Muskegon River Kayaking Adventure: White Birch Campground to Jonesville Road

Trip Overview: Kayaking the Muskegon River from Falmouth

The West Michigan Kayaking Club paddled approximately 21 miles of the Muskegon River, downstream from White Birch Campground near Falmouth to Jonesville Road — twice. The first run went on Saturday, November 22, 2025; the second, planned as a do-over of the first, on Sunday, July 12, 2026. This stretch is leg 8 of the club's effort to traverse the entire Muskegon River, a river of about 216 miles.

The two runs could hardly have been more different. November meant unloading boats in the dark by headlamp, below-freezing temperatures at the meet, and — as the July event text later put it — double-digit portages. July meant a clear summer morning, a later start, and a crew that came prepared with saws and come-alongs for whatever the river had left in the channel.

Either way, this is no short outing. At a target pace of 4 to 4.5 miles per hour across about 21 miles, both runs were full, active days of paddling — the kind of endurance day the club's river-by-river traverse is built on.

1. The Put-In: White Birch Campground

Both runs used the same logistics: meet at the campground, run the shuttle to Jonesville Road (7:30 AM in November, 8:30 AM in July), and launch once the vehicles were staged — on the water at 9:00 AM in November and 10:00 AM in July. For most of the club it is about a two-hour drive each way from Grand Rapids, which is why the November morning started in the dark, with headlamps advised for unloading.

The hosts named in the November event text were Brad De Young and Tim Postma, the club's co-founders, who led both runs.

2. The November Run: Saturday, November 22, 2025

The first attempt at leg 8 was a late-fall endurance day: meet at 7:00 AM, shuttle at 7:30, on the water at 9:00, with the event window running to 4:00 PM. The plan called for a pace of 4 to 4.5 miles per hour and expected no portages.

The river had other ideas. No day-of account of the November run survives in the club's records, but the July event text — written by the people who were there — describes the November attempt plainly: it involved double-digit portages. Downed wood on an upper-river stretch turned a planned straight-through paddle into a long day of climbing out, hauling over, and launching again.

Recorded conditions backed up the hard day: the river was running well below its normal flow for the date (see the USGS section below), and the Cadillac station recorded a meet-time temperature of about 25 degrees under overcast skies.

3. The July Run: Sunday, July 12, 2026

Seven and a half months later, the club came back to finish the job properly. The July event text calls the run exactly what it was — a do-over of the November attempt — and this time the crew planned for the wood: paddlers carried saws and come-alongs to clear and haul through the obstructions that had stopped them in the fall.

The day itself was kinder. Meet at 8:00 AM, shuttle at 8:30, on the water at 10:00, with the event window running to 5:00 PM and a target pace of about 4 miles per hour. The river was running above its normal flow for the date, and the Cadillac station recorded a clear, calm morning on the way to an 86-degree afternoon.

Same 21 miles, same put-in and take-out — a completely different river day. That contrast is the story of leg 8: the Muskegon does not give up its upper stretches easily, in any season.

4. USGS River Flow and Water Conditions

The Evart gauge is the nearest active gauge with discharge on this reach and sits downstream of the Jonesville Road take-out, so its recorded daily values are the reference for both runs.

Recorded Readings for Both Runs

November's flow ran at less than half the date's median — low water on an upper-river stretch, the kind of level that leaves wood and shallow obstructions exposed. July's flow ran above its median, giving the return crew more water to work with on the same miles.

5. Historical Weather Conditions in Falmouth, Michigan

The nearest official National Weather Service observation station is Cadillac, Michigan (KCAD), roughly 17 miles west of the put-in. Recorded observations for both run dates:

November 22, 2025

July 12, 2026

A 61-degree swing in afternoon highs between the two runs — November's crew dressed for winter and unloaded in the dark, while July's crew paddled under clear skies in full summer heat. Neither day recorded any precipitation.

6. The Take-Out: Jonesville Road

Both runs finished at the Jonesville Road launch, where the shuttle vehicles were staged before launch. About 21 miles of the Muskegon behind them — and, after July, leg 8 of the club's full-river traverse properly checked off.

Technical Trip Information

Safety and Equipment

Participants brought their own kayaks or canoes, paddles, properly fitted life jackets, drinking water, food, weather-appropriate clothing, sunscreen, insect protection and dry bags. The November run added headlamps for unloading in the dark and cold-weather layers; the July run added saws and come-alongs for clearing obstructions.

More Than the Miles

Leg 8 took two tries, and that is exactly the kind of leg a full-river traverse is made of. The club did not quietly drop the stretch after a hard November day — it wrote the do-over into the calendar, showed up in July with the tools the river had asked for, and ran the same 21 miles again. Every leg of the Muskegon the club checks off adds up: about 216 miles, one stretch at a time.

Trip Recap

• About 21 miles from White Birch Campground to Jonesville Road — run twice
• Leg 8 of the club's traverse of the entire Muskegon River
• November 22, 2025: below-normal flow, overcast, about 25°F at the meet — and double-digit portages, per the July event text
• July 12, 2026: elevated flow, clear skies, 86°F high — the do-over, with saws and come-alongs along
• Shuttle staged at Jonesville Road before launch on both runs

Thank you to trip leaders Brad De Young and Tim Postma for organizing both runs, and to every member who showed up ready to paddle — twice.

More Than Just a Kayaking Club

West Michigan Kayaking Club brings together active paddlers who love exploring Michigan's rivers, lakes, trails and wilderness areas. Our adventures range from day paddles to extended river expeditions, hiking, camping, backpacking and multi-day outdoor experiences.

We believe in getting beyond the familiar launch sites, discovering new waterways and making the most of Michigan's incredible natural resources. We aren't here just to drift downstream. We're here to explore, challenge ourselves and discover what's around the next bend.