We finally made a point to get on the Grand River a ways inland from Grand Haven. This is something I have never done and was always very curious to see this part of the world.
We put in at Riverside County Park which is about 15 miles (by boat) up river from the end of the break water on Lake Michigan. This is a very nice park with a 4 lane ramp and two docks. There is a $5 ramp fee which is very reasonable in my opinion. There is ample parking and a few nice picnic areas. There are pit toilets also. When we arrived there were many, many bass boat trailers in the lot since there was a tournament going on.
This park is located just West of a the end of a dredged/navigable channel on the river. When we were there the water was up enough that there was only a few locations where it was important to stay in the marked channel. In general depths ranged from 5-10 ft the whole length of the river until you get to Spring Lake. Once you are to that point the water is typically over 20 ft deep.
The river was up from recent rain and the current was running about 3-5 mph. I don't have a lot of experience with currents like this so it took me a little by surprise. I first realised it when we pulled up to the ramp and saw a log floating down the river. I had a little trouble getting the boat off the trailer, I guess the current was pushing it enough sideways that it took a little effort to get it free from the trailer. Make sure you use adequate dock lines at the bow and stern and secure them fastly to the the dock. The stern almost got away from us since I used only a 1/4" line. It stretched a lot when I had to pull it back to the dock.
The cruise down the river was leisurely and we enjoyed a picnic lunch on the boat. Long stretches of the river allow for running at speed. This map shows the areas that are slow no wake as the light blue areas with an orange outline. However, the location shown for the ramp at riverside park is not accurate. Typically the areas that are slow no wake are near the marinas or ramps and also along a relatively narrow stretch that has several homes and docks.
Once you are out to Grand Haven there are plenty of things to do and see. There is Lake Michigan (of course) and as long as the weather is calm a quick trip out to the lake is worth it. When were there the waves coming into the channel were 3-6' rollers and you could see that the lake was kicked up pretty good. We went out just past the old Coast Guard station on the North side of the channel. We snapped a couple of pictures of the pier and lighthouse from a distance and turned back.
For those not familiar with Grand Haven, It is the quintessential West Michigan shoreline town. There are a lot of things going on pretty much all year long. The town is considered "Coast Guard City" and hosts a very impressive festival every year. The beach is typical of many West Michigan beaches...the sand is clean and soft and you can walk for miles along the shore. The South pier and the "board" walk on the South side of the channel makes for a great walk and people watching adventure. There are plenty of nice streets in the downtown area with shops and stuff. Restaurants abound and there is pretty much anything for anyone. You can tie up along the sea wall near down town for a quick stop in town. For a longer stay, the municipal marina right in town offers transient docking. The city also operates a very large boat ramp that is just a little up the river from downtown. The launch fee is $10.
We spent some time beached along the North shore of the river right across from downtown. There is a nice sandy beach along this stretch of the river. This is a great place to let the kids play in the sand and water. The beach is just below the world famous musical fountain. For some, this may be worth the cost of admission alone. It is really quite an interesting experience...hard to put into words actually.
At the municipal boat ramp/park there is a nice dock that is available for a quick run to the public restrooms on shore. Don't plan to spend the day or more than a few minutes tied up. The dock can be a pretty busy place and is meant to be shared by everyone.
On the way back up the river we took a side jaunt up through Spring Lake before a quick run back to Riverside Park.
It was getting late in the day so we made good time on the way back to the ramp. We ran WOT for a couple of miles and averaged over 20mph including the no wake zones. As we were nearing the park we almost hit a large log that was floating just below the surface. Luckily we were in the a wake area so I had plenty of time to react....it did make me think again about all that time we were running well over 40 mph...what if????
Getting back to the dock on the ramp proved to be a bit of the challenge. There were several other boats sort of circling and it was obvious people were struggling. Remember that current I mentioned? Yeah, it made getting to the dock without really risking damage pretty tricky to say the least. I made one attempt to approach the dock on the down current side...bad idea. Almost lost the wife as she jumped to the dock and crashed and then almost crashed sideways into the boat at the other dock. The second attempt to the up current side of the dock was also a bit troublesome. Judicious use of the throttle in reverse saved us from too much damage. The third attempt wasn't pretty, but it worked. I guess I need to work on maneuvering in currents. Although, it was obvious this current was quite a bit stronger than anyone was really prepared for.
It was good trip and even though the weather was actually a bit chilly, we enjoyed it thoroughly.
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