We figured if the river were flowing at 3mph, then we would have to average a normalized 2.5mph to maintain our estimated speed of 5.5 mph.

River race length- 120 river race time 14:17 (2018) Race speed – 8.5mphīased on the research, we planned for a 4 day (3 night) trip to do 115-120 miles of the river.

Current river temp- 59 degrees Total Length- 138mi.

Estimated daily travel- 5 hours at 5.5m/h = 27.5mi.

Speed – river 3mph – canoe 5.5mph (estimated).

I started researching how much time I needed to take off work, and my source of data happened to come from ex racers. This is where the canoe marathon starts to become important. Fast forward until 3 weeks before our trip, none of this has transpired (we didn’t even have a canoe yet!). We both talked a big talk and decided we would train for this trip, and even do some over-night excursions to be acclimated with paddling all day. Given that I love being active and outdoors, I said yes without hesitation. This spring, he asked me if I would join him on an adventure to make that dream a reality. My dad has wanted to canoe the entire length of the Au Sable since he was a kid.

The Marathon, as it’s commonly called, is a 120 mile canoe race from Grayling to Oscoda.

The other reason that people know of the Au Sable River is for the Au Sable Canoe Marathon that takes place each year in July. The Au Sable is a fly angler’s paradise, and is professionally managed to keep it that way. Canoeing the Au Sable River September 8th, 2021 by JoAnn Cransonįor those of you that don’t know, in northern Michigan there lies a beautiful winding river with an incredible amount of wildlife and diversity.

Buttercup campground