Au Sable River 4-Day Paddle, Hike & Bike Adventure

Base Camp in the Mason Tract

The adventure started the way the best ones do: a long drive north, the radio fading out and that moment when pavement turns to dirt and you know you're getting close.

Home for the weekend was Canoe Harbor State Forest Campground, tucked into the woods on the north end of the Mason Tract. It's rustic in the best sense: no electrical hookups, pit toilets, a dirt access road and plenty of elbow room, including dispersed sites.

It was also the obvious choice. Canoe Harbor is the only place camping is allowed in the entire Mason Tract, which means you wake up in the middle of one of the wildest stretches of river in the Lower Peninsula.

Depending on your site, the river launch is less than a mile's walk away. Close enough to hear the water at night, and close enough to launch without loading a single vehicle.

As Thursday evening rolled on, the headlights kept coming. Tents went up. Tarps went over picnic tables. Gear got sorted into "tomorrow" and "Saturday" piles, and the first campfire smoke drifted through the pines.

Old friends caught up. New faces got introduced.

Base camp was officially open.

Two Wheels and a Herd of Elk

Who says a kayaking club has to start on the water?

Friday was bike day. Around noon we rolled into the North Central State Trail trailhead, about 30 minutes from camp, unloaded the racks and clipped on helmets. The plan was an out-and-back of roughly 20 miles toward downtown Grayling.

The North Central follows an old railroad grade, so it's flat and mostly hard-packed crushed stone, perfect for riding side by side and talking while the miles slip past.

Club trip leader Benita set a steady pace and kept the group together. She also had a surprise up her sleeve.

Partway along, she steered us to a local elk-breeding operation, where elk are raised and some are eventually released into the wild. Rolling up on a bike and coming face to face with an animal that size is a little surreal. Phones came out, questions flew, and for a few minutes nobody was thinking about mileage at all.

Then we turned around for a brisk ride back under spectacular weather, with plenty of daylight to spare.

Back at camp, some members laced up for a short hike in the woods. Others claimed a camp chair and did some serious relaxing.

Around 8 p.m., everyone gathered at the fire for the most important meeting of the weekend: Saturday logistics. With about 20 people, a stack of boats and a point-to-point plan, Saturday needed real choreography. Who drives which boats where? Which vehicles stay at camp? Who has locks?

By the time the fire burned down, we had a shuttle plan, a gear plan and a lot of people heading to bed early.

Saturday was going to be big.

Hike to the Boats, Paddle Home

Saturday dawned clear and sunny, with temperatures climbing to about 65–68°F. In late October. In Northern Michigan. We'll take it.

The Great Boat Shuffle

The shuttle had a clever twist. Instead of hiking away from our boats, we'd hike to them.

We hauled every kayak and canoe to Chase Bridge, locked them together, then drove every vehicle back to Canoe Harbor. That left exactly one way to reach our boats: on foot, through the Mason Tract.

No turning back now.

Into the Mason Tract

The Mason Tract is a protected stretch of forest along the South Branch of the Au Sable, with miles of river and not a single cottage or dock in sight.

It's named for George Mason, a Detroit auto executive who loved fly fishing the South Branch so much that he bought this land in the 1930s. When he died in 1954, he left about 1,500 acres to the State of Michigan on one condition: keep it wild.

The blue-blazed Mason Tract Pathway runs along the west bank, winding over bluffs and down to the water. With fall colors just past peak, the trail was a carpet of gold and rust, and fresh leaves kept spinning down around us all morning.

We passed only a handful of other hikers. It felt like we had the whole forest to ourselves.

Lunch at the Castle

Then came the stop everyone had been waiting for: Durant's Castle.

In the late 1920s, Russell "Cliff" Durant, the millionaire sportsman son of General Motors founder William Durant, built a sprawling mansion on this bluff above the South Branch. On the night of February 6, 1931, just before he and his wife were set to move in, it burned to the ground. A few years later, the land was sold to George Mason.

Today, all that's left are stone foundation remnants, an old fireplace and an interpretive sign. So we spread out among the ruins, unpacked our lunches and ate where a millionaire never got to.

After about three hours on the trail, Chase Bridge came into view, and our boats were sitting right where we left them. A quick snack break, a swap from hiking boots to paddling shoes, and it was time for round two.

Paddling Home on the South Branch

We'd spent the morning walking the South Branch from the bluffs. Now we'd paddle it back to camp, watching the trail we'd hiked slide past from the water.

The current moved at a comfortable clip, with no major obstructions on our route. The water was so clear we could watch the sandy bottom and gravel beds roll by beneath our hulls.

Muted golds and browns lined the banks. Leaves drifted onto the water. Bald eagles soared overhead, and kingfishers rattled along the banks, staying one bend ahead of the group.

Hike to your boats. Paddle back to your tent.

About three and a half hours after launching, Canoe Harbor came into view. That's a full day, Northern Michigan style.

The Potluck and the Big Freeze

Coolers opened, camp stoves hissed and dish after dish landed on the table for the club potluck. Nothing tastes better than food eaten by a fire after a long day outdoors.

Past adventures got retold, and maybe slightly improved. Trip ideas for next year got tossed around. And members on their very first club trip got pulled right into the circle.

Then the temperature fell off a cliff.

Once the sun went down, it dropped hard and kept going, bottoming out around 30°F. Frost-on-the-tent territory. Members with warm mummy bags and proper cold-weather gear slept comfortably. Everyone else learned that a beautiful day up north tells you nothing about the night that follows.

Three days down. One more to go.

The Final 10 Miles

Sunday started with a communal breakfast. Hot coffee and hot food went a long way toward thawing out everyone who'd spent the night negotiating with their sleeping bag.

Then it was shuttle time again. We staged vehicles at McAllister Bridge, drove back to Canoe Harbor and slid the boats into the water for the finale: about 10 miles on the main branch of the Au Sable.

The flow was comfortable, the water was clear, and both the launch and takeout were easy. Best of all, there were no portages. Ten uninterrupted miles, bend after bend.

Boats drifted together for conversations, then spread back out. We passed several anglers working the river and stopped for a few quick chats from our boats.

We also kept one eye on the clock. This late in the season, sunset comes before 7 p.m., and dusk settles fast under the trees. We planned the day to be off the water well before dark.

We reached McAllister Bridge with daylight to spare. Then came the final shuttle, the last round of loading boats onto roofs, and a long round of hugs, handshakes and "see you next season."

More Than the Miles

We don't just paddle from one access point to the next. This weekend stacked kayaking, hiking, biking and camping into one full-blown adventure.

It was about hiking to our boats instead of away from them.

It was about eating lunch in the ruins of a castle that burned before anyone lived in it.

It was about bald eagles overhead, kingfishers on the banks and an elk encounter nobody planned for.

It was about a potluck, two campfires, new faces and a lot of laughs.

Most importantly, it was about doing something challenging together.

• Four days.
• Three nights of rustic camping.
• About 20 miles on the bike.
• About three hours through the Mason Tract.
• Two branches of the Au Sable.
• One 30-degree night.
• And countless memories.

Late-Season Lessons From the Au Sable

1. Pack for two seasons. A 68°F afternoon can become a 30°F night. Bring a cold-rated sleeping bag, an insulated pad, a warm hat and extra layers.
2. Respect the daylight. Plan launch times so you're off the water well before dark.
3. Bring locks. Staging boats at Chase Bridge and hiking to them only works if they're secured while you hike.
4. Have your paperwork ready. Canoe Harbor requires a Michigan Recreation Passport plus the nightly camping fee.
5. Plan the shuttle at the campfire, not the put-in. With 20 people, sorting vehicles, boats and locks the night before saved a lot of morning chaos.

A huge thank you goes out to Benita, who led Friday's ride and delivered the elk detour nobody will forget, and to everyone who drove shuttles, wrangled boats, organized rides and shared food around the fire.

Thank you, Benita!

More Than Just a Kayaking Club

For the West Michigan Kayaking Club, adventures like this are about much more than simply getting on the water.

We're a community of paddlers and outdoor adventurers who explore Michigan by kayak, canoe and SUP, and often keep the adventure going on foot and by bike.

2026 has been an outstanding year: new rivers and trails, new members and a growing community of people who'd rather be outside. The Au Sable was the perfect way to close it out.

We're already dreaming about 2027. More rivers. More trails. More miles.