Muskegon River Adventure – Part 4 Hersey to Highbanks Park | August 20, 2025 West Michigan Kayaking Club | Wild Rivers. Rugged Trails. Real Adventure.

The journey continues!

For Muskegon River Paddle #4, Tim and I hit the water at the Hersey Boat Launch and made our way downstream to Highbanks Park in Big Rapids.

📍 20.5 miles

⏱️ 5½ hours

🛶 Sea kayaks

This section of the Muskegon River has some fantastic current, especially through the Big Rapids area. While the river itself isn’t particularly twisty, the rapids through here were a blast.

In my opinion, the rapids reminded me a lot of the Sturgeon River—and that’s saying something!

It was an absolute blast in sea kayaks. Great current, fun rapids, beautiful scenery, and a perfect day on the water.

🦅 WILDLIFE, WILD WATER & A SPECIAL SHOUT-OUT

One of the best parts of paddling the Muskegon River is never knowing what you’re going to see.

This trip delivered some excellent wildlife sightings:

🦅 Eagle
🪶 Blue heron
🐢 Turtles
🦆 Ducks
🪿 Geese
🦞 And, for the first time on this journey, crayfish!

It was a beautiful day to be on the river, surrounded by Michigan’s wildlife and incredible scenery.

We also want to give a special shout-out to Tracey and Gary from the Big Rapids Rotary Club.

We met them on the water in Green Township while they were out participating in their annual river cleanup.

Thank you, Tracey and Gary, for helping take care of the Muskegon River and keeping our waterways beautiful! 👏

🛶 ANOTHER 20.5 MILES IN THE BOOKS

Muskegon River Paddle #4 is officially complete!

From Hersey to Highbanks Park in Big Rapids, Tim and I put another 20.5 miles behind us as we continue our journey along the Muskegon River.

Every section has brought something different—new scenery, new wildlife, new challenges, and plenty of fun on the water.

And we’re just getting started.

Stay tuned as Tim and I continue our journey north and east toward the headwaters.

More miles. More river. More adventure.

🌲🛶 West Michigan kayaking club
Wild Rivers. Rugged Trails. Real Adventure.

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