Au Sable River, Michigan

Float times, access points, fishing, and camping along Michigan's river of sand, from Grayling to Lake Huron

The Au Sable is Michigan's most storied trout river and one of the best canoe rivers in the Midwest, running about 120 miles from Grayling east to Lake Huron at Oscoda. This guide is written by Chris Izworski, who keeps the interactive field map below and fishes and paddles this water. It pulls together the parts people actually plan around: how long each float takes, where to launch, where the fish are, and where to camp.

The river, segment by segment

The main branch leaves Grayling and runs through the Holy Water, the flies-only, catch-and-release stretch from Burton's Landing down to Wakeley Bridge that made the river famous. Below Wakeley the South Branch and North Branch join, and the river widens on its way to Mio. From Mio to Lake Huron the Au Sable becomes a chain of six hydroelectric impoundments, Mio, Alcona, Loud, Five Channels, Cooke, and Foote, each separated by a dam and a portage. A 23-mile stretch between Mio and Alcona ponds is a federally designated National Scenic River.

Popular floats and how long they take

Estimates assume about 3.2 mph on free-flowing river and 2.2 mph on the flatwater ponds, plus a half hour per dam portage. Each link opens that exact float in the planner, where you can adjust it and see today's flow.

• Grayling to Stephan Bridge10.7 mi, about 3h 21m, the easy Holy Water day
• Grayling to Wakeley Bridge15.3 mi, about 4h 47m, the full Holy Water
• Wakeley Bridge to McMasters Bridge7.8 mi, about 2h 26m, quieter water below the branches
• Mio to McKinley Landing14.8 mi, about 4h 37m, into the National Scenic stretch

Fishing

Trout

The Holy Water on the main branch holds wild brown, brook, and rainbow trout in clear, wadeable gravel runs. Stephan Bridge and Thendara Road are the classic access points, and the South Branch through the Mason Tract offers another flies-only, catch-and-release reach below Chase Bridge. The river is famous for its hatches, with the Hex, the giant Michigan mayfly, drawing anglers in the dark of late June.

Smallmouth and warmwater

From Mio downstream, and especially in the impoundments, the river fishes for smallmouth bass, walleye, pike, and panfish. The ponds above each dam are flatwater you can fish from a boat or the bank.

Steelhead and salmon

Below Foote Dam the river becomes a Great Lakes tributary. The dam stops migrating fish, so the water just below it carries the run of steelhead and Chinook, coho, and a newer Atlantic salmon run. The Whirlpool Angler Access has paved parking, an accessible ramp, and a boardwalk, and the river mouth at Oscoda is prime in spring, with the heaviest steelhead run from March through May.

Camping

State forest campgrounds such as Keystone Landing and Canoe Harbor sit right on the upper river. The Huron National Forest runs Gabions, Rollways, Monument, and the Au Sable Loop, and Alcona Park is a large county campground on the Alcona impoundment. Below 4001 Bridge, 102 individually designated federal dispersed sites line the shore and bluffs down to Oscoda, most of them reached by canoe, with a reservation required from May 15 to September 30.

Birding and the Kirtland's warbler

The river corridor is rich for birding, from loons on Wakely Lake to bald eagles and kingfishers over the National Scenic stretch. Tuttle Marsh, west of Oscoda, is a 5,000-acre wetland with osprey, herons, terns, and waterfowl. The rare Kirtland's warbler nests in the jack pine plains near Mio and Grayling, and because the nesting areas are closed and posted, the bird is seen only on a guided tour in late spring.

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to float the Au Sable from Grayling to Wakeley Bridge?

About 15 miles and roughly 4 to 5 hours at typical summer flow, through the Holy Water. Real time shifts with flow, wind, and stops. Grayling to Stephan Bridge is the shorter version at about 11 miles and three and a half hours.

Where can I launch a canoe or kayak on the Au Sable in Grayling?

The Grayling city access and Burton's Landing are the usual put-ins, with Louie's Landing, Keystone Landing, and Stephan Bridge next downstream. Liveries in Grayling, including Penrod's and Borchers, rent boats and run shuttles.

Where is the Holy Water on the Au Sable?

The flies-only, catch-and-release stretch of the main branch from Burton's Landing a few miles below Grayling to Wakeley Bridge, one of the most famous trout reaches in the eastern United States.

Where do you fish for steelhead and salmon on the Au Sable?

Below Foote Dam, about nine miles from Lake Huron. The dam stops migrating fish, so the water below holds steelhead and Chinook, coho, and Atlantic salmon. The Whirlpool Angler Access and the Oscoda river mouth are the main spots, best from March through May.

What campgrounds are on the Au Sable River?

State forest sites like Keystone and Canoe Harbor, national forest campgrounds including Gabions, Rollways, Monument, and Au Sable Loop, the county-run Alcona Park on the impoundment, and 102 federal dispersed riverside sites that require a reservation from May 15 to September 30.

How many dams are on the Au Sable River?

Six: Mio, Alcona, Loud, Five Channels, Cooke, and Foote. Each forms an impoundment that paddlers portage and that holds walleye, smallmouth, and pike.

Where can I see the Kirtland's warbler near the Au Sable?

In the young jack pine near Mio and Grayling, viewed only on a guided tour because the nesting areas are closed and posted. Tours run mid-May into early July from the Mio Ranger District and from Hartwick Pines.

For more, open the interactive field map, browse the other Michigan tools, or see the paddling and trout stream pages.