rainbow Rapids, Sulak, Upper Branch Bridge, Lower Branch Bridge, Walhalla Bridge and Indian Bridge. More Information: Baldwin Ranger District, Manistee National Forest, (616)745-4631.
Lower Platte River
Described as offering family canoeing at its best, this river which flows into the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lake Shore is placid and the surrounding scenery spectacular. If Platte Lake is rough, a shortened trip can be taken by putting in at the M-22 bridge. County: Benzie. Length: 14 miles. Location: From public access site at Honor across Platte Lake to confluence with Lake Michigan.
Pine River
Described by some as the state's finest paddling river, this heavily used, fast moving waterway is known for quick turns, strong currents and exciting whitewater sections. A strong, often dangerous, waterway not recommended for novices. Put ins at Edgetts, Walker and Skookum bridges and at Hoxey or Peterson Bridge on M-37. Between Skookum and Walker bridges, the river winds through Ne-Bo-Shone property. No dams in the upper river but portages necessary where the water is rough. Take out on the south side for a 300-foot portage at Stronach Dam, at Low Bridge and at Cooley Bridge. Counties: Wexford, Lake and Manistee. Length: 70 miles. Location: From about 1 mile west of U.S. 131 to the Charles W. Tippy Dam Pond at the confluence with the Manistee River.
Rifle River
Scenic, challenging canoeing and tubing river known for the sandy beaches that line the banks and an abundance of riverside camping in the Standish area. Interspersed with rapids. In sections, the current carries paddlers along effortlessly. A patch of rough water about 8 miles below the M-55 bridge might necessitate portaging. The 45-mile segment from Foresman's Camp to Omer flows below high, timbered banks. Sucker fishing in spring; great steelhead fishing in autumn. Counties: Ogemaw and Arenac. Length: 90 miles. Location: From state forest campground 5 miles north of M-55 to Saginaw Bay.
White Waterway
Rocky-bottomed waterway leads into a swampland with limited camping. Popular with fishermen; trout, bass and panfish. Some hairpin turns; watch for windfalls. Counties: Oceana, Newaygo and Muskegon. Length: 60 miles. Location: From Hespecia to White Lake and Old U.S. 31 bridge.
Shiawassee River
Three-to-five-foot deep, easy flowing, scenic river with no white water passes through farmland and wooded sections of Genessee and Shiawassee counties. Good fishing. Due to numerous rocky riffles especially below Owosso, the best time to canoe this stream is in spring's high water before June or after early September. The dams at Byron, Shiawassee Town, Corunna and Owosso can be easily portaged. Counties: Oakland, Genesee, Shiawassee and Saginaw. Length: 65 miles. Location: From put ins at Holly, on the Bad River near the DNR field station in St. Charles about three miles above the Shiawassee and on Swan Creek at Swan Creek Road about four miles above the main stream of the Shiawassee to its confluence with the Cass River.
Fishing
Michigan Dept. of Natural Resources, Fisheries Div.
For information on fishing licenses and regulations, contact the Michigan Dept. of Natural Resources, Fisheries Div., Box 30446, Lansing, MI 48909. (517-373-1280).
Ausable River
One of the top trout streams in the state is located in north-central Michigan. The 200-mile river starts near Gaylord and Hwy. 32 and runs south to Grayling parallel to I-75. Then it turns east and follows Hwy. 72 to Mio. Then it continues parallel to Forest Rd. 32 and Hwy. 65 southeast, past Glennie to Lake Huron at Oscoda. Favorite catches: brook & brown trout.
Places to camp nearby: Atlanta, Barton City, East Tawas, Gaylord, Glennie, Grayling, Kalkaska, Lewiston, Lupton, Mio, Oscoda, Rose City, Tawas City, Vanderbilt, Vienna
The Bays De Noc
Little and Big Bay de Noc cover nearly 200 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline on the south side of the Upper Peninsula. Big Bay de Noc is located about 12 mi. W. of Manistique. Little Bay de Noc is on the southern edge of Rapid River. Favorite catches: walleye, perch, northern pike, bass, chinook salmon and rainbow trout.
Places to camp nearby: Escanaba, Garden, Gladstone, Manistique, Rapid River
Lake Gogebic
The largest lake (13,380 acres) in the Upper Peninsula. Surrounded by the Ottawa National Forest, the lake is located on the southern edge of Bergland. Favorite catches: walleye, smallmouth bass, northern pike, perch and whitefish.
Places to camp nearby: Bergland, Bessmer, Mass City, Ontonagan, Silver City, Wakefield, Watersmeet
Grand River
The river flows from Grand Haven on Lake Michigan southeast to Jackson, roughly paralleling I-96 to Lansing. Then it follows Hwy. 99 and Hwy. 50 south. Favorite catches: walleye, smallmouth bass, northern pike and catfish.
Places to camp nearby: Chelsea, Concord, Coopersville, Grand Haven, Grand Rapids, Hastings, Holland, Irish Hills, Jackson, Lansing, Leslie, Middleville, Moscow, Muskegon, Spring Lake, Smyrna, Zeeland
The Great Lakes (Michigan, Superior, Huron and Erie)
The state is surrounded by four of the five Great Lakes, offering about 3,000 miles of shoreline. Favorite catches: In Lake Michigan-brown, steelhead & lake trout, coho & chinook salmon, perch and smallmouth bass. In Lake Superior-brown & lake trout, salmon and whitefish. In Lake Huron-brown & lake trout, smallmouth bass, coho & chinook salmon, perch and walleye. In Lake Erie-white bass, smallmouth bass, channel catfish, drum, walleye and perch.
Places to camp near: Lake Michigan- Alanson, Bear Lake, Beaver Island, Buchanan, Cedar River, Charlevoix, Coopersville, Curtis, Empire, Escanaba, Garden, Gladstone, Glen Arbor, Grand Haven, Hamilton, Hesperia, Holland, Holton, Honor, Hopkins, Interlochen, Lawrence, Ludington, Mackinaw City, Manistee, Manistique, Mears, Menominee, Montague, Muskegon, Naubinway, Newberry, North Muskegon, Northport, Pentwater, Petoskey, Rapid River, St. Ignace, Sawyer, Scottville, Spring Lake, South Haven, Traverse City, Trout Lake, Walhalla, Watervliet, Zeeland;
Lake Superior
Au Train, Baraga, Bergland, Bessemer, Big Bay, Brimley, Champion, Copper Harbor, Grand Marais, Hanock, Kinross, Marquette, Mass City, Munising, Newberry, Ontonagon, Paradise, Raco, Sault Ste. Marie, Shingleton, Silver City, Wakefield, Wetmore;
Lake Huron
Alpena, Barton City, Cheybogan, East Tawas, Goetzville, Harbor Beach, Hillman, Kinross, Mackinaw City, Onaway, Oscoda, Ossineke, Port Austin, Port Hope, Port Huron, Rogers City, St. Ignace, Tawas City;
Lake Erie
Monroe, Petersburg
Houghton Lake
A lake in north-central Lower Michigan on the northern edge of the town of Houghton. Favorite catches: northern pike, walleye, perch and bluegill.
Places to camp nearby: Harrison, Houghton Lake, Lake City, Roscommon
Manistique Lakes
15,000 acres of water in a chain of three lakes (Manistique Lake, North Manistique Lake and South Manistique Lake). Located just north and south of Curtis in east-central Upper Peninsula. Favorite catches: chinook & coho salmon and steelhead trout.
Places to camp nearby: Curtis, Naubinway, Newberry
Lake St. Clair/St. Clair River
A large lake (490-sq. mi.) in southeastern Michigan on the Ontario border. Located between Algonac and Detroit off I-94. The 40-mile river flows south from Port Huron on Lake Huron to Algonac on the north shore of Lake St. Clair along Hwy, 29. Favorite catches: muskie, bass, walleye, perch, drum, whitefish, channel catfish and sturgeon.
Places to camp nearby: Algonac, Almont, Port Huron, Rochester
Saginaw Bay
A large bay of Lake Huron which extends into eastern Michigan. Favorite catches: perch, walleye, northern pike, largemouth & smallmouth bass and channel catfish.
Places to camp nearby: Bay City, Beaverton, Caseville, East Tawas, Essexville, Gladwin, Omer, Oscoda, Port Austin, Port Hope, Sebewaing, Standish, Sterling, Tawas City, Vassar
St. Joseph River
The river starts in Michigan, flows into Indiana through South Bend, then back into Michigan through Niles, Buchanan, Berrien Springs, and then empties into Lake Michigan at St. Joseph/Benton Harbor. Favorite catches: steelhead & rainbow trout, coho & chinook salmon, catfish, smallmouth bass and walleye.
Places to camp nearby: Battle Creek, Buchanan, Cassopolis, Coldwater, Concord, Decatur, Girard, Jackson, Lawrence, Moscow, Quincy, Sawyer, Union, Watervliet
Thornapple Lake/Thornapple River
The 409-acre lake on a river of the same name in southwestern Michigan, is located between Hastings and Nashville. Favorite catches: northern pike, largemouth & smallmouth bass and muskie.
Places to camp nearby: Battle Creek, Hastings, Lansing, Middleville
Hiking
Fernwood Botanic Gardens
This 105-acre Sanctuary on the banks of the St. Joseph River in southwestern Michigan is ideal for a family nature hike. Winding, woodland pathways along flowing springs, the river, marshes and bird feeding stations provide different views with the change of seasons. The extensive flowering gardens and plant collections include a Japanese Garden, Pioneer Garden, Rock Garden and a landscape demonstration garden. The Mary Plym Visitors Center features a lecture hall/art gallery, gift shop and tea room. Open all year. Located between Niles and Buchanan, N. off U.S.31N and Walton Rd, at 13988 Range Line Rd. For more information, phone (616) 683-8653.
Places to camp nearby: Buchanan, Cassopolis, Watervliet.
Hiawatha National Forest
Located in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, this national forest covers two broad bands of land from Lake Superior on the northside to Lake Michigan and Lake Huron on the south side. Miles of marked hiking trails are available. Bay De Noc-Grand Island Trail. This 40-mile trail for hiking and horseback riding roughly follows an ancient Chippewa Indian portage route between Lake Michigan and Lake Superior. The trail parallels the Whitefish River, staying from 1/2 to 2 miles east of the river. The southern trailhead is 2 mi. E. of Rapid River on U.S. 2 and 1 1/2 mi. N. on County Rd. 509. The northern trailhead is 10 mi. S.W. of Munising on Hwy. 94 at Ackerman Lake. The southern third of the trail is fairly flat with pine and aspen forest; the northern two-thirds is hilly in areas and winds through maple, beech, hemlock, white pine and other hardwood forests. For more information, phone (906) 474-6442.
Places to camp nearby: Au Train, Escanaba, Gladstone, Munising, Rapid River, Shingleton, Wetmore.
North Country National Scenic Trail
Eventually the trail will extend 3,200 miles from the Adirondack Mountains of New York, through the Great Lakes states and west to the Missouri River in North Dakota. About 476 miles of the trail through Michigan are certified and now open. The largest segments can be found in the Manistee National Forest (95.5 miles) north of Newaygo, and in the Upper Peninsula: north of St. Ignace roughly parallel to Hwy. 123 through the Hiawatha NF (88 miles), then west through Tahquamenon Falls State Park (21.5 miles), Lake Superior State Forest (42.7 miles), Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore (42.8 miles), then west of U.S. 141 to the border through Ottawa NF (82.3 miles). The trail leads through forests of aspen, white cedar, pine and northern hardwoods on flat-to-rolling terrain to the ridges and bluffs overlooking Lake Superior. Fore more information, phone (616) 975-0831.
Places to camp nearby: Brimley, Kinross, Mackinaw City, Naubinway, Newberry, Paradise, Raco, St. Ignace, Trout Lake.
Warren Dunes Nature Trail
Located in southwestern Michigan at Sawyer, off I-94, in the Warren Dunes State Park. The park contains almost 3 miles of sand beaches along Lake Michigan and some of the best dune formations found along the Great Lakes-rising 240 feet above the lake. A forest with sassafras, cottonwood, pawpaw and ash trees, a winding stream and wildflowers are other scenic attractions in the park along the network of hiking trails. For more information, phone (616) 426-4013.
Places to camp nearby: Buchanan, Sawyer, Watervliet.
Horseback Riding
Carefree Ranch
Located in Fairview, 100 miles north of Saginaw, on the edge of the Huron National Forest. Guided trail rides range from one hour to 2 hours. Open mid-April to Nov. 1. For reservations call (517) 848-5771.
Golden Arrow Ranch
Located adjacent to Huron National and Oscoda State Forest. Guided trail rides offered 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mon.-Sat. and 12 noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday, Memorial Day to day after Labor Day. For information call (517) 739-7800.
Rainbow Ranch, Inc.
One, 1 1/2 or two hour trail rides through scenic Western Michigan. Hay and sleigh rides also available. Open May-October. For information call (616) 861-4445.
Sogonosh Stable
Located in northwestern Michigan. Offers one-hour trips (longer for more experienced riders). Enjoy a Kielbassa Ride on Friday and Saturday nights. Dinner (Kielbassa dogs) cooked over a fire-pit. For information call (616) 526-5766.
Tipicanoe Ranch
Located about 4 miles east of South Haven. Year-round facility offers 1/2-hour and full hour trail rides. For reservations call (616) 637-4434.
Spelunking
Bear Cave
On Red Bud Trail four miles north of Buchanan, [4085 Bear Cave Rd., Buchanan, MI 49107, (616)695-3050], the only cave in the state, is a small cavern of porous limestone that's of particular interest to geologists because the calcite for it and its formations apparently was brought to the surface from limestone beds beneath the level of the cave by a hot spring or mineral spring. Visitors conduct themselves through the circular, 50-foot long cavern which has a stream running through the Slave Room. Runaway black slaves hid in the chamber when the cave was a stop on the underground railroad. Temperature is 56 degrees. In southwestern Michigan about 15-20 miles from Michigan-Indiana state line.
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