110 MyNorth.com
CANOE THE
BOARDMAN
Paddle through
TC’s urban arteries.
TEXT AND PHOTOS BY ANDREW VANDRIEWide and slow in its lower stretches, the skinny water
near the Boardman River’s headwaters provides a deceptively
technical and quick-paced paddle. I like to head for the upper
stretches that often get overlooked.
While numerous take-outs along the Boardman allow for
brief excursions, set aside a few hours for a more immersive
experience. Paddling from Forks State Forest Campground on
Brown Bridge Road down to Shumsky Road (the launch is
adjacent to the campground) is a 4.5-hour trip with a blend
of scenery and water conditions to keep paddlers engaged
but not exhausted.
Embarking from the tight oxbows of this upper stretch,
the water slips past cedar canopy and sweepers before shoot-
ing through culverts just past Ranch Rudolf. From here, the
stream continues its lively pace, skimming over the gravel
shoals of Scheck’s Place State Forest Campground and slip-
ping under the serpentine Brown Bridge Road a second time.
Downstream, the current curtails, the river widens and the
riparian woodlands give way to a vast grassland. Formerly
Brown Bridge Pond, the receded waters have exposed an
open prairie similar to the grassland trout streams of Montana
and Wyoming.
The Boardman heads under Brown Bridge Road one final
time, churning beneath the traffic of Garfield, and from here
on out, it’s pure Northern Michigan. The banks are hemmed
in with cedars, spruce, tag alders and dogwood. The generous
width and slower flow of the river make for a relaxing drift
during the final hour of the voyage. Watch for the launch/
take-out on the right, just downstream of Shumsky Road, to
avoid overshooting your destination.Andrew VanDrie writes from Traverse City. [email protected].