Sturgeon River and Burt Lake - Rafting Northern Lower Michigan

All in the area know the Sturgeon River as the fastest river located in the lower peninsula of Michigan. With an average drop of fourteen feet every mile, it delivers an exciting raft or canoe trip. The Sturgeon is not a whitewater river, but is full of tricky turns and narrow passages. Logs, low overhanging trees and roots will test your abilities. As you maneuver through the clear water, you will find many natural obstacles that will challenge you as you make your way down the river. This will require that you stay alert even though you will be tempted to just sit back and let the current take you along. The river is not very deep, averaging 3-4 feet, and only 6-8 feet at its deepest point. It is very rapid, and is spring fed, so the water is cold. It is common to experience a tip-over in a canoe, but not in a raft. Regardless, you should plan to get wet.

Because the Sturgeon River passes through a state forest, there are many undeveloped areas. You will see wildlife along the way. Keep your eyes open for birds, deer and other little critters that build their homes in the northern Michigan forests. Sections of the route will carry you by lovely river cottages. Here you will enjoy "Venice-style" scenery and a cheerful "Hello" from locals enjoying the fresh air and watching all the water traffic.

My rafting trip was included in a Fall Color Nature Adventure offered by the Solace Spa. The Solace Spa is located at the Mountain Grand Lodge in Boyne Falls, Michigan. The Solace Spa is a full service spa and was named by Spa Magazine's Worldwide Spa Guide as one of the "Best Spas in the World". Solace Spa offers many seasonal and life inspiring packages. A stay in the Mountain Grand Lodge is not required to participate in any of the spa activities.

We were a group of 12, including Sean Handler, Solace Spa Director. As the event tour guide, he provided a great deal of local information during the 45-minute bus ride north to Indian River, completing the tour with a drive through the SoBo District of Boyne City.

We began our Sturgeon River rafting adventure in Indian River, Michigan. While you can always bring your own raft or canoe, we chose to take advantage of one of the local rafting companies on the river, Big Bear Adventures. The staff was wonderful, giving clear instructions and assistance.

Big Bear Adventures has been in the business of river rafting for over 35 years. Big Bear Adventures got its name in a very unusual manner. When you drive into the parking lot, you can see a very large bear encased in a glass display case. The bear is standing on its rear legs. A closer look at the display revealed that this is indeed a real bear. Local legend, Bert Elton from Indian River shot this great trophy bear on a hunting trip to Port Heiden, Alaska in 1961. This bear was listed in the Boone & Crocket Book of Wildlife Records as having the largest skull of any bear taken at that time. Bearing (no pun intended) signs of fighting and of a taxidermist whose intent was to turn him into a rug, this giant bear has been on display here for many years.

Big Bear Adventures offers the following choices:

5-7 person rafts, great for less experienced rafters as well as families. The rafts are high quality, sturdy rafts made of Hypalon. These are the rafts commonly used for whitewater rafting. Both of our 6-person groups chose the rafts. We had a great deal of room and the rafts provided a comfortable adventure for us all. In spite of the challenges along the way, we never felt we were in any danger. The crew provided clear instructions on the proper way to sit and hold the paddles.

Tubes are available and are a great way to go if you do not mind getting wet. Because we went in October when the temperatures were hovering around 40, we decided to save this for a summer visit to the area.

Tandem-style Catamarans (Cats) are available for rent, and are for two people. The cats that are rented by Big Bear Adventures are inflatable cats and do not tip as easily as canoes. This is a great way to enjoy the river if you are not comfortable in a canoe and are not a large enough group for a raft. Big Bear Adventures does require that you have canoeing experience to rent a Cat.

Canoes and Kayaks are reserved for the more experienced individual. All equipment is well built and sturdy. Canoes are 16'9" Old Town Discovery and 11'9" Solo canoes. Available kayaks are 9'6" Old Town Otter, 11'1" Loon, and 13'8" Loon.

All equipment is available on a flexible schedule and can be taken out for 1 ½, 3, 4 and 5 hour blocks. Both guided and self guided ours are available. We chose the 3 hour option and went from the "put in point" out to the point where the river ends in Burt Lake, crossing a section of the lake to the Indian River canal back to the prearranged "ending point" where we left the rafts for pick-up by the crew at Big Bear Adventures. Our 3 hours simply flew by causing this writer to think that a 1 ½-hour excursion may just be too short.

Burt Lake is a large north-south lake and picks up a lot of wind. Because of this, it can deliver some serious waves. This is my third trip and each time showed us a different condition as we crossed the lake. Alternate routes are available if you do not choose to cross such a wide section of the lake (approx 400 yards). 400 yards does not sound far, but when you are rowing a raft against 3-4 foot waves, it sure does seem like it is! The weather of course plays a major role in lake conditions and the crew at Big Bear Adventures will offer the safest route for your level of experience.

For a review of the hiking segment of the Fall Color Nature Adventure follow this link.

For additional river rafting information, schedules and pricing, visit Big Bear Adventures by following this link.

For additional information regarding packages at the Solace Spa, you may follow this link.

The writer was not provided with complimentary accommodations for the purpose of this review.