Oct 26, 2026 · @Brad De Young
Wild Rivers. Rugged Trails. Real Adventure.
Some trips end a season quietly. This was not one of them.
From Thursday, October 22, to Sunday, October 25, 2026, about 20 members of the West Michigan Kayaking Club drove north to the Au Sable River for one last big push before winter. We brought bikes, hiking boots, kayaks and a few too many camp chairs. Over three days we pedaled about 20 miles of rail-trail, hiked through a 1930s millionaire's lost estate, paddled two different branches of one of Michigan's most famous rivers, and survived a night that dropped to about 30°F.
This is the full story: the miles, the surprises, the wildlife, the history, and the campfire that kept us going. Grab a coffee (or something warmer). It's a long one.
The Trip at a Glance
Dates
Thursday, Oct 22 – Sunday, Oct 25, 2026
Base camp
Canoe Harbor State Forest Campground, on the Au Sable River
Who
About 20 club members from across Michigan
Bike
About 20 miles round trip on the North Central State Trail toward Grayling
Hike
About 3 hours on the Mason Tract Pathway, Canoe Harbor to Chase Bridge
Paddle 1
South Branch, Chase Bridge to Canoe Harbor, about 3.5 hours
Paddle 2
Main branch, Canoe Harbor to McAllister Bridge, about 10 miles, no portages
Weather
Sunny days around 65–68°F; overnight low near 30°F
Wildlife
Bald eagles, kingfishers, elk (the farm-raised kind)
Best moment
Lunch in the ruins of Durant's Castle
Thursday: Tents Up, Phones Down
The adventure started the way the best ones do: a long drive north, the radio fading out, and that moment when the pavement turns to dirt and you know you're getting close.
Our home for the weekend was Canoe Harbor State Forest Campground, tucked into the woods on the north end of the Mason Tract. It's a rustic spot, and we mean that as a compliment. There are no electrical hookups, just pit toilets, a dirt access road and plenty of elbow room, including dispersed sites for folks who like a little space between their tent and their neighbor's snoring.
Here's a fun fact that made it the obvious choice: Canoe Harbor is the only place camping is allowed in the entire Mason Tract. That means you wake up right 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. That's close enough to hear the water at night and launch kayaks, canoes and paddleboards without loading a single vehicle.
As Thursday evening rolled on, the headlights kept coming. Tents popped up, tarps went over picnic tables, gear piles got sorted into "tomorrow" and "Saturday" stacks, and the first campfire smoke drifted through the pines. Old friends caught up. New faces got introduced. Base camp was officially open.
Know before you go: You'll need a Michigan Recreation Passport on your vehicle, plus the nightly camping fee. Pack like it's rustic, because it is.
Friday: Two Wheels, One Trail 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 a 30-minute drive from camp, unloaded the bike 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, straight-ish and mostly hard-packed crushed stone. In other words, it's the perfect trail for chatting side by side while the miles slip past. Railroads hate hills, and on Friday, so did we.
Our ride was led by club trip leader Benita, who 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.
There's something a little surreal about rolling up on a bike and coming face to face with an animal that size. Phones came out, questions flew, and for a few minutes nobody was thinking about mileage at all. It was easily one of the most unexpected stops the club has made all year.
After soaking it in, we turned around and picked up the pace for a brisk ride back. The weather was spectacular, the legs were warm, and the bikes went back on the racks with plenty of daylight to spare.
Back at Camp
The evening had a choose-your-own-adventure feel. Some members laced up for a short hike in the woods around camp. Others claimed a camp chair and did some serious professional 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 some real choreography. Who's driving which boats where? Which vehicles stay at camp? Who has locks? Whose kayak is that, anyway? 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.
Saturday Morning: Hiking Into a Millionaire's Lost Kingdom
Saturday dawned like it had read the forecast and decided to overachieve. Clear skies, sunshine, and temperatures climbing to about 65–68°F. In late October. In Northern Michigan. We'll take it.
The Great Boat Shuffle
First came the shuttle, and this one had a clever twist. Instead of hiking away from our boats, we'd hike to them.
We hauled every kayak and canoe down to Chase Bridge, locked them up together, then drove all the vehicles back to Canoe Harbor. That left us exactly one way to reach our boats: on foot, through the Mason Tract. No turning back now.
Into the Mason Tract
If you've never been, the Mason Tract is something special. It's 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. Thanks to him, we got to hike a riverbank that looks much the way it did nearly a century ago.
The Mason Tract Pathway runs along the west bank, marked with blue blazes, 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. Every few minutes someone would stop for "just one more photo" of the river through the trees.
We passed only a handful of other hikers all day. 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.
Yes, there's a castle in the woods. Sort of.
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. Accounts describe dozens of rooms, a price tag around half a million dollars, and the kind of amenities you'd expect from a man who owned yachts, racehorses and airplanes.
He never got to enjoy it. On the night of February 6, 1931, just before Durant and his wife were set to move in, the castle caught fire and burned to the ground. A few years later, the land was sold to George Mason, and the rest is Mason Tract history.
Today, all that's left are stone foundation remnants, an old fireplace, and an interpretive sign telling the story. It's now a favorite picnic spot for paddlers and anglers. So, naturally, that's exactly what we did: we spread out among the ruins, unpacked our lunches and ate where a millionaire never got to.
It's hard to sit in a place like that without wondering. If the castle hadn't burned, would Mason ever have bought this land? Would it have been saved for the public? Would we have been hiking here at all?
The Home Stretch to Chase Bridge
With lunch done and legs rested, we pushed on toward Chase Bridge. The total hike took about three hours, and there's no better reward at the end of a trail than seeing your boat sitting right where you left it.
We took a short break for snacks and drinks, swapped hiking boots for paddling shoes, and got ready for round two.
Saturday Afternoon: Paddling Home on the South Branch
This is the part of the plan that made everyone grin. We'd just spent the morning walking the South Branch from the bluffs. Now we'd paddle the same river back to camp, watching the trail we'd hiked slide past from the water.
We launched at Chase Bridge and settled into a rhythm almost right away. The current was moving at a comfortable clip, and we hit no major obstructions on our route. The water was so clear you could watch the sandy bottom and gravel beds roll by beneath the hull.
And the scenery? Classic Au Sable in autumn. Muted golds and browns along the banks, leaves drifting down onto the water, and a light breeze sighing through the pines. Most of the wildflowers had called it a season, but nobody was complaining.
Wildlife Report
The river was busy:
- Bald eagles soaring overhead, which never, ever gets old
- Kingfishers rattling and darting along the banks, staying one bend ahead of the group
- Plenty of other signs of life in the woods and along the water's edge
It's the kind of paddle where conversations naturally go quiet every few minutes, just because everyone is looking around.
About three and a half hours after launching, Canoe Harbor came into view. We pulled the boats up, secured them for the night, and stood around for a minute feeling pretty pleased with ourselves. Hike to your boats. Paddle back to your tent. That's a full day, Northern Michigan style.
Saturday Night: The Potluck and the Big Freeze
After a day of hiking and paddling, nobody needed to be told twice that it was dinnertime.
Coolers opened, camp stoves hissed, and dish after dish landed on the table for the club potluck. If you've never done a paddling-club potluck, here's the secret: everyone is starving, everyone brought their best camp recipe, and nothing tastes better than food eaten by a fire after a long day outdoors.
As the fire crackled, the talk drifted from the day's miles to the stories that make these trips what they are. Past adventures got retold (and maybe slightly improved). Trip ideas for next year got tossed around. And new attendees, some on their very first club trip, got pulled right into the circle.
That's the real magic of these weekends. Whether you've paddled with us for years or this was your first time, the campfire is where strangers become trip buddies and trip buddies become friends.
Then the Temperature Fell Off a Cliff
Remember that gorgeous 68-degree afternoon? Northern Michigan does.
Once the sun went down, the temperature dropped hard and kept going, bottoming out around 30°F overnight. Frost-on-the-tent territory.
The members who came ready with warm mummy bags, thick blankets and proper cold-weather gear slept relatively comfortably. Everyone else learned a valuable lesson about late-season camping up north: a beautiful day tells you nothing about the night that follows.
By morning, our boats sat waiting at the water's edge, ready for one last ride.
[Photo: the potluck spread / campfire circle]
Sunday: One Last Run on the Main Branch
Sunday started the right way, 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 grand finale: about 10 miles on the main branch of the Au Sable.
Once again, the weather showed up for us. The flow was comfortable, the water was clear, and both the launch and takeout were easy. Best of all, there were no portages. That meant 10 uninterrupted miles of paddling, bend after bend, with nothing to do but move downstream and soak it in.
The morning had a relaxed, happy feel. Boats drifted together for conversations, then spread back out. The banks rolled by in autumn colors. We passed several anglers working the river, and a few quick chats from the boats reminded us how much fishing conditions can change this time of year.
Racing the Daylight
Late October up north can turn on you fast, and we knew we'd been lucky: sunshine, comfortable daytime temperatures and great river conditions all weekend long.
We also kept one eye on the clock. This late in the season, sunset comes before 7 p.m., and dusk settles in faster than you'd think under the trees. We planned the day so we'd be off the water well before dark, and we'd recommend every late-season paddler do the same.
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" before everyone scattered back across Michigan.
Lessons From the Au Sable: Late-Season Tips
Want to try a trip like this yourself? Here's what this weekend taught us:
- Pack for two seasons. A 68°F afternoon can turn into a 30°F night. Bring a cold-rated sleeping bag (a mummy bag is ideal), an insulated pad, a warm hat and extra layers.
- Respect the daylight. Sunset comes early in late October. Plan launch times so you're off the water well before dark.
- Hike to your boats. Staging boats at Chase Bridge and hiking the Mason Tract to reach them turned a shuttle into the best part of the day. Bring locks so your boats are secure while you hike.
- Have your paperwork ready. Canoe Harbor needs a Michigan Recreation Passport plus the nightly camping fee.
- Remember the camping rule. Camping in the Mason Tract is only allowed at Canoe Harbor State Forest Campground.
- 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.
- Bring the potluck dish. Seriously. It's the best meal of the trip.
Three Days, Four Ways to Explore
This trip is a perfect example of what makes the West Michigan Kayaking Club different. We don't just paddle from one access point to the next. We stack kayaking, hiking, biking and camping into full-blown adventures. Here's what one weekend added up to:
- Camping: Three nights of rustic camping at Canoe Harbor State Forest Campground
- Biking: About 20 miles on the North Central State Trail, with a bonus elk encounter
- Hiking: About three hours through the Mason Tract, with lunch in the ruins of Durant's Castle
- Kayaking: Two river days, the South Branch from Chase Bridge and about 10 miles of the main branch
- Wildlife: Bald eagles, kingfishers, elk and a forest full of falling leaves
- Community: A potluck, two campfires, new faces and a lot of laughs
Thank You, and See You in 2027
It's hard to believe another season is in the books. From spring paddles to summer river runs to fall camping trips, 2026 has been an outstanding year for the club. We explored new rivers and trails, welcomed new members, and kept building a community of people who'd rather be outside.
The Au Sable was the perfect way to close it out: great weather, rewarding miles, a little history, plenty of wildlife and the best company around.
A huge thank-you to everyone who came, drove shuttles, wrangled boats, organized rides and shared food around the fire. Special thanks to Bonita for leading Friday's ride and for the elk detour nobody will forget.
We're already dreaming about 2027. More rivers. More trails. More miles. More adventures across Michigan.
Until the next one, keep exploring!
Come Paddle With Us
If active paddling, hiking, biking, camping and exploring Michigan's wild places sounds like your kind of weekend, we'd love to have you. We organize self-supported adventures for people who want to go beyond the ordinary and see Michigan's rivers and trails up close.
- Website: westmichigankayakingclub.online
- Become a member: westmichigankayakingclub.online/become-a-member
Wild Rivers. Rugged Trails. Real Adventure.
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