This July 15, 2021 paddling day trip was awesome! From the Hodenpyle Dam to Government Lake Landing, most of this trip was in the section of the famous backpacker’s area of the Manistee Trail Loop. Participants were my friend Jim, his son Riley, and myself. The weather cooperated and there were no mishaps.
The river entry was uneventful. That was not the case a few years before when my son Kyle and I tried to enter the river with a lot less experience on the opposite side. After two attempts and soaked, we decided to wait for another day. I wish Kyle had been with us on this trip so he could see what the river had to offer.
As we paddled underneath the first bridge, the Manistee Trail Bridge, there were spectators that had done this paddle the day before. They seem to have enjoyed it as much as we did!
Occasionally, there were rapids paddled with ease. We eventually ended up on a grassy camping area for a short break. Shortly after, we resumed paddling and found our way to Red Bridge and took another short break at the launch immediately after the bridge.
From Red Bridge to Government Lake Landing, the going was slower than the before with the river widening out considerably. Depending on where we were paddling, some areas were quite shallow. We eventually worked our way to Government Lake Landing to end this day trip.
Trip Summary: Total Time = 4 hours 35 minutes. Moving Time = 3 hours 20 minutes. Distance = 13.3 miles.
