Lake Huron (Thunder Bay) in Michigan

Trip Overview

Just north of the City of Alpena is a nice 3-4 hour kayak trip thru some marshy, shallow, and deep water.

We launched our kayaks in Lake Huron at the end of Misery Bay Road and headed north into a small inlet just west of Round Island. There the water went from 3 feet deep to 80 feet in a few feet (sinkholes are prevalent in this inlet.

Misery Bay is somewhat protected from rough water from the several islands east of the mainland. They are scenic to kayak around and the water there is mostly 3-5 feet deep. Watch the weather though as if can get rough quickly.

A nice day paddle and very relaxing and scenic.

Accommodations:

There are several hotels and restaurants in Alpena as it is a fairly large city on the shores of Thunder Bay in Lake Huron

Fees:

no fees or permits required

Directions:

From Long Rapids Road just north of downtown Alpena, take Misery Bay Road straight east to the end. You can get confused and end up on North Point shores Rd easily so pay attention to the signs. Launch at the end of Misery Bay Road.

Resources:

We use a Delorme Atlas and Gazetteer and have found it to have even the small dirt roads in it that make the journey interesting! It seems to be the most comprehensive road map out there at this time.