Sturgeon (Baraga/Houghton) - A) Sturgeon Canyon: Hwy.41 to Upper Falls (1.3 miles)


Sturgeon (Baraga/Houghton), Michigan, US

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A) Sturgeon Canyon: Hwy.41 to Upper Falls (1.3 miles)

Usual Difficulty IV-V (for normal flows)
Length 1.3 Miles
Avg. Gradient 100 fpm
Max Gradient 122 fpm

Canyon Falls


Canyon Falls
Photo of Jim McHale by Boris Glick

Gauge Information

Name Range Difficulty Updated Level
STURGEON RIVER NEAR SIDNAW, MI
usgs-04040500 250 - 600 cfs IV-V 61d23h36m 85 cfs (rc= -0.3 )
Generally too low for decent whitewater run. Gauge (171 sq.mi. drainage) is 11 miles downstream, with a few good sized tribs, so somewhat overstates flow in this reach.


River Description

Put-in is via a roadside park on Hwy.41.
Take-out is after Upper Falls (the final drop as you leave the canyon). Carry back up.

The gauge provides fairly accurate read of runnable flows. Be careful of the hole right before Unnamed Falls.


StreamTeam Status: Not Verified
Last Updated: 2009-11-23 13:56:10

Upper Falls Sturgeon River

Detail Trip Report  Upper Falls Sturgeon River  Sturgeon River, MI(170.87KB .jpeg)

Unnamed Falls

Detail Trip Report  Unnamed Falls  Sturgeon River, MI(153.12KB .jpeg)

Looking up @ Canyon Falls

Detail Trip Report  Looking up @ Canyon Falls  Sturgeon Canyon, MI(97.41KB .jpeg)

Canyon Falls

Detail Trip Report  Canyon Falls  Sturgeon, MI(3.69MB .avi)

Mike Dziobak runs No Name

Detail Trip Report  Mike Dziobak runs No Name  Sturgeon Canyon, MI(4.14MB .mov)

Upper Falls

Detail Trip Report  Upper Falls  Sturgeon (Baraga/Houghton), MI(84.58KB .jpeg)

Heart of the Canyon

Detail Trip Report  Heart of the Canyon  Sturgeon (Baraga/Houghton), MI(110.55KB .jpeg)

Canyon Falls

Detail Trip Report  Canyon Falls  Sturgeon (Baraga/Houghton), MI(48.43KB .jpeg)


Gauge Information

Gauge Description:

Due to constricted nature of the canyon, runnable flows for this reach are fairly narrow window.

Disclaimer: Be aware that indication of a 'runnable' level by the gauge does not necessarily mean that the river is runnable. In winter, gauge readings may be 'ice affected'. Sections of the river may be impassable due to ice. Use discretion for winter and early spring runs.

Gauge Information

Name Range Difficulty Updated Level
STURGEON RIVER NEAR SIDNAW, MI
usgs-04040500 250 - 600 cfs IV-V 61d23h36m 85 cfs (rc= -0.3 )
Generally too low for decent whitewater run.
Gauge (171 sq.mi. drainage) is 11 miles downstream, with a few good sized tribs, so somewhat overstates flow in this reach.
RangeWater LevelDifficultyComment
0 - 100 cfs extremely Low-somewhat Low IV-V Generally too low for decent whitewater run.
100 - 250 cfs somewhat Low-barely Low IV-V Most consider this too low, but may be ELF (Extreme Low Flow) run. (Add a comment or report if you have experience with these flows.)
250 - 600 cfs barely runnable-high runnable IV-V Usual runnable flows.
600 -1000 cfs somewhat High-somewhat High IV-V Most consider this too high for this run. (Add a comment or report if you have experience with these flows.)
1000 -5000 cfs somewhat High-extremely High IV-V Unusually high. Extreme caution urged. Constricted nature of gorge will make for epic experience.

Report - Reports of Sturgeon (Baraga/Houghton) A) Sturgeon Canyon: Hwy.41 to Upper Falls (1.3 miles) and related gauges

Reports give the public a chance to report on river conditions throughout the country as well as log the history of a river.

Reports

When River/Gauge Subject Level Reporter
Sturgeon (Baraga/Houghton) [MI] Upper Falls n/a Boris Glick
Sturgeon [MI] Canyon Falls 650 cfs Nate Alwine
Sturgeon River [MI] Upper Falls Sturgeon River 300 cfs Evan St. Peter
6y298d14h35m Sturgeon Canyon [MI] Mike Dziobak runs No Name 470 Mike Croak
9y213d22h35m Sturgeon Canyon [MI] Looking up @ Canyon Falls n/a Mark Mastalski

WXPort

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Rapid Summary

Mile Rapid Name Class Features (Legend)
0.2Canyon FallsIVWaterfall
0.4Heart of the CanyonIII+Waterfall
0.6Unnamed FallsIVWaterfall
1.2Upper FallsIII+Takeout Waterfall

Rapid Descriptions

Canyon Falls (Class IV, Mile 0.2)
After a series of sweet lead-in waves, this drop puts you into the heart of the canyon.


Heart of the Canyon (Class III+, Mile 0.4)
The heart of the canyon contains a great series of drops, slides, and holes.


Unnamed Falls (Class IV, Mile 0.6)
While this drop (and it's pool below) look menacing, people have gone over with no momentum (backwards even!) and been 'spit out' just fine. Pay much attention to the diagonal wave/hole in the lead-in, as it tends to be more problematic, putting you off your mark for this drop.


Upper Falls (Class III+, Mile 1.2)
Generally run to the right on a sweet bedrock slide (with a few interesting diagonal waves and holes thrown in for interest).
Take out immediately after running this and carry back up to your vehicle (or to re-run the reach)!



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 A) Sturgeon Canyon: Hwy.41 to Upper Falls (1.3 miles), Sturgeon (Baraga/Houghton) Michigan, US (mobile)