WARNING: LOG JAM DOWNSTREAM OF DAVIS PARK – DO NOT PLAN TO PADDLE FROM DAVIS PARK TO M-13 BOAT LAUNCH – As of spring 2018 there exists a very large log jam spanning the river approximately 1.5 miles downstream of Davis Park. Portaging the log jam is not recommended due to the wooded terrain and riverbank conditions.
Davis Park to M-13 Boat Launch
Beginner-Intermediate
5.6 Miles, 2 to 3 Hours
Universally Accessible Launch: Davis Park
Start: Davis Park
Finish: M-13 Boat Launch
This is an interesting journey that begins in a rural area and enters the Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge. After departing the Davis Park, paddlers pass under the historic Bridgeport walking bridge, then an iron trestle train bridge that is part of a rail system that transferred lumber back in Michigan’s lumbering era. Approximately 4 miles from Davis Park, the river splits and forms an island over a half mile in length. Choose the right fork, the wider of the two. About ¼ mile downstream of the fork you will pass under the Sheridan Road Bridge.
The M-13 (East Road) Cass River Boat Launch is located 5.6 miles downstream of Davis Park. The river current is normally slow to moderate on the entire stretch from Bridgeport to M-13. The landscape transitions from rural near Bridgeport to wooded, abounding in wildlife as one nears the refuge.