Silver, Michigan, US

A) 'Upper Silver': Silver Rd to Arvon Rd (2.3 miles)

Cabin Section

Cabin Section
Photo by Boris Glick

Gauge Information

Name	Range	Difficulty	Updated	Level
SILVER RIVER NEAR L'ANSE, MI
usgs-04043150	7.47 - 9.00 ft	II-III(IV)	01h11m	6.9 ft (rc= -0.2 )
	Too low for any reasonable whitewater experience. (Under 100 cfs.) Gauge (64.7 Sq.Mi. drainage) is well downstream (at Skanee Road). Gauge flow would considerably exaggerate flow in this reach, so we use stage reading.

River Description

This is one of the definitive South Shore creek runs. First paddled in the seventies, the Silver has long had an annual pilgrimage of faithfuls, hoping to catch this beauty when the snow melts and the ice goes out.

The run begins with Hail Mary (a great challenging rapids in three pitches) and ends with the Cabin Section (an even more demanding stretch which most boaters will enjoy from shore, and even well seasoned boaters will likely appreciate having good safety support in a few key locations). At low-to-moderate flows, this section can easily be parsed into three sequential pitches. At higher flows, the drops tend to 'run together', creating many opportunities for epic tales to be told later around the bar or campfire. And, between these two sequences, you'll find a plentiful assortment of good drops to keep you on your toes.

AW members may click here for Part 1 of an article from the AW Journal, way back in 1981!
AW members may click here for Part 2 of the article.

The article describes the following:
Michigan's
Upper Presque Isle,
Lower Presque Isle,
Lower Black,
Upper Silver, (this reach)
Lower Silver,
Falls, and
Rock,
and Wisconsin's
Lower Brunsweiler,
Montreal, W.Fk., and
Montreal Canyon.