It’s a rite of passage for those coming to the Sleeping Bear Dunes – floating the Platte River. Spending a day floating the river and dumping out in Lake Michigan is a MUST for those who want the quintessential Northern Michigan experience! If you have been, please share your pics in the comments below!
What to expect:
This river is the definition of “slow” - so come with the expectations of a lazy, happy day. People bring coolers (often strapped into an extra inner tube!), tie their tubes together for GIANT flotillas (these people will cheer for you if you fall in!), and groups and families bring a festive – yet mellow – day to the river. Families rent aluminum canoes and plop the kids in the middle, with the harrowed mom and dad manning the S.S. Minnow, while still others will be on silent SUP boards, gliding quietly through the waters, tucking into little coves and finding the turtles or blue herons along the way. No matter how you choose to float the Platte, you can’t beat it for a perfect summer day.
(Photo to left: The writer with her dog, Cookie, paddling the Platte River.)
The Gear:
You can rent a tube, paddleboard, canoe or kayak locally – or bring your own. An easy option for rentals is Riverside Canoes, located along the river on M-22. They offer many float options – and the convenience of shuttling your people and things from end to end.
If you aren’t using a rental service like Riverside Canoes, you’ll need two cars to make this happen. You’ll use one to launch your crew from one of the put-ins along the way (see below) and you’ll need to stage a second car at the river’s end in Lake Township Park, located at the end of Platte Point Road.
Parking:
To park at any of the locations along the Platte River within the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, you will need to have an entrance pass, which you can get online or at the Philip A. Hart Visitor Center in Empire. Parking passes are $25 for 7 days or $45 for a year.
Put-in Locations:
Platte River Picnic area – located at the intersection of M-22 and Platte Point Road. If you park here, it is considered starting at the “top” of the lower Platte. A leisurely float will take 2.5-3 hours. A more focused SUP will take 1.5 hours. You will have to cross Loon Lake, a small inland lake that is very deep. You will have to do a little work to cross the lake because there is no “current” here – so this requires paddles or arm paddling on those tubes! Be sure to have the kiddos in lifejackets. (Otherwise, most of the Platte is very shallow and you can touch the bottom if you should take a spill! Remember, life jackets must be on board for all passengers of SUPs, canoes and kayaks under state law.)
El Dorado Park – This is a perfect “shorter” float, especially if you are using inner tubes, This puts you in below Loon Lake, avoiding the arduous task of getting your tube across the small lake! Also, if you are doing without any shuttle service, this is a good spot to put in if you have a strong person who wouldn’t mind a little workout – you can get everyone and everything dropped off at El Dorado Park, then your driver can go stage the car at the end, and hike back to El Dorado Park. It’s probably a 20-minute walk back and saves you the hassle of needing 2 cars. You will have about a 1-hour float from here to Lake Michigan.
The End
At Lake Township Park at the end/mouth of the river, you’ll find flush bathrooms and picnic tables with grills for an après float picnic! The park overlooks Platte Bay, and you can alternate between swimming the warm waters of the river or hiking over to the endless beach and getting in the chillier waters of Lake Michigan. This location is a PRIME sunset location, so check the time for the sunset and plan a later afternoon paddle and dinner picnic. In August, the sunset is around 8:30-9 p.m. and the colors truly pop in the 20 minutes before and after sunset. Lake Township Park has a $5 parking fee, in addition to the dunes entrance permit.
Up and back:
If you are canoeing, kayaking or SUPing, the river’s current is light enough that you can park at the mouth at Lake Township Park and paddle upstream, before turning back. Don’t do this on a tube! This is only for those with a paddle!
The upstream paddle is slow and serene, and once you are tuckered out, you get the reward of an easy paddle back downstream. The “up and back” eliminates the need for a staged car or shuttle – and lets you decide as you how far you want to go! Be sure to take time to pull off and float among the marshy shores to enjoy snacks or drinks you’ve packed in and out with you.
Overall, this experience can be done in many different ways. This website offers more ideas for your float experience from the National Park Service. One “must” is bringing drinks (no glass!) and snacks, and be sure to pack out what you pack in. Enjoy!
(Photo to the right: Sunset over Lake Michigan at the end of the Platte River.)
