Wilderness Canoe Trips
Kayaking business nearby (~32 mi away) — hasn't claimed their Roamze page yet
Big Sable River
Fountain, Michigan
Michigan
Free — you'll pick up right here.
No verdict for this water
We won't guess. Here is exactly what we do and don't know.
What we do know
Inside Huron-Manistee National Forest
2 managing-area boundaries mapped — agency alerts for them feed this page automatically.
Boundary data
What's missing
No access route mapped
We don't yet know which road reaches this trailhead, so we can't tell you if it's gated.
Nobody's filed a report here yet — be the first.
Why you'll love it
12.6 mi run
Seasonal — can run dry
205 cfs avg flow
River facts
- Water
- Seasonal — can run dry
- Average flow
- 205 cfs
- Average current
- 0.9 ft/s
- Gradient
- 5.5 ft/mi
- Drainage area
- 182 sq mi
Long-term averages modeled by USGS (NHDPlus HR), not today's conditions. Check a gauge before you go.
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Big Sable River
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More about this water ↓
Photos
Directions & GPX
Permits & access
- Managing agency
- Forest Service
About this water
Big Sable River is a 13-mile paddling stretch near Fountain, Michigan. It is intermittent and may run dry in some seasons. USGS models an average flow of about 205 cfs and a gradient of about 5.5 feet per mile. Land along it is managed by the U.S. Forest Service.
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Keep exploring — more water worth the drive
Photo: en:User:Yetiwriter, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)Pere Marquette River
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Elbow Lake Boat Launch
~13 min drive
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Harper Lake Boat Launch
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Lower Branch Bridge River Access
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Walhalla Bridge River Access
~15 min drive
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Upper Branch Bridge Landing
~16 min drive
Upper Branch Bridge Landing is a boat launch in Michigan.
Guided trips nearby
Local operators near Fountainoffering guided trips. You book directly with them — Roamze doesn’t take a cut.
View operator
Chippewa Landing
Kayaking business nearby (~45 mi away) — hasn't claimed their Roamze page yet
