We currently operate on the Huron River at three different locations.

If this is your first visit with us, we recommend our primary location inside the Proud Lake Recreation area, on a slow and shallow section of the Huron.  With a gentle current of about 2-3 MPH, all ages and skill levels are welcome. 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.

This section of the river is mostly shallow (waist deep-ish).  There is no rough water and although a lot of the river bed is muddy and murky and you might lose a shoe, 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.  This is our most popular route, as there’s a scenic bridge with a swimming area about an hour upstream. If you keep going you’ll pass by the campground, where we operate our second location for registered campers only.  It is on Proud Lake itself, which is up to 39 feet deep. Explore the shoreline or bounce on the waves from the occasional powerboat.  If you keep going past the campground, the river is gated at Benstein Rd and you can go no further. 

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 private property.

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 our third location on the weekends.  Kent Lake is a much busier and is larger than Proud Lake, which is great for that open water paddling experience.  Since it is a larger area and there are usually more power boats, we don’t recommend this area for beginners.

If you have any questions or need anything further, don’t hesitate to contact us!