The Huron River Water Trail includes 104 miles of paddling opportunities. Here we’ve shared some favorite trips  for you to consider when planning a paddling trip on the Huron River.

Paddling Trip Descriptions

Upper Huron Trips

Island Lake State Recreation Area: Kent Lake Dam (Mile 13.1) to Placeway Picnic Area (Mile 18.5) – 1.5 hours; 5.4 miles

• Canoe & kayak rental available: Heavner Canoe and Kayak Rental
• Trip extension option: Kent Lake Dam (Mile 13.1) to Huron Meadows Metropark (Mile 24.5) – 5.5 hours; 11.4 miles

Portage Lake (Mile 34.7) – Flat water option, not on Water Trail

Middle Huron Trips

Hudson Mills Metropark (Mile 37) to Dexter-Huron Metropark  (Mile 42.7)  – 2 hours; 5.7 miles

• Canoe rental available: Skip’s Huron River Canoe Livery
• Trip extension option: Hudson Mills Metropark (Mile 37) to Delhi Metropark (Mile 45.7) – 3.5 hours; 8.7 miles

Barton Dam (Mile 51.2) to Gallup Park (Mile 56.8) – 2.5 hours; 5.6 miles

• Canoe rental available: City of Ann Arbor Liveries

Argo Park (Mile 53.2) to Gallup Park (Mile 56.8) – 1.5 hours; 3.6 miles

• Canoe rental available: City of Ann Arbor Liveries

Lower Huron Trips

Lower Huron Metropark (Mile 78) to Oakwoods Metropark (93) – 5-7 hours; 15 miles

Looking for more trip ideas?

Check out “Canoeing Michigan Rivers: A Comprehensive Guide to 45 Rivers” by Jerry Dennis and Craig Date or “Paddling Michigan” by Kevin and Laurie Hillstrom.

Several of our trip descriptions were graciously provided by Jerry Dennis and Craig Date with permission from Thunder Bay Press. These excerpts are from the “Canoeing Michigan Rivers: A Comprehensive Guide to 45 Rivers” section on the Huron River. The guide was originally published in 1986, and has been referred to as ”an essential tool for the Michigan canoeist for decades.”

A revised edition was published in 2001 and is available for purchase from IndieBound, Amazon, or Barnes & Noble.