As we are located inside a Michigan State Park, a valid recreation pass will be required.  During peak hours, they are available for purchase as you enter our facility at the ranger booth.  Off peak hours, there is a self-registration station available, where only cash or check is accepted.  If you plan to visit many state parks, or just support the Department of Natural Resources, you can add the annual park pass to your license plate sticker when renewing your tabs.  Visit https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/buy-and-apply/rec-pp for more details.

The Huron River, home to our primary location, boasts a gentle current of about 2-3 MPH and is easily navigable by all ages and skill levels.  Between the prevailing winds that blow to the west-east, and the river current that flows east-west, they usually balance out for no real affect.  There are, of course, exceptions in the wind patterns, but with the trees that shelter most of the river it is almost guaranteed to be a relaxing experience.  For reference, we have had kids as young as 8-10 be able to handle a kayak by themselves, and routinely have school groups with two 6th graders managing a canoe.

While we require and provide life vests for all customers, this section of the river is mostly shallow (waist deep-ish).  There is no rough water that’ll make you tip over, and a lot of the river bed is muddy and murky and you might lose a shoe, but if you do tip over just stand up.

When leaving our site, you can head upstream into the Proud Lake Recreation area, for up to 3 hours (one-way) of paddling through 4000 acres of pristine wilderness.  The river is gated at Benstein Rd and you can go no further.  When you decide you’ve had enough, simply turn around and paddle back downstream to return to where you started.  This is our most popular route, as there’s a scenic bridge with a swimming area.

For a change of scenery, you can head downstream from our site to end up in downtown Milford, where you can leave your boat on the grass at Central Park (Currently closed for construction).  It’s a short walk to to get a bite to eat, cold beverage, or ice cream before paddling back up the river to where you started.  On this route there is no swimming area as it is primarily back yards.

If you continue past Milford, you can portage around the Milford Dam and get onto the lower Huron – but don’t do this if you plan to paddle back upstream as the current is a little faster.  Only go this route if you’ve pre-arranged transportation, which is currently available most weekends.  The Huron river eventually opens up into Kent Lake in Kensington Metropark, where we operate a second location on the weekends, which is a different paddling experience.

We have three kinds of boats available for rent:

• Our silver aluminum canoes have two flat metal seats that you sit on like a chair with your feet on the bottom of the boat.  You can fit two adults on the seats and up to two kids in the middle of the boat, if the combined weight of the kids is less than 100lbs.  There is room for dogs or coolers as well, and the canoes are generally stable as long as you keep your weight centered.
• A kayak is either plastic or fiberglass, and designed for one person.  We have sit-in kayaks, where you sit in a molded seat with a backrest in a cockpit-like area with your feet in front of you inside the boat.  We also have sit-on kayaks, that are completely open-top and good for getting some sun.  We do not currently reserve them by type, but you may request what you like when you arrive.
• A Tandem Kayak is basically a kayak for two – with two seats.  We have sit-in or sit-on varieties of these as well.  There is a $10 upcharge for these popular boats.

Our “Self-Return” trips are our most popular and flexible option.  These are priced by time, and give you the flexibility to come and go at your leisure.  Book enough time for what you expect to do, based on our suggestions in the River Experience section.  Book online 24 hours in advance with promo code “PlanningAhead” for a $5 discount!

We also have one-way trips available.  For these trips, you paddle downstream only – we’ll transport you and your boat upstream.  These trips are not always available, it is subject to staff driver availability.  Please note that we cannot offer any transportation to or from Central Park in Milford while it is under construction.

A warning about directions:  When you come from the west on I-96, it may tell you to exit at Milford Rd and you’ll end up on some very rough dirt roads.  We highly recommend exiting at Wixom Rd, #159 and let GPS catch up.  Also, if you use Apple Maps to get to our address, 2775 Garden Rd, Milford MI  48381, it will likely take you to a private residence instead of the business.  On Garden Road, MAKE SURE you turn right at the yellow gate when you see the canoe.  If you don’t, you’ll end up in a driveway and will have to turn around.

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Last boats launch 2 hour before closing.  Any returns after closing will be charged $20 / 15 minutes per boat.