Michigan /

Grand River

River in Michigan · 179 acres · near Ada, Berryville, Chauncey, Clark Corners

The Grand River is a river in Michigan's Lower Peninsula, 252 miles long and the longest river in the state. It rises from springs in Somerset Township, Hillsdale County, and flows generally northwest through Jackson, Eaton Rapids, Dimondale, Lansing, Grand Ledge, Portland, Ionia, Lowell and Grand Rapids. It enters Lake Michigan at Grand Haven. Over its course it drops from 1,260 feet to 577 feet, and its basin drains 5,572 square miles. Its tributaries include the Red Cedar, Looking Glass, Maple, Flat, Thornapple and Rogue rivers. Grand Rapids was named for a mile-long stretch of rapids that was submerged by dams built starting in 1835.

The river is managed as the Grand River Water Trail in three sections. The Upper Grand River Water Trail runs more than 90 miles from Vandercook Lake County Park to Eaton Rapids. In 2018 the Michigan DNR named the Middle Grand one of its first eight state-designated water trails. The Lower Grand River Water Trail runs 96 miles from Portland to Grand Haven, has 35 public access points and became a state water trail in September 2024. Public launches include McArthur River Park, Jaycees Park, Webber Impoundment, Ada, Johnson Park, Robinson and Indian Channel. In Ottawa County, state rules set slow-no-wake zones from the entrance channel pierhead upstream, in South Channel, near the railway bridge at Grand Haven and Ferrysburg, and for 3,500 feet upstream of the Indian Channel confluence.

For much of its length the river is a trout and salmon stream, and lake sturgeon swim up it to spawn. A fish ladder was built in Grand Rapids in 1974. A project begun in 2019 aims to restore the rapids there by removing five dams between Sixth Street and Pearl Street.

Boating rules

Rules change; check with the agency or town before you go.

Launches

Community

Where people who fish, boat and paddle Grand River talk about it. Lake associations, clubs and local groups will be added as we find them.

Sources

  1. Grand River (Michigan) - Wikipedia
  2. Grand River watercraft controls (Ottawa County) - State of Michigan
  3. Lower Grand River Organization of Watersheds Grand River Water Trail - LGROW
  4. Grand River Water Trail - MGROW
  5. Michigan's Grand River Water Trails - Upper Grand River Watershed Alliance

Researched October 13, 2026 from the sources above. Written content CC BY 4.0. Something wrong? Corrections are welcome.

Wikidata: Q1542859