Inland Waterway: Cheboygan to Conway
Posted: Tue Nov 14, 2017 4:54 pm
Inland Waterway: Cheboygan to Conway
The inland waterway extends from Lake Huron at the mouth of the Cheboygan River, thence upstream into Mullet Lake, thence through the Indian River into Burt Lake, thence through the Crooked River to Crooked Lake and Pickerel Lake, ending at Conway. The total distance is probably more than 75-miles round trip. Many parts of the waterway in the rivers are limited in speed to 5-MPH. On the open water of the lakes you can go as fast as you want. I am familiar with all of this route and have transited it many times in my 24-foot outboard boat.
There is an organized power boat race event that takes over much of the inland waterway. I think they are usually scheduled for the first weekend in August. It would be best to avoid that weekend for making a calm peaceful cruise on the waterway.
This waterway is a natural pathway that provides an inland water course around the Straits of Mackinaw, connecting Cheboygan, on Lake Huron, to Conway, near Little Grand Traverse Bay on Lake Michigan.
The waterway begins at Crooked Lake, an inland lake whose present level is about 17-feet above Lake Michigan. Instead of flowing about two miles west into Lake Michigan, Crooked Lake flows north and east, into the Crooked River, into Burt Lake, into the Indian River, into Mullet Lake, into the Cheboygan River, and finally flowing into Lake Huron, about 40-miles away.
A small dam and bypass lock maintains Crooked Lake about two-feet above the Crooked River. The level of the Crooked River, Burt Lake, the Indian River, and Mullet Lake is not blocked by any dams or locks. A large dam in the Cheboygan River at a commercial plant holds back the river, maintaining Mullet Lake and the other upstream lakes about 15-feet above the level of Lake Huron.
Historically, the water way was used by Indians as a way to travel across the northern tip of the lower peninsula. In the 1600's it was used by French fur traders. The dam on the Cheboygan River was built in 1846 at the site of a rapids to provide power for a sawmill. A bypass canal and lock was built in 1869 to enable navigation around the dam and rapids.
The original course of the Sturgeon River was to drain into the Indian River, and its flow created a sand bar. The course of the Sturgeon River was altered in 1877 to make it flow into Burt Lake, preventing the creation of a sand bar. This project and other dredging enabled the floating of timber logs on the route.
By the 1880's the construction of railroads in the region reduced the importance of the waterway in commercial transportation. By c.1900 the route began to be used by excursion steamers carrying passengers and picnickers on pleasure cruises. In the period 1956 to 1958 the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) improved the waterway, creating the present day system of channels and markers and a minimum depth of five feet.
A very comprehensive pamphlet is available on-line at
http://www.michiganwatertrails.org/media/assets/media/inland_waterway_straits_area_water_trail_plan.pdf
NAVIGATION
The waterway has several obstacles:
--a dam and lock separates the upper and lower Cheboygan River; passage through the lock is on demand and costs about $6. Watch for very strong inrush currents on the upper side of the lock when it is filling; there is a very substantial height difference, varying with the lake levels but usually about 15-feet. You pay both ways. Days and times of operation decrease in the fall. See the schedule.
--several bridges of fixed height cross the waterway; if your boat is taller than about 9-feet, you should investigate this further; the lowest bridge is probably the fixed highway bridge in Cheboygan at LINCOLN AVENUE. There is a SMALL CRAFT CHART BOOKLET available for this waterway; it will have details on vertical draft and bridge clearance; the 2017 edition shows 9-feet vertical clearance at the Lincoln Ave bridge, and this is likely to be controlling vertical draft. You can work around this by just launching upstream of this bridge, at THE FORKS (see below).
--a very small lock separates the Crooked River south of Alanson from the two lakes above. The height difference is only about a foot. Generally I would not recommend travelling past this lock unless you really want to go to the very end of the waterway and return. Passage through the lock is about $5. You pay both ways. Times of operation are often limited; check their schedule carefully so you don't get stuck above the lock after it closes.
The waterway typically has at least 5-feet of water. The height of Mullet and Burt lakes and most of the Cheboygan and Indian rivers is controlled by the dam in Cheboygan.
The waterway is well marked along the river passages. There are navigation marks at the ends of the lakes guiding you into the rivers.
MOTELS
BEST WESTERN RIVER TERRACE HOTEL (231) 627-5688. If you take a room there, you can moor your boat to the seawall along the river at the hotel. You can also leave your boat trailer parked there, too. There is ramp nearby. When making a reservation with the hotel, tell them you are a boater and want to use the seawall and also leave your trailer there.
There is also another motel on the river: Fleetwood Inn and Suites. It is just upstream of the Best Western.
I have never stayed at the hotels mentioned, but they get good reviews; see Google. There are other accommodations along the waterway, some including docks, particularly along the Indian River on the east side.
LAUNCH RAMPS
There are two good launch ramps in Cheboygan:
--a large ramp and parking lot at the mouth of the river on the west bank, just north of town;
--a small ramp with less parking on the river, just upstream of the dam and lock
There is also an excellent ramp facility south of Cheboygan at "The Forks" which will be useful if you cannot transit under the Lincoln Avenue fixed bridge. The name "The Forks" refers to the confluence of the Cheboygan and Black Rivers just south of the ramp location.
On Mullet Lake there is a Michigan-DNR ramp on the west side at the north end. The ramp is into very shallow water and you must be very careful about draft when approaching the ramp. Not recommended in any sort of wave action. There is a ramp at the State Park at Aloha.
There is a new, decent ramp in the village of Indian River on the river, east of the highway bridge.
Ramps on Burt Lake are almost non-existent; there is a ramp at the State Park near Colonial Point on Burt Lake on the far western shore. You must have a Michigan State Park pass or pay for entry.
SCENERY
The waterway is most scenic in the Fall when the foliage is changing colors. However, there is a problem to travel the waterway at peak Fall color:
--because the trees along the lakes and rivers are near warm water, they do not change color until quite late in the season;
--because of the late change in color along the waterway, you may find that while the rest of northern Michigan trees are in brilliant fall color, the ones along the waterway are still in their summer green stage or at the earliest stage of color change;
--if you wait for the leaves to change color along the waterway, the air temperature will probably be very cold; we have started a "Fall Color Cruise" up there with air temperature in the 40's.
--the perfect cruise is one that occurs on an Indian Summer day, following a week of much colder temperatures.
In the absence of fall color foliage, the waterway is still relatively scenic; you will pass hundreds of beautiful lakefront homes worth millions, travel through preserved marshes and wetland forests, and have a chance to stop for lunch in several places (the villages of Indian River, Alanson, and Conway). You will also see a lot of other boaters in pontoon boats and PWCs.
WHERE TO EAT
--PIER M33, which has plenty of dock space for boaters; it is in the southern part of the Cheboygan River, not too far from Mullet Lake; the food is really top notch. This is not just a place on the water, it is a very good restaurant.
https://pierm33onthecheboygan.com/
--HACK-MA-TACK INN--rustic and traditional, has a seawall for boats; an old-style up-north place; lots of atmosphere.
http://www.hackmatackinn.com/
--THE INN BETWEEN--in Indian River at the highway bridge; it is a bar, serves bar food; a good place to stop on a fall color tour when you are cold and hungry; no website; look them up on Google and get reviews.
--ALANSON DEPOT RESTAURANT--in Alanson, a short walk up from the river and free docking (if there is an open slip). This is a decent place, not fine dining. Has room for big groups of noisy boaters.
--BOB'S PLACE--in Alanson. They don't seem to like big groups. Maybe okay if you are just a small party. It's been around forever.
The inland waterway extends from Lake Huron at the mouth of the Cheboygan River, thence upstream into Mullet Lake, thence through the Indian River into Burt Lake, thence through the Crooked River to Crooked Lake and Pickerel Lake, ending at Conway. The total distance is probably more than 75-miles round trip. Many parts of the waterway in the rivers are limited in speed to 5-MPH. On the open water of the lakes you can go as fast as you want. I am familiar with all of this route and have transited it many times in my 24-foot outboard boat.
There is an organized power boat race event that takes over much of the inland waterway. I think they are usually scheduled for the first weekend in August. It would be best to avoid that weekend for making a calm peaceful cruise on the waterway.
This waterway is a natural pathway that provides an inland water course around the Straits of Mackinaw, connecting Cheboygan, on Lake Huron, to Conway, near Little Grand Traverse Bay on Lake Michigan.
The waterway begins at Crooked Lake, an inland lake whose present level is about 17-feet above Lake Michigan. Instead of flowing about two miles west into Lake Michigan, Crooked Lake flows north and east, into the Crooked River, into Burt Lake, into the Indian River, into Mullet Lake, into the Cheboygan River, and finally flowing into Lake Huron, about 40-miles away.
A small dam and bypass lock maintains Crooked Lake about two-feet above the Crooked River. The level of the Crooked River, Burt Lake, the Indian River, and Mullet Lake is not blocked by any dams or locks. A large dam in the Cheboygan River at a commercial plant holds back the river, maintaining Mullet Lake and the other upstream lakes about 15-feet above the level of Lake Huron.
Historically, the water way was used by Indians as a way to travel across the northern tip of the lower peninsula. In the 1600's it was used by French fur traders. The dam on the Cheboygan River was built in 1846 at the site of a rapids to provide power for a sawmill. A bypass canal and lock was built in 1869 to enable navigation around the dam and rapids.
The original course of the Sturgeon River was to drain into the Indian River, and its flow created a sand bar. The course of the Sturgeon River was altered in 1877 to make it flow into Burt Lake, preventing the creation of a sand bar. This project and other dredging enabled the floating of timber logs on the route.
By the 1880's the construction of railroads in the region reduced the importance of the waterway in commercial transportation. By c.1900 the route began to be used by excursion steamers carrying passengers and picnickers on pleasure cruises. In the period 1956 to 1958 the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) improved the waterway, creating the present day system of channels and markers and a minimum depth of five feet.
A very comprehensive pamphlet is available on-line at
http://www.michiganwatertrails.org/media/assets/media/inland_waterway_straits_area_water_trail_plan.pdf
NAVIGATION
The waterway has several obstacles:
--a dam and lock separates the upper and lower Cheboygan River; passage through the lock is on demand and costs about $6. Watch for very strong inrush currents on the upper side of the lock when it is filling; there is a very substantial height difference, varying with the lake levels but usually about 15-feet. You pay both ways. Days and times of operation decrease in the fall. See the schedule.
--several bridges of fixed height cross the waterway; if your boat is taller than about 9-feet, you should investigate this further; the lowest bridge is probably the fixed highway bridge in Cheboygan at LINCOLN AVENUE. There is a SMALL CRAFT CHART BOOKLET available for this waterway; it will have details on vertical draft and bridge clearance; the 2017 edition shows 9-feet vertical clearance at the Lincoln Ave bridge, and this is likely to be controlling vertical draft. You can work around this by just launching upstream of this bridge, at THE FORKS (see below).
--a very small lock separates the Crooked River south of Alanson from the two lakes above. The height difference is only about a foot. Generally I would not recommend travelling past this lock unless you really want to go to the very end of the waterway and return. Passage through the lock is about $5. You pay both ways. Times of operation are often limited; check their schedule carefully so you don't get stuck above the lock after it closes.
The waterway typically has at least 5-feet of water. The height of Mullet and Burt lakes and most of the Cheboygan and Indian rivers is controlled by the dam in Cheboygan.
The waterway is well marked along the river passages. There are navigation marks at the ends of the lakes guiding you into the rivers.
MOTELS
BEST WESTERN RIVER TERRACE HOTEL (231) 627-5688. If you take a room there, you can moor your boat to the seawall along the river at the hotel. You can also leave your boat trailer parked there, too. There is ramp nearby. When making a reservation with the hotel, tell them you are a boater and want to use the seawall and also leave your trailer there.
There is also another motel on the river: Fleetwood Inn and Suites. It is just upstream of the Best Western.
I have never stayed at the hotels mentioned, but they get good reviews; see Google. There are other accommodations along the waterway, some including docks, particularly along the Indian River on the east side.
LAUNCH RAMPS
There are two good launch ramps in Cheboygan:
--a large ramp and parking lot at the mouth of the river on the west bank, just north of town;
--a small ramp with less parking on the river, just upstream of the dam and lock
There is also an excellent ramp facility south of Cheboygan at "The Forks" which will be useful if you cannot transit under the Lincoln Avenue fixed bridge. The name "The Forks" refers to the confluence of the Cheboygan and Black Rivers just south of the ramp location.
On Mullet Lake there is a Michigan-DNR ramp on the west side at the north end. The ramp is into very shallow water and you must be very careful about draft when approaching the ramp. Not recommended in any sort of wave action. There is a ramp at the State Park at Aloha.
There is a new, decent ramp in the village of Indian River on the river, east of the highway bridge.
Ramps on Burt Lake are almost non-existent; there is a ramp at the State Park near Colonial Point on Burt Lake on the far western shore. You must have a Michigan State Park pass or pay for entry.
SCENERY
The waterway is most scenic in the Fall when the foliage is changing colors. However, there is a problem to travel the waterway at peak Fall color:
--because the trees along the lakes and rivers are near warm water, they do not change color until quite late in the season;
--because of the late change in color along the waterway, you may find that while the rest of northern Michigan trees are in brilliant fall color, the ones along the waterway are still in their summer green stage or at the earliest stage of color change;
--if you wait for the leaves to change color along the waterway, the air temperature will probably be very cold; we have started a "Fall Color Cruise" up there with air temperature in the 40's.
--the perfect cruise is one that occurs on an Indian Summer day, following a week of much colder temperatures.
In the absence of fall color foliage, the waterway is still relatively scenic; you will pass hundreds of beautiful lakefront homes worth millions, travel through preserved marshes and wetland forests, and have a chance to stop for lunch in several places (the villages of Indian River, Alanson, and Conway). You will also see a lot of other boaters in pontoon boats and PWCs.
WHERE TO EAT
--PIER M33, which has plenty of dock space for boaters; it is in the southern part of the Cheboygan River, not too far from Mullet Lake; the food is really top notch. This is not just a place on the water, it is a very good restaurant.
https://pierm33onthecheboygan.com/
--HACK-MA-TACK INN--rustic and traditional, has a seawall for boats; an old-style up-north place; lots of atmosphere.
http://www.hackmatackinn.com/
--THE INN BETWEEN--in Indian River at the highway bridge; it is a bar, serves bar food; a good place to stop on a fall color tour when you are cold and hungry; no website; look them up on Google and get reviews.
--ALANSON DEPOT RESTAURANT--in Alanson, a short walk up from the river and free docking (if there is an open slip). This is a decent place, not fine dining. Has room for big groups of noisy boaters.
--BOB'S PLACE--in Alanson. They don't seem to like big groups. Maybe okay if you are just a small party. It's been around forever.