AuSable River camping options.

[packeagle]

I'm normally a backpacker, but my wife a d Bro-in-law are interested in canoe/ kayak the AuSable river this summer. Anyone have any good info on good 3 day itinerary. Looking mostly for put ins and campsite info. Thanks.

[Redoleary]

I've been on the section from Grayling down river down to one of the bridges (don't recall which) a few times and it's all quite nice and he campground that I stayed in when we stayed was well kept and empty except for us. But if I were to go again I'd go from Mio down to the 4001 bridge just because that is the national scenic river part. I'd bet finding decent sites won't be hard and I think (not positive) that you can camp anywhere tho' using the sites is recommended. That probably wasn't much help but might give you some ideas. If you go out of Grayling I used Carlisle Canoe Livery to spot my car at the end because I used my own canoe.

[gargoyle]

Contact the local liveries. They know the river best.
There is a national canoe event on the AuS. that draws a lot of people. It can get crowded that weekend.. Fun to watch the competition. Fast paced paddlin'!!

http://www.ausablecanoemarathon.org/

[Jackpine Rambler]

You'll want to talk to the Forest Rangers at the Lumberman's Monument. They issues the camping permits up and down the river and have all the info you'll need.

http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/hmnf/...a/?recid=18538

[Tactfree]

packeagle,

I've kayaked the length of the Au Sable twice (not in the Marathon). The first time my daughter (21 at the time) and I did it in 4 days/3 nights and the second time I did it solo in 3 days. Both times required long days. Any of the outfitters in Grayling are good - but expect a challenge from them if you want to do it in that short of a time though. They know that it's a long way and it's typical that paddlers who walk up don't really know what they're in for. We've used Penrod's and Borcher's. Both are quality outfitters. Borcher's was more friendly and flexible to my needs however and they have an excellent Bread and Breakfast you can stay at. The best description of the river is at the website that gargoyle listed above. Go to Articles & Tips, Other Advice, Marathon Guide Book by David Foley. He describes the river and where the cuts are and very importantly - the side of the dam that the canoe/kayak output are. The dams have a yellow canoe sign on a post for you to see as you approach. However, when you're tired and coming around a bend - it's good to hug the side of the pond you're on knowing that's the side you're taking out at.

For a three day trip and don't want to do the entire river, you can take out on day 3 at the Mio Dam (200 yards past the dam on the right), McKinley Bridge, 4001 Bridge, or Alcona Pond. Your options are numerous and the outfitters will work with you - or if you have 2 vehicles you can do whatever you want.

If you have your own canoes/kayaks, you can put in at a variety of spots just east of Grayling. There are at least 2 campgrounds between Grayling and Parmalee Bridge you can stop at if your first day is a bit shorter. Carlisle Canoe Livery has a very good set of maps - especially for the section from Grayling to Mio. It shows where the State Forest Campgrounds are along the river route. Go to their website and the first map to look is a drawing map of the entire river with times and such. It shows campgrounds and other stops. It's at "Trips & Rentals", River Guide. For a more detailed map of the upper river section that shows the campgrounds, go to Overnight Trips on their website.

The section from Mio to 4001 Bridge (backwaters of Alcona Pond) is considered as a National Scenic River. There are more State Forest Campgrounds up to the 4001 Bridge and you can see them at http://oscodacountymi.org/?page_id=740

For camping options Downstream of the 4001 Bridge, there are numerous campsites that must be reserved online through recreation.gov. To view all of your options (and there are several great sites that are only accessible from the river) go to http://www.recreation.gov/camping/ma...O&parkId=74157

There are additional campground options in this section that are not required to be reserved through the government website - but logistically may be difficult unless you have someone meet you there or you drive a car there ahead of time. They are very popular summer vacation spots. There's a large campground on both sides of Alcona Pond. I believe the campground office is on the north side - so I don't recommend trying to camp on the south side. This campground (as is the other one I will mention below) is more of an RV campground and probably not what you're looking for on your trip.

The other non-government campground is at Foote Dam Pond on the south side off of River Road.

The campgrounds I've stayed at are:
Parmalee Bridge (a great/quiet spot). Fire Pits, vault toilets, hand well pump. Secret - there's a gas station party store just up the hill to the left as you walk out of the campground driveway. It's in the middle of nowhere but they serve pizza and have everything else (adult beverages) you may need (firewood too if you want to lug it a quarter mile back to the campground). Warning - I think they close by 6 though - but maybe not on the weekends or in the heart of the summer.

Mio Pond Campground: It's on the left before you hit the dam. There's a sign that says canoe camping. It's about a mile walk to Mio where they have stores and a McDonald's next to the bridge over the dam.

Buttercup campground (30 minutes past McKinley Bridge): PS - There's a bar/grill, motel, and store over the bridge and up the hill in McKinley from McKinley Landing. You can walk the mile or so back from Buttercup campsite if you want too along state forest roads. At Buttercup, you can camp right next to the river - or go up the small hill to pick from some other sites. No water at this site, but they have fire pits and vault toilet. There are several of these campgrounds in this section, but this is the easiest to get out and you camp right on the river.

National River Campsites through Recreation.Gov: Cooke Pond is the most scenic section of the river in my opinion. We stayed on a peninsula campsite on the southeast side of the river just past Sid Town. GREAT spot to watch the sun set. There are numerous other sites from 4001 Bridge until just before entering Foot Pond. There's even a couple of sites on an island in the middle of Cooke Pond.

If you want to camp by RVs and have all that goes with that - there's a large county campground on the south side of Foot Pond.

After Foot Pond, there are not any campground options that I know of. It's a 3 to 4 hour paddle once you pass Foot Dam until you get to Oscoda.

It's a GREAT Trip. The second half is a LOT more difficult than the first half due to slow water and 6 portages over the dam. I advise picking up a really good river map (I know they have them at the Luzerne Express) to ensure you efficiently get through the ponds and backwater sections. Best of luck. Another unknown stopping spot is at Five Channels Dam. There's a bait store across the bridge and up the hill that doesn't show up on any maps that you can walk to for a break and some snacks (no sandwiches). Go north on M-65 for a couple of hundred yards. There's also a deli store a mile south from here on M-65 if you want a longer break and real food. Walking feels good after being in a kayak for 8 hours, so a mile walk each way is not a big deal. We had no problem with leaving our stuff in the kayak while were gone. People "up north" there are generally very trustworthy.

PS: There should be no trouble finding someplace to hang at any of the campgrounds along the way.

[packeagle]

Wow, Tactfree that is book. Very good info. I appreciate everyone's feedback. I've got some place to start my search now.

[justme2]

Note: Which side of the river you camp on can make a big difference. On the upper river (above Mio) the non-private property on the south side of the river is US Forest Service where as on the north side it's Michigan DNR. They each have different rules on "Dispersion Camping" and land usage. Also what I'm exploring now in the area is a lot of " private property" ( which were actually Consumer Power leases) is now back to being US Forest Service property. The Feds no longer are renewing the leases, so there's actual now more river access, but finding which have ones have reverted and which ones are still leased/owned is a challenge.
Have fun planning and going on your trip, the Au Sable River is a great place to be.

[boywilderness]

My go to 2-3 day Ausable trip starts on the south branch and continues on the main branch to parmelee take out on the right just before the bridge. From chase bridge for about 3-4 hours is the mason tract with no buildings so a nice wilderness paddle. Expect fly fisherman.

I posted a trip report in 2008 my wife and I did on paddling.net. http://www.paddling.net/places/showReport.html?2233 I include campgrounds and split times.

Map:
http://www.paddlebrave.com/wahelper/GetImage?id=20302

Tom from Paddlebrave was great and shuttles us with our own canoe. They are also full service livery. The campground just outside Roscommon is very convenient hop off the highway and easy on the river in the morning. You can cut off an hour by starting at chase bridge.

Favorite campgrounds:
Canoe harbor at the end of mason tract 3-4 hours from chase bridge
White pine in main branch by paddling up river 15 minutes after hitting the main branch (hug the right bank paddling up stream)
Rainbow bend
Those campgrounds have canoe only sections by the river and feel more secluded from car campers and roads. Nice sites with fire pits, water pump, pit toilets.

Also check out canoeing michigan rivers book. Great description of both sections of Ausable with maps.

[JEF989]

I agree with boywilderness. I love the Mason Tract on the south branch, not as many people on the river there. Grayling area On Holiday weekends gets real crowded lots of people on rafts partying. Canoe Harbor has nice sites on the river.

[Tactfree]

I agree whole-heartedly about Canoe Harbor Campground. I have stayed there three times while hiking (Michigan Shore-to-Shore and the Mason Tract) but not paddling. I didn't consider that in my write-up above due to it was on the south branch - but yes - it's a great spot for paddlers. There's a water pump and fire pit/tables site right by the river for campers who paddle in. Similar to Parmalee Bridge, they even have a kiosk/pipe for registration right by your campsite so you don't have to walk all the way to the entrance to the campground to pay/register.

I'm starting some research to paddle the west side of the state on the Manistee River so I can say I've hiked and paddled shore to shore. If anyone has any experience with the Manistee (recommended liveries and starting point) I would appreciate that. I don't mean to hijack the thread - so sorry in advance. My limited research so far seems like Shel-haven (spelling?) just west of Graying may be the livery of choice.