West Michigan Kayaking Club: How Two Paddlers Built One of Michigan’s Fastest-Growing Adventure Kayaking Communities
By Staff Writer
In 2020, what began as a search for adventure and community evolved into one of Michigan’s most active and ambitious kayaking organizations.
When co-founders Brad De Young and Tim Postma looked around the paddling landscape in West Michigan, they saw an opportunity. While numerous established kayaking and canoeing clubs existed throughout the region, many focused primarily on shorter recreational outings and casual float trips. For paddlers seeking longer expeditions, river exploration, environmental stewardship, skill development, and organized adventures designed around working adults’ schedules, options were limited.
Rather than waiting for someone else to create the experience they were looking for, De Young and Postma decided to build it themselves.
The result was West Michigan Kayaking Club, a member-driven organization founded on a simple idea: create a club where people could challenge themselves, explore new waterways, develop kayaking skills, and build meaningful friendships through adventure.
A Club Born From Necessity
According to De Young, the concept emerged while he was searching for ways to connect with other paddlers interested in more than just casual recreational trips.
“I wanted to learn, improve my skills, and tackle longer-distance adventures,” he recalls. “There were plenty of opportunities for short recreational paddles, but there wasn’t a comprehensive club focused on exploration, endurance paddling, environmental stewardship, and skill development while also accommodating people with jobs, families, and busy schedules.”
Postma shared a similar vision.
The two recognized that many potential paddlers were unable to participate in traditional weekday outings often favored by retired members of established organizations. They wanted to create a club where working adults, parents, retirees, beginners, and experienced paddlers could all find opportunities to participate.
The club’s name came naturally.
Both founders lived in West Michigan and wanted a straightforward name that reflected the region they served. Thus, West Michigan Kayaking Club was born.
A Different Approach to Adventure
From its earliest days, the club embraced a philosophy centered on exploration.
Instead of limiting activities to well-known recreational paddles, members began seeking out lesser-known rivers, extended day trips, multi-river expeditions, and waterways that many paddlers had never experienced.
The club’s tagline, “Wild Rivers. Rugged Trails. Real Adventure.”, reflects its commitment to combining kayaking with hiking, camping, conservation projects, and outdoor exploration.
Members have participated in countless river expeditions, adventure paddles, hiking excursions, and overnight trips across Michigan. Along the way, the organization has introduced dozens of people to kayaking who otherwise may never have entered the sport.
Many members have also attended safety seminars, rescue training programs, symposiums, and skill-development workshops designed to improve confidence and safety on the water.
Making Rivers More Accessible
Perhaps one of the club’s most significant contributions has been its commitment to river stewardship.
While paddling provides recreation and adventure, De Young and Postma believe that access to waterways depends upon maintaining and improving those waterways.
That philosophy has led club members to participate in numerous cleanup efforts and river-clearing projects throughout West Michigan.
One of the most notable achievements occurred in 2022 when club volunteers, led by De Young and Postma, completed the clearing of approximately 36 miles of Crockery Creek, opening navigation from upstream sections all the way to the mouth of the Grand River.
That same year, the team undertook another ambitious project, clearing the entire navigable stretch of Wabasis Creek to its confluence with the Flat River.
These projects required extensive volunteer hours, coordination, and determination. Fallen trees, logjams, and natural obstacles often had to be removed manually to restore access.
For many members, these stewardship projects became just as rewarding as the paddling adventures themselves.
Pursuing Historic Waterway Challenges
The club has also become known for its large-scale river challenges.
In 2023, members successfully paddled the entire lengths of both the Thornapple River and the Flat River, documenting waterways that many local paddlers had never experienced from end to end.
Currently, West Michigan Kayaking Club is engaged in one of its most ambitious projects to date: paddling and documenting the entire Muskegon River from Houghton Lake to Lake Michigan.
Club leaders report that approximately 50 miles remain before the project is completed.
For many members, such expeditions represent the spirit of the organization—exploration, perseverance, teamwork, and discovery.
Explosive Growth
What began as a small group of paddlers has grown rapidly.
Since 2020, membership has expanded dramatically as more people discover the club’s unique approach to kayaking and outdoor adventure.
The organization’s growth reflects broader trends within outdoor recreation as more individuals seek active experiences, meaningful social connections, and opportunities to engage with nature.
Yet members say the club’s success is rooted in something simpler: creating opportunities that people genuinely want.
Weekend adventures, organized expeditions, environmental projects, hiking events, skill-building programs, and a welcoming atmosphere have attracted paddlers from across Michigan.
For newcomers, the club often serves as a gateway into kayaking. For experienced paddlers, it offers opportunities to push boundaries and pursue larger challenges.
Challenges Along the Way
Rapid growth has not come without obstacles.
As with many organizations that introduce new ideas and approaches, West Michigan Kayaking Club has occasionally faced criticism from some established paddling groups.
De Young says he understands the dynamic.
“Whenever something new experiences rapid growth, there can be skepticism,” he explains. “That’s part of being different.”
Rather than focusing on criticism, the founders have remained committed to their mission.
Their philosophy is simple: continue creating opportunities for adventure, continue building community, and continue improving access to Michigan’s waterways.
Club leaders emphasize that their goal has never been to replace existing organizations but rather to provide an alternative for paddlers seeking a different style of experience.
Looking Ahead
Today, West Michigan Kayaking Club continues to expand its reach and ambitions.
With new members joining regularly, additional river expeditions being planned, and ongoing stewardship projects throughout the region, the organization shows no signs of slowing down.
For De Young and Postma, the mission remains largely unchanged from the day the club was founded.
Create opportunities for people to explore wild rivers.
Build a welcoming community.
Protect and improve Michigan’s waterways.
And make adventure accessible to ordinary people balancing careers, families, and everyday responsibilities.
What started as two paddlers searching for something that didn’t exist has become a thriving outdoor community helping hundreds of people discover Michigan from a different perspective—one river at a time.
West Michigan Kayaking Club Motto:
Wild Rivers. Rugged Trails. Real Adventure.