SILVER RIVER, lower section
(Baraga Co., MI, , 8 mi. east of L'Anse)
LENGTH: 3.5 mi., CLASS IV+, GRADIENT:
SEASON: A week or two in early spring.
PUT-IN: Dynamite Rd. Bridge across the river.
TAKEOUT: Silver Falls on Falls Rd. 1 mile south of Skanee Rd. A good camping spot popular with spring boaters.
GAGE: You used to take a tape measurement at the Skanee Rd. bridge but that has been replaced and now there is a USGS gage.
FUN FACT: The classic expert creek run of the U.P.
FIRST DESCENT: Hoofers: Fred Young, Matt Kuckuk, Jill Steinberg, Mark Kenas, Bob Obst, and Harry House after a tip from a local fisherman. (1979 or 1980).
SHUTTLE:
DESCRIPTION:
This run consists of about six significant drops, beginning not far below the put in, of successively greater steepness, followed by a couple miles of flatwater, and then with two more drops, the second of which is the take-out (a drop on the Lower Silver).
The first drop is a little ledge hole that doesn't look like much but it can be sticky at higher water, with a slightly funky approach. The second is an "S-turn" rapid. The third, fourth, and fifth drops are all part of "Triple drop" and come in very close succession. The first and last are often run on the left, and the middle one is run down the middle over a pour-over. The biggest drop follows these (aproximately 30-40 feet total), and consists of a three part drop that can be run in several places. There has been a nasty nearly hidden log sticking out from the right-hand wall right after the first part of the drop that we almost didn't see before we ran it on our last trip down. If you run it on that side you might encounter it, so we opted for an alternative route.
There are a few more little drops then the flatwater. After that is the broken dam rapid, which is in two parts - the first is a fun rollercoaster ending in a hole and eddy above the second part. The second part is a broad slide that has several potential routes, many of which would be grungy, and we usually run it in a slot on the far right. The last drop is Silver falls, of which we run the first part, also a fun roller coaster, and take out before the second part, which looks a bit nasty.
contributed by Michael Giddings