The Muskegon River ( / m ə ˈ s k iː ɡ ən / mə- SKEE -gən ) is a river that is 216 miles long (about 348 kilometers). It is located in the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. The river begins at Houghton Lake in Roscommon County and flows mostly in a southwesterly direction to its mouth at Lake Michigan, which is in the city named Muskegon. The river covers an area of 2,350 square miles (about 6,100 square kilometers) and includes several smaller rivers that flow into it, such as the Little Muskegon River, Hersey River, and Clam River.

In September 2002, an article in National Geographic discussed a deal that allowed Nestlé Waters North America to bottle up to 210 million gallons (about 800 million liters) of water each year from an underground water source near Grand Rapids, Michigan. This water source helps refill the Muskegon River.

Description of the watershed

The Muskegon River watershed covers 2,350 square miles (6,100 km²) in ten counties in north central Michigan: Muskegon, Newaygo, Mecosta, Clare, Osceola, and Roscommon. The watershed includes the cities of Muskegon, Newaygo, Big Rapids, Evart, and Houghton Lake. The river flows in a southwest direction through north central Michigan, starting at Houghton Lake and ending at Muskegon Lake, which connects to Lake Michigan.

Three man-made reservoirs are located on the Muskegon River: Rogers Dam Pond, Hardy Dam Pond, and Croton Dam Pond. All three dams are owned and operated by Consumers Power for electricity generation. Rogers Dam is in Mecosta County, south of Big Rapids. Hardy Dam and Croton Dam are in Newaygo County.

History

The Muskegon River, like many nearby streams, was a popular river for logging during the busy years of the 1880s and 1890s. Old logs that were left behind after logging activities in the spring can still be seen on the riverbed. The river is important to the Algonquian peoples because they used it for fishing and hunting.

Winfield Scott Gerrish built a seven-mile-long railroad from Lake George to the Muskegon River. In the 1850s, several logging railroads operated in Michigan. One example was the seven-mile-long Blendon Lumber Company railroad in Ottawa County, which was the first in the state to use a steam locomotive in May 1857.

Wildlife

There are many types of wildlife in the area, such as black bears, otters, waterfowl, white-tailed deer, and bald eagles. Even though there is more development, some parts of the region remain quite remote and natural, with much of the surrounding land owned by the state.

The Muskegon State Game Area covers 8,411 acres and is located over part of the Muskegon River between Maple Island Road and US Route 31. This area is available for hunters with licenses. Permits are available for hunting white-tailed deer and waterfowl. The Muskegon State Game Area covers parts of both Muskegon County and Newaygo County.

Recreation

• The river is a popular place for fishing, with species such as long-nosed gar, large migratory steelhead, brown trout, and planted Chinook salmon.
• Because of its slow current and length, which is only shorter than the Grand River, the river is often used for kayaking and canoeing.

Camping is a common activity near the river, with many shoreline parks and campgrounds available. Hunting is also popular in the nearby forests on public hunting land.

Crossings

There are about 31 bridges over the Muskegon River. These bridges include ones for cars and trucks, ones for trains, and several for walking and biking. Most of the bridges for walking and biking were once used by trains but have been changed to be used by people on foot or by bike.

Dams

The three main dams on the Muskegon River—Rogers, Hardy, and Croton—produce about 45,600 kilowatts of electricity. Approximately 30,000 kilowatts of this power come from Hardy Dam. This amount of electricity is enough to power a community of nearly 23,000 people. The smaller Reedsburg Dam is located near the source of the Muskegon River.

Cities and towns along the river

Towns in Michigan:
• Houghton Lake, Michigan
• Leota, Michigan
• Evart, Michigan
• Hersey, Michigan
• Big Rapids, Michigan
• Newaygo, Michigan
• Muskegon, Michigan