ROCK RIVER (Baraga, Co., 12 mi. south of L'Anse)

LENGTH: 4.5 mi., CLASS II-III, GRADIENT:

SEASON: A few weeks in early spring.

PUT-IN: Bridge across the Rock River just below Worm Lake.

TAKEOUT: Plains Road Bridge across the Sturgeon River.

GAGE: visual

FUN FACT: Good intermediate run.

FIRST DESCENT: Bob Obst, Harry House, Fred Young, Matt Kuckuk, Mike Baker (1980).

SHUTTLE: From the put-in drive 2 miles west to Hwy. 28. Take Hwy. 28 west for 2.5 miles and turn north onto Plains Rd. which is east of Watton.

This river does not have any hair drops like some of the other nearby runs, just some nice continuous class II-III. A good run for solid boaters looking for their first taste of spring boating in the U.P.

This river is a very new discovery, and is already finding its way onto peoples’ “favorite river” lists. The Rock is a tributary of the mighty Sturgeon, and because it does not flow off the Lakeshore escarpments, its character is very different from the other area rivers. Instead of ledges, falls, and canyons it has steep boulder gardens with low, densely forested banks. The rapids of the Rock resemble those of the rivers of the Smokies (particularly the Straight Fork and Upper Oconoluftee) much more than those of its south shore cousins.

The first part of the run, from Vermilac Lake to a highway bridge, goes at a steady 50 feet-per-mile and is suitable for Class II paddlers who can catch the eddies and avoid a few deadfalls. After the bridge, the river meanders through dense forest and fallen trees in preparation for the three miles of 100 feet-per-mile drops down to the Sturgeon. The gradient in these last miles is divided between short easy stretches and long, steep, open, rip-roaring Class III-IV boulder gardens that are pure delight for the experienced boater.

From the mouth of the Rock to the takeout, there is a three-mile paddle through the Sturgeon’s flat bottomlands (You may want to consider running Tibbet’s Falls just below the takeout, but the rest of the Sturgeon tends to be either flat or Class VI.)

The Rock has a good-sized drainage area that includes several lakes, so it boasts a longer season and stays up longer after off-season rains than most of its L’Anse area buddies. Our spring run at about 600 cfs gave a nice medium level, but 1000 would have been even better.

from Matt Kuckuk's description originally published as part of a story on South Shore creeks in a 1981 issue of the American Whitewater Journal (vol 26, no 4 & 5).