Manistee River Michigan Thru Paddle - Kayaking 175 Miles

I thought it was 165 or 166 miles, but the GPS clocked 175! We had 5 hard days of paddling 30-45 miles daily from about 6am to at least 6pm. The weather was just about perfect except for only 60 minutes of rainy paddling and then an overnight rain. Portages were no problem at all. There were some boring parts, but generally this is an amazing river with stunning views and abundant wildlife.
I'm not sure if this was harder than my Maumee River thru paddle. Maybe equal but in different ways. It was nice having a paddling partner this time! Finally paddling into Lake Michigan felt like a great accomplishment.
Day 1: 18.07mi
Day 2: 33.64mi
Day 3: 50.11mi
Day 4: 31.90mi
Day 5: 41.65mi

[@paulh7589]

This brought back memories of my Dad and I doing almost the same thing on the Au Sable. We did it every year, took us about a week. He's long gone and I'm a senior citizen now. Thank you for this video from the bottom of my heart. The entire time I watched it I was 60 years younger.

[@ChineseBuddy]

Always makes me want to go home. So many memories on this river. Thanks.

[@norfolkyeti]

Some of that morning paddling with the mist on the water looked beautiful, especially after a night in the hammock. Great trip 👍

[@OneclickOutside]

Those mornings were the best! Cold fingers but totally worth it.

[@riversandcoffee]

Awesome trip...great shots.... super cool....thanks for posting ✌️

[@OneclickOutside]

Thanks for watching! It was such a fun trip!

[@stowe18]

Amazing looking trip- have been dreaming of doing something like this for years!

[@OneclickOutside]

Good times! I'm trying to figure out a full river into Lake Superior now but not sure where.

[@bradleafers9647]

Great video!

[@OneclickOutside]

Thanks Brad! It was a fun trip!

[@stu3775]

Excellent

[@OneclickOutside]

Thanks!

[@Njennings42]

that's awesome man, where did you start from? My buddy and I are thinking of doing the manistee in the spring

[@mdesotell6836]

Excellent video. After watching this we decided to do the Manistee River this year. We are putting in at Goose Creek State Forest campground june 12 and taking out at the Red bridge June 18.

[@OneclickOutside]

Thanks for watching. Have a great time!

[@KaleDavid]

My buddies & I drop in at 131 every year for a 2 day trip, taking out in Mesick. Great video!

[@OneclickOutside]

That’s a nice section. I should do some of it again.

[@AL4N.]

Hey friend, I'm looking to take that trip in July. I was wondering if you could give me some insight on the camping options. I'm looking to disperse camp, small tent and hammock. I guesstimate it to be about a 16hr float?

[@KaleDavid]

@Alan The livery we go thru sells it as an 11 1/2 hour float, I think it always winds up a little longer than that. When we are camping, we try to find a site at least an hour past Baxter Bridge, which is going to be about 6/7 hours after 131. Any site there is gonna have a fine setup for a small tent and hammock. I'm usually with a group of 6 guys, and we're never cramped for space.

[@AL4N.]

@@KaleDavid thank you for taking the time to reply to a old comment. Thank you for the info also. I think the map I found says a total of 13.5 hrs float time from 131 to 115.

[@KaleDavid]

@Alan Absolutely, have a fun time! Our trip this year is scheduled for August, so we'll be out there a couple weeks after you.

[@southendsurfer]

That was awesome . Can you tell us what hammock you used ?

[@mackjenkins7721]

Man that was an awesome kayak camping trip. I see you and your buddy had a good time. I'm glad the weather wasn't too bad for you out there. It was a good thing you was barefooted 👣 in the mad man. Been there and done that. I even broke a pair of flip-flops for stepping in mud like that & flip flops is the only footwear that will fit me & i had to go Barefooted 👣 for the rest of the day & was 150 mile away from home. I don't mind being Barefooted 👣 because I'm a 95% of the time doing things barefooted 👣 anyway because i have big very very extremely wide feet sz15 6 E wide with very chubby fat wide toes that are equally straight across making my foot very very wide at 6 1/2 inches wide from my big toe to my lil toe. My foot outgrew shoes , socks , & boots when i was 18 years old & flip flops is the only footwear that will barely and i mean barely fit my foot because my toes are wider than the flip flops straps which is a big problem since flip flop is the only thing that I can wear. So this is why I have to kayak Barefooted 👣style. I also like your Crocs that you were wearing man. I hear those are the most comfortable water shoes you can wear. I just wish I could find a pair that's wide enough for my foot. My buddy said buy a pair of Crocs in size15 & in the toe box area cut a section out for my toes to hang out because my toes are equally straight across instead of being at a 45 degree angle like shoes are made. I'm thinking about trying this out cuz I really like to get a pair of Crocs to wear for kayaking. This was a good video thank you for sharing.

[@OneclickOutside]

Yeah Crocs are no fashion statement but just hard to beat. These are probably 8 years old and used hard. I like being barefoot but that creates plantar fasciitis in my right foot. It’s not terrible though. The weather really made this trip perfect. Thanks for watching!

[@peterhawkins7130]

Great video. You yak like my 80 yr old mum

[@tarasandberg2682]

Have you done the Ausable River? It is amazing!

[@OneclickOutside]

That’s actually the next one on my list! Maybe this fall if I have time.

[@northernmichiganaframe5109]

That looked like an awesome trip! Where did you drop in at? My property is in that area. Thanks for sharing!

[@OneclickOutside]

We put in north of the east stairs. I think there used to be a wildlife viewing sign on the road but seems to be gone now.

[@chad6504]

Love the Manistee! We've talked about doing the same trip. Jeffy G is the man! Good guy to have with you out in the bush :) Where did you start day 2 from?

[@OneclickOutside]

We were a bit south of M72 near Hole in the Fence boat ramp

[@Roystoncreates]

Is there good parking around Cameron Bridge? Looking to do the same trip but worried about leaving a truck there for days.

[@Jeffrey_OMP]

Planning on a trip early summer- How far north were you able to put in? Are there any launches north of Cameron Bridge Road?

[@lad420]

There are no launches up from Cameron Bridge. I’d strongly recommend starting there. The Deward stretch probably could be padded but you’ll deal with a ton of log jams and portages

[@1046fireman]

What is that wooden track looking thing near the 5:00 mark?

[@michiganmikeupnorth]

I'm interested.

[@flushot6513]

What you using for kayaks

[@OneclickOutside]

I used my Perception Carolina 12 which is perfect for the river. My friend had a Perception Charter; I would have had trouble packing with just the one stern compartment but he was fine.