Flint River in Michigan

Trip Overview

Looking for a nice, easy paddle closer to home? Try the Flint River. We put in behind Attwood Stadium in the concrete jungle There is a set of stairs there that makes launching easy. Immediatelly upon departure, we saw turtles, herons and many other birds. We were amazed at the amount of wildlife throughout the once believed, dirty system. We paddled to downtown Flushing where there is a public park to unload. It was a wonderful 4 hour trip. There were many many times that we looked around and thought that this river is no different than many of the slow, wider rivers we've paddled in more "pristine" environments. Along the way we saw a lot of wildlife, including deer, many more turtles, hawks and muskrats.

The Flint River has a very bad reputation due to the factories that once lined its banks in Flint. I'd be willing to argue that the river is cleaner now than it has been in 50 years. The plants have been closed for 15 years, and the water treatment system is rather modern.

It was a very very nice trip that we are sure to take again.

Fees:

No

Directions:

Attwood Stadium is on third avenue near grand travers.