Peshekee River Kayaking Guide

The Peshekee River is a 31.1-mile Marquette County river — also touching Baraga County — flowing to Lake Michigamme; its waters continue via the Michigamme and Menominee rivers to Lake Michigan. It is a real river with real paddling evidence, but the evidence is thin: trip reports describe limited paddling around Craig Lake and its outlets, with short river connections complicated by beaver dams.

Van Riper State Park has Peshekee River frontage, which gives paddlers a legitimate landmark and a place to inquire about water access. But no trustworthy through-route, no total mileage itinerary, and no formal put-in/take-out pair has been established. Beaver dams are not a minor detail on a river like this — they can turn a planned float into a day of dragging and portaging through boggy ground.

This guide's honest scope: the Craig Lake outlet area for short exploratory paddling, and Van Riper State Park as the access lead to investigate. Everything else is unscouted.

Paddling the Peshekee River

Craig Lake and its outlets (limited, beaver dams)

Trip reports describe paddling around Craig Lake with short connections onto the river's outlet waters — and beaver dams complicating those connections. Treat this as exploratory flatwater: go expecting to turn around, lift over, or portage, and keep distances short.

Van Riper State Park frontage

Van Riper State Park has Peshekee River frontage. Check with the park about water access — a state park with river frontage is the best lead in this guide, but frontage is not automatically a launch, so confirm before you go. The river's mouth at Lake Michigamme is mapped at about 46.52744, -88.00486, with a DEQ monitoring point at Peshekee Grade (46.60964, -88.02213).

Hazards & Portages

Beaver dams are the signature hazard — expect to encounter them, and be prepared to portage through potentially boggy ground. Strainers in a forested river, undocumented obstructions, and no established portage network. This is exploratory paddling: partner up, wear a PFD, and file a float plan.

Access & Parking

No formal put-in/take-out pair is documented. Van Riper State Park (river frontage — verify access with the park) is the lead to investigate. DEQ monitoring coordinates are water-quality references, not launches.

Map

The marker below is an approximate reference point at the mouth of the Peshekee River on Lake Michigamme — not a verified launch site.