Events - Event View

For the first time (that I know of), the TAPC will paddle the section of Bear Creek from 9 Mile Road to the Spirit of the Woods clubhouse just past Coates Highway. This middle section of river has been explored by a couple of club members who found it to be quite navigable for those with a spirit of adventure! (We're calling this section the "Middle Bear Creek," because there is an upper, marginally navigable section above 9 Mile, and a lower section from Spirit of the Woods down to the confluence with the Manistee River.) Expect multiple bumpovers due to logs in the river and at least one portage. The river is quite shallow, and you'll have to navigate carefully to avoid gravel bars. Shorter boats are recommended. This is a narrow, windy section of river which took the exploratory crew 3.5 hours to paddle 11.5 miles with a short rest break and multiple stops to clean up trash. We will take a longer break this time and stop for lunch at a sandbar in the river. Come enjoy exploring a new river with us!

Note: the launch is just upstream of 9 Mile Road off a short two-track opposite McMartin Road, just east of where 9 Mile crosses Bear Creek. To find the two-track, travel west from downtown Kaleva a mile or so, and look for a short one-lane bridge on the north side of the road that goes over a small creek. At the fork in the two-track, take a left to the launch site. Before heading out, input the GPS coordinates listed at the top of the event into Google maps in satellite view so you can see exactly what it looks like.