I know there are several paddling.com members who paddle the Huron River in Southeast Michigan, and I would like some info aimed at paddling down it in a 15’ kayak with camping gear …
Should I use a spray skirt to traverse the rapids in the Delhi area and the Argo Cascades, or otherwise take precautions such as unloading the boat and carrying my stuff around them? (I’ve never seen the Delhi area)
Is there a way to get around the portage at French Landing dam? Perhaps wheel the kayak from French Landing Park on the north side and down the road to an alternative launch site, like the bridge on East Huron River Drive, or some hole in the woods?
Thanks!
Small update: I found the short and easy portage around the Argo dam and cascades.
Wish i could answer this from my laptop. Admin does not respond.
It is possible to get wet wo a spray skirt at hudson mills and delhi. If water level is too low the rapids below bell rd are a rock garden. Right now its clear but downed trees can be a problem below placeway in island lake ra. Flatrock dam blocked me.
No real camping spots below hudson mills.
Thank you much!
fyi - I paddled in Lower Huron MP a few weeks ago and their campground is almost right on the water, and it has a sign on the bank, so that will be a good camping spot for night 4.
I paddled Proud Lake to Island Lake RA (riverbend) last Saturday and it was amazing. The headwind was much more of a factor on the river than I expected; on the lakes the headwind was just as I expected.
Just want to add to the documentation for future paddlers of the Huron River …
I stopped by the French Landing portage Tuesday, 6/3/24 and the water is significantly lower now and slow, and there’s a large patch of gravel exposed below the stairs. The railing is loose and the stairs are leaning mightily, but they are solid. This portage is now ok as far as getting in the boat safely.
During my visit in early May it was about 12" deep and very fast, and there was no way to launch a kayak without standing in the current.
I also looked for portage launch points down the street from French Landing park, but the river was inaccessible all the way to the north fishing site, which would be a 1-1/2 mile long portage.
How do you portage around Argo Cascades? We want to skip going through cuz last time we took on a lot of water in our sit in kayaks.
You can pull out at the commercial kayak launch just before the cascades, wheel it right along the sidewalk past the cascades, then almost straight ahead (a little of a dogleg to the left) there is a steep sandy path down to a gravel launch. The river’s really shallow there, but it worked for me. You can see it on google maps’ satellite view.
I haven’t spent much time in that area this summer, but I got an alert that they’ve closed the Barton portage because they are rebuilding the bank. The official recommendation is to get out at Delhi and catch a 5 mile ride to Argo. That sounds crazy. I’m hoping we can take out somewhere just upstream of the construction zone, get across the railroad tracks onto Huron River Drive, and wheel less than a mile to the park’s launch just below Barton dam. Any intel on that?
I also got an alert that they closed the river at Ricket Road for bridge construction. Anyone know if it’s possible to get by?
(Last year they officially had the river closed at the US23 bridge construction before Ricket Rd, but the worker dudes left a little space to squeeze through.)
As of right now it’s possible to get under Ricket, but because the bridge is closed less people are paddling or maintaining that section so there’s more downed trees and such to deal with after Island Lake/ Placeway. I was able to complete my trip of the Huron before the closed the section near Barton Nature area thank goodness. The French Landing launch needs to be replaced, that was the sketchiest launch I’ve ever done lol
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I want to add some documentation for French Landing based on my experiences last year, 2024. Both times, I scouted it out and picked my course before coming through.
The first time through, the portage launch was under 4 ft of very fast water (Ann Arbor gauge was at 14.5’), so I avoided it. Instead, I took out at French Landing park and portaged 3/4 mi along Haggerty to Huron River Rd, went to the southeast side of the bridge, and launched. The river was high enough that the concrete abutment was submerged, and the launch was wonderfully easy (my current profile pic was taken there in front of the colorful graffiti). I’ve checked out that location with water at normal, and the concrete abutment is several feet high and safe launch is NOT possible there.
My second time through, the water level on the river was at a normal level, 12.5’ Ann Arbor gauge (Huron River at Ann Arbor, MI - USGS Water Data for the Nation), and the French Landing portage had a nice big gravel pad at the bottom of the stairs. The portage felt like it was downhill the whole way, and my kayak with 60lbs of gear slid down the wooden steps wonderfully well using my painter. Both times I had no problems and was able to do very safe dry foot launches, but if you pick the wrong one for conditions and have to turn back, it will be very, very arduous to get to the other.
I also want to add that the north west corner under the bridge has dirt and would be easy to launch from at normal water level, but it doesn’t have even a semi-clear path to it from the street. The next viable launch site downriver is North Fishing Site, which is a 1-3/4 mi portage from French Landing. By the way, I portage with a harness I made with a padded shoulder strap from a piece of luggage.