Beginner
3.5 Miles, 1.5 to 2.5 Hours
Start: M-13 Boat Launch
Finish: Wickes Park
This is a unique final segment that passes through the natural features of the Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge and then opens up into a large river system in an urban area. This section features slower water, but paddlers will likely encounter more motorized boats when approaching Saginaw.
The Cass River enters the Shiawassee River approximately 2 miles downstream of M-13. As the Cass River ends and flows into the Shiawassee, the river opens up into a very wide expanse of water. Soon after entering the Shiawassee River, the Tittabawassee River will flow in from the left (west). Paddlers should stay to the right when padding downstream toward Saginaw to avoid going in the wrong direction or down another tributary. After the confluence of the rivers, Wickes Park will be on the paddlers right side, which is the east side of the Saginaw River.
Spaulding Township
4400 M-13 (East Road), Saginaw, north side of River
Type: Paved Boat Launch
Parking: Sizable for vehicle/trailer parking
Parking Address: 4400 East Rd, Saginaw, MI 48601
Facilities: No amenities on site
*This access site is an entrance way into the Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge and Shiawassee and Saginaw Rivers.
City of Saginaw
101 Naval Reserve Drive, Saginaw – East side of the Saginaw River, just downstream of the confluence of the Cass, Shiawassee, and Tittabawassee Rivers. Launch is at the corner of Wickes Park Dr & Naval Reserve Dr., one block west of Douglass St.
Type: Concrete & asphalt ramp, but blocked off for trailered boats
Parking: Paved for 40+ cars
Parking Address: 101 Naval Reserve Drive, Saginaw, MI 48601
Facilities: No amenities on site
*This is the end of the Cass River Water Trails.
