Jump to content

Rifle River

Coordinates: 43°59′34″N 83°49′15″W / 43.99278°N 83.82083°W / 43.99278; -83.82083
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Rifle River
View from Sage Lake Road in Cumming Township
Rifle River is located in Michigan
Rifle River
River mouth location within the state of Michigan
Location
CountryUnited States
StateMichigan
CountiesOgemaw, Arenac
CitiesSelkirk, Omer
Physical characteristics
Source 
 • locationOgemaw County
 • coordinates44°23′58″N 84°01′57″W / 44.39944°N 84.03250°W / 44.39944; -84.03250
MouthSaginaw Bay
 • location
Arenac County
 • coordinates
43°59′34″N 83°49′15″W / 43.99278°N 83.82083°W / 43.99278; -83.82083
 • elevation
577 ft (176 m)
Length60 mi (97 km)
Basin size385 sq mi (1,000 km2)
Discharge 
 • locationSaginaw Bay
 • average181 cu ft/s (5.1 m3/s)

Rifle River is a 60.3-mile-long (97.0 km)[1] river in the U.S. state of Michigan. It rises in northeastern Ogemaw County and flows through Arenac County to enter Saginaw Bay of Lake Huron.[2] Once a logging river during the Michigan forestry boom at the turn of the 20th century, the river is now primarily used for recreation, and is a state-designated natural river. It is a popular river for canoeing, with no portages or dams and an average depth of 18 inches, to 5 feet in downtown Omer. It is also known for having one of the best White Sucker (Catostomus commersonii) runs in the state of Michigan, in the spring.

According to a historical map of Michigan originally published in 1831, the Rifle River may have previously been referred to as Grindstone Creek.[3]
According to a historical map of Michigan originally published in 1831, the Rifle River may have previously been referred to as Grindstone Creek.[3]

Canoe liveries serving the Rifle River

[edit]

Several private canoe operators provide equipment rental and transportation for river trips along the Rifle River.

Twining, Michigan

  • Whispering Pines Campground and Canoe Livery.[4]

Sterling, Michigan (Central portion of the Rifle River - Most Popular)

  • Rifle River Campground & Canoe Livery[5]
  • River View Campground & Canoe Livery[6]
  • Whites Campground & Canoe Livery[7]

Omer, Michigan (Lower portion of the Rifle River)

  • Big Bend Campground & Canoe Rental[8]
  • Riverbend Campground & Canoe Rental[9]
  • Russell's Canoe Livery [10]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map Archived March 29, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, accessed November 7, 2011
  2. ^ "Rifle River". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  3. ^ "Scanned Maps Collection | Map Library | MSU Libraries". lib.msu.edu.
  4. ^ "Whispering Pines Campground and Canoe Livery". Michigan. December 29, 2016.
  5. ^ "Welcome to Rifle River Campground | Rifle River Campground". www.riflerivercampground.com.
  6. ^ "River View Campground & Canoe Livery - Sterling MI". riverviewcampground.com.
  7. ^ "Whites Canoe Livery Rental and Camping on the Rifle River".
  8. ^ "Big Bend Campground | Standish Michigan". www.bigbendcamp.com.
  9. ^ "Riverbend Campground & Canoe Rental | Omer, Michigan". Retrieved October 30, 2022.
  10. ^ "Russell Canoes and Campgrounds". Russell Canoe Livery and Campgrounds, Inc. Retrieved October 30, 2022.
[edit]