Canoeing and Kayaking College Campuses in Michigan

Boardman River/ Northwestern Michigan College Degree of Paddling Difficulty: beginner (level 1 of 3) Livery: The River Traverse City, 161 E. Grandview Parkway (Clinch Park), Traverse City MI 49684; (231) 883-1413; www.231outfitters.com. The livery offers hauling and car spotting services. River Quote: "Today was meant for canoe travel" - Dick Proenneke (Alone in the Wilderness) Boardman River Soundtrack: Take Me There (Traverse City) - Hacky Turtles, Wade in the Water - Ramsey Lewis Trio, Blue Skies - Oh Brother Big Sister, Light Blue - Bobby Darin, The River of No Return - Tex Williams Detroit Tigers radio station: listen to WCCW 1310AM to follow the Tigers when paddling the Boardman through Traverse City. Directions to the launch site: in downtown Traverse City, take Union Street south to 8th Street, turn left/east on to 8th Street. Follow 8th Street east to the Woodmere Library and turn right/south. Once past the library, turn right/west on to Hannah Avenue into Hull Park. The boat ramp will be on your left. Restrooms are available. Directions to the take-out: in downtown Traverse City, take Grandview Parkway to Union Street, turn north on Union Street into Clinch Park. Follow the bend in the road to the brown shack of "The River". The boat ramp is next to the brown shack. Restrooms are available. Background of the Boardman River: The 26-mile journey of the Main Branch of the Boardman begins in the town of Kalkaska, at the merger of the river's North and South branches, a merger known as "the Fork". From the Fork, the Boardman flows southwest until it is directly south of Traverse City, where it begins to turn to the north, flowing through the land purchased by Captain Boardman in 1847, and on into the West Arm of Grand Traverse Bay. The river is known as one of Michigan'’s top 10 trout streams. A peaceful and slow urban paddle best describes the beginner-friendly trip outlined in this chapter, launching (where the river widens) at Boardman Lake, then alongside homes and businesses on the way to Grand Traverse Bay. The Boardman flows faster upstream from this chapter's stretch, moving briskly and with spirit as the river floor drops 8' per mile through occasional white water, with the most aggressive rapids north of the Beitner Road Bridge. The folks at the Traverse Area Paddle Club are a true blessing to those who love our waters. Begun in 1999 to bring paddlers together for social outings on the water, the TAPC has morphed into a first class environmental group, scheduling river clean-ups on not only the Boardman, but also on the Sturgeon, the Platte, the Jordan, the Betsie, and the Pine among their 120 river adventures annually. Their website is www.traverseareapaddleclub.org. Also working to keep the Boardman pristine is the Chairman of the Board(man) himself, Norman R. Fred, and his group the BRCS, acronym for the Boardman River Clean Sweep. Frequently working in conjunction with the TAPC, you can check out Norm's schedule at www.brcleansweep.org. "The River Traverse City" livery services the section of the Boardman River referenced in this chapter. In addition to rentals of kayaks, canoes, rafts, tubes, paddleboards, bicycles, and the fitness classes he offers, TRTC owner Mike Sutherland schedules "KaBrew" each Monday-Friday between 4-7PM (KaBrew = Kayaking + Brew Tour). The 3-hour KaBrew starts with a bike ride on the TART (Traverse Area Recreation and Transportation) Trail to brewery #1 and your first pint, then walk down the bluff to the kayak (or paddleboard) waiting for you and, after paddling to and stopping at several brew pubs or microbreweries along the way, arrive back at Clinch Park by 7PM. The River Traverse City works in tandem with each KaBrew pub to ensure the brew pubs staff enough people to properly wait on the 25-30 folks who arrive all at once on each kayak/paddleboard stop.