Sturgeon River Canoe Trips

Big Bear Adventures, Indian River Michigan
Where fun and adventure come naturally!

Big Bear Adventures
4271 S. Straits Highway
Indian River, MICHIGAN 49749
(231) 238-8181

bigbear@racc2000.com

With an average descent of 14 feet per mile, the Sturgeon River is the fastest river in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula! Not whitewater, but exciting and challenging with its quick and often tricky current, along w/ leaning trees, stumps, and logs (especially when navigating through numerous narrow passages and sharp turns!) The current does most of the work, but it’s up to you and/or your partner(s) to maneuver your watercraft down the crystal-clear, spring-fed stream, as it winds its way mostly through beautiful state forest.

The average depth is 3-4 feet, however, there are deeper pools that can reach 5-8 feet, usually around the outside of bends. Plan on getting wet as many of our guests take an unplanned “refreshing” dunk! (approx. 75% tip-over rate for canoes/kayaks on longer trips, 0% for Rafts) Various types of paddlers can enjoy this exhilarating adventure as long as close attention is paid to the type of equipment used as well as the section and/or length of the river trip.

Sturgeon River Canoe Trips Indian River Michigan

All river trip rates include:

U.S. Coast Guard approved and safety-inspected quality equipment
Paddles and PFD's (comfortable Type III Lifevest)
Shuttle service (most trips end at Burt Lake State Park, which has a great swimming beach!)

Canoeing

Canoes: We feature 16'9" Old Town "Discovery" Canoes, made of tough, high-density polyethylene. Dependable, stable, maneuverable, and highly predictable when the waters are not, the "Discovery" is well suited to the technical demands of the Sturgeon River. Added bonus: they're quiet, glide easily over objects, and have comfortable, contoured seats!
Recommended for: Paddlers with experience and an adventurous attitude! (Not young children)
Canoe Rates: are per person, based on double occupancy, with a maximum of 3 people. Middle Riders are an additional $7.00

Kayaks/Solo Canoes

Comfortable, lightweight, easy to paddle, and fun to use, we offer 9'6" Old Town "Otter" Kayaks. With its short length, it is highly maneuverable and features a large, open cockpit for easy entry and exit. For paddlers between 225-275 lbs, we offer a 11'1" Loon Kayak, and for those between 275-380 lbs, we offer a 13'8" Loon Kayak, both for extra stability. We also offer an 11’9” Solo Canoe w/ a center seat.
Recommended for: confident thrill-seekers with basic paddling experience (not young children), or groups with odd numbers.
Kayak Rates: are per person, 1 person per kayak/solo canoe.

Rafts

For the ultimate in stability and family/group adventure, try our 5-person and 7-person rafts. Made of extremely durable Hypalon, these are the same rafts used on major whitewater rivers (but of course, there is NO whitewater). The river does most of the work as far as taking you downstream, but it's up to you and your crew to work together and steer/ navigate your Raft down the narrow passages & around obstacles. Rafts are spacious, relaxing, comfortable, and promote TEAMWORK. They also decrease your chance of accidentally getting wet - a real relief for those with young ones! Sorry, NO Pets or large, heavy coolers in rafts, and NO 7-man Rafts on the 3 1/2-4 hr trip. Trips end in beautiful Burt Lake State Park @ the beach— stop and swim, picnic, play!
Recommended for: all ages (young to the young at heart!) and all skill levels (beginner to advanced). Wonderful group or family activity! We recommend the shortest trip for extremely young children and the longest trip only for older and/or more adventurous paddlers.
Raft Rates: are per person, (based on minimum of 4 people in the 5-person rafts and 6 people in the 7-person rafts). 1 child age 5 & under allowed to go FREE per raft!

Tubes

What's the best way to spend a hot, sunny afternoon in beautiful Northern Michigan? Floating on a tube down a crystal-clear, refreshing river! River Tubing (aka: “Rump-Bumping”) is a wet and extremely fun (often times hilarious) group adventure!
Recommended for: all ages and skill levels as long as they are comfortable and confident in, on, and around water. Tubing is best on a sunny day that's at least 70 degrees. We recommend the short trip for young children. Please Note: Tubes go a lot slower than everything else, so a 1.5-2 hr. Raft trip will take 2.5 hours by Tube.
Tube Rates: are per person (based on 1 person per tube)

Cats

Combine the thrill of kayaking, the camaraderie of canoeing, and the stability of a raft, and you end up with a Cat. Short for "Catamaran", our Cats are an inflatable kayak with less chance of tipping over than canoes or kayaks. The sleek, yet "wide-track" design is fun and easy to paddle. Also comes with comfortable, inflatable backrests. Please Note: Cats are best on warm days as there may be a little bit of water where you're sitting.
Recommended for: Two paddlers with basic paddling experience, who are willing to accept a challenge, but don't quite fit into the other equipment categories (not enough canoeing experience, don't want to try a solo kayak, or too small a group to fill a raft).
Cat Rates: are per person (based on 2 people, which is the maximum).

Approx. Float Time	1½ hours	3 hours	4 hours	5 hours
Price per person	$17	$25	$29	$31
Departures	9-5:00 pm Every ½ hr	9-3:30 pm Every ½ hr	9:30-2:30 pm Every hour	9:30-11:30 pm Every hour

NEW! CHALLENGING “MID-SECTION” TRIP!

We now offer a “Mid-Section” trip for those who want the faster, most challenging part of the river, but don’t necessarily want or have the time to do the Wolverine (5 hr.) trip, and/or wouldn’t mind skipping the last 1 1/2 hrs. of the river (which is the easier section, has more homes/cottages, and at peak times more congested w/ rafts and tubes). This trip ends at N. White Rd, which is the most commonly used put-in point (and which we own). This trip is definitely for more advanced paddlers!

Put-in / Take-Out	Rondo Access to N. White Rd.	Wolverine to N. White Rd
Approx. Float Time	2½ hours	3½ hours
Canoe Rate per person	$26	$29
Kayak Rate Per Person	$39	$41

All canoe, kayak, cat, and raft trips will now be ending at Burt Lake State Park! Instead of ending at our old location (next to the Shell gas station), you’ll continue on down the river another 15-20 minutes. This section is very easy navigationally, and very charming (passing by many quaint cottages and the beautiful state park land). Then, the river officially ends in gorgeous Burt Lake (some waves can add a bit of excitement), where you turn left and pass 9 private homes. Burt Lake is known for being crystal-clear and sandy, along w/ being shallow for a very long way out (great for kids!) Then, you arrive at the State Park’s beach. Burt Lake State Park offers over 2000 feet of sandy beach (great for swimming and playing!), and a large, day-use picnic area under towering oak and pine trees. There’s a picnic shelter, tables, grills, playground equipment, a beach volleyball court, horseshoes, baseball diamond and a 1-mile hiking trail.

You have 2 options for vehicle parking: 1. leave your vehicle at our store/livery and we’ll schedule routine pick-ups in the Park, or 2. you can conveniently purchase from us a daily Park permit for just $6=state resident ($8=non-resident). This will allow you to park your vehicle right near the beach/picnic area and have access to the park and its amenities all day!

FYI: it’s only $24 for an annual State Park permit (good for ALL Michigan State Parks), $29 for non-residents, and only $6 for senior citizens w/ their MI registered vehicle!

For over 35 years, Big Bear Adventures has provided quality river trips for thousands of people, with an excellent safety record. Still, any river adventure will involve inherent risks and dangers, and can be physically demanding. We will ask you to assume the responsibility for many decisions affecting your safety. Our trips require varying degrees of fitness, and you must evaluate your fitness for any given trip. Big Bear Adventures assumes NO responsibility for injury to you or your personal property.. All guests take the trip at their own risk and are required to read, understand, and sign an agreement to participate/liability release.

Big Bear Adventures reserves the right to change trip format, move trips to a different section of the river, or to another river if necessary due to weather conditions, water fluctuations, or other factors beyond our control. It is unlikely, but should we cancel a trip completely, we will refund your deposit. Such a refund will be limited to the actual deposit paid., and will not cover any other costs incurred by the guest. We reserve the right to turn away, at the livery or the put-in-point, any guest who we feel is not well suited to the rigors of a particular Big Bear river trip.

We do not allow the use of alcohol in any of our rental equipment or vehicles. The Sturgeon River is a technical, narrow, winding river and demands attention while paddling. We LOVE sober paddlers! Operating a watercraft under the influence of controlled substances is a violation of the law, and subject to a fine or imprisonment, or both. Big Bear reserves the right to turn away any guest at any time, who appears to be intoxicated, with no refund issued. Alcohol is strictly forbidden, and we reserve the right to check any coolers, bags, etc. taken on a river trip. Save the celebration for after the trip while telling stories around the campfire!

Trips are available 7 days a week, May through mid-October (please call ahead May and October weekdays). Walk-ins are welcome, most of our guests are simply walk-ins and we are able to accommodate them on a “first come, first served” basis. However, please try to keep in mind that our busiest time is between 11:30 am and 1:30 pm. Earlier trips tend to see the most wildlife and fewest people. Although we have ample amounts of watercraft and transportation vehicles, there may be some unavoidable delays due to heavy volume at key times and /or on weekends. It’s always best to come in the morning if possible.

If you have special requests, advance reservations are available but only for trips departing at 10:30 am or earlier. We cannot hold equipment past 10:30 am. For these guaranteed morning reservations, a credit card is required (Visa, Master card, or Discover).

Cancellation Policy: Our policy on guaranteed reservations is a 72 hour cancellation notice. If a last minute cancellation is unavoidable and we are unable to re-rent the watercraft, your credit card will be charged for the rental.

Equipment Security Deposit
A security deposit of $30 per canoe, kayak, or raft, and $5 per tube will be collected prior to any river trip. This deposit is refunded when all equipment (from the entire group) is returned in good condition prior to 7:00 pm, which is our river equipment closing time.

Trips depart every 1/2 hour from Memorial Day-Labor Day (Every Hour otherwise). For all trips, we shuttle you and your equipment to your desired starting point and then you have the option of parking your vehicle at the end, or you can wait for our shuttle van to pick you up (see “New Ending” paragraph). That is one of the best features of the trip: you can enjoy yourself and take as much time as you want –stop and swim, have a picnic lunch (no glass containers, Styrofoam coolers, or large coolers!) sun yourself, etc., just as long as you respect private property and you are back by 7:00 pm. Extremely important! Please understand that there are 4 factors that can dramatically effect the approximate float time of our trips:
1.Type of equipment used: Different equipment travels at different speeds. Rafts and tubes are much slower than kayaks and canoes. The 1/1/2 hour canoe trip takes 2/1/2 hours by tube, even though they run the exact same section of the river.
2. Section of the river: The river changes constantly, conforming to the lay of the land. One minute the stream is quick, narrow. The water is shallow and loud as it splashes over rocks. Around the next bend, it is wider, slower, birds are chirping, and the water is deeper. In general the river flows north before spilling into Burt Lake. As it gets closer to Burt Lake, it has a tendency to slow down, which in turn makes the paddling a little less challenging. Therefore, it’s important to read our recommendations as to the sections recommended for particular paddlers and equipment.
3. River Level/Conditions: Our estimated float times are based on average river conditions. We are blessed because the Sturgeon is spring-fed and always has enough water, even when there is a drought. However, fluctuating river levels can greatly effect the speed of the current: lower river levels generally lengthen the estimated times just as above-average precipitation generally shortens the times, especially in the spring and just after heavy rainfalls. Faster water does not necessarily mean a shorter trip: when the river is running high and fast, it also becomes more challenging. For many paddlers, the trip can take a lot longer. (see #4).
4.The Paddler: Last but not least important is the individual paddler. Our estimated float times are based on what we consider the average paddler, the person who basically floats down the river at a very leisurely pace, taking breaks periodically. Some people have more skills and experience than others do and on the Sturgeon, it really comes down to skills, more than strength. Some paddlers may zigzag quite a bit and tip-over, which can add a lot of time to the trip. Remember that even experienced paddlers may find the Sturgeon River more technical than what they’re used to. The paddlers own choice of breaks and rest stops also affects the trip’s duration. Some stop for an hour-long snack or break, or take a break every 20 minutes, while others may not stop at all.

In order to maintain prompt departure times for our guests, it is required that everyone in your group arrive 30 minutes prior to your desired departure time. This allows us time to load equipment, and allows you time to change into proper attire and park your vehicle. Be sure to remove and store all valuable jewelry and personal property. You can spend as much time on the river as you like. However, all equipment must be returned by 7:00 pm or late charges will apply. Please allow yourself ample time. Please note the latest departure time available for each trip (see reverse).

Great for cold water/weather protection, these Farmer John style wetsuits are made of 2mm Neoprene and come in sizes XS-XXL. $10/day.

This program provides an excellent opportunity for you to rent an aluminum canoe, kayak, or tube (sorry, no Old Town Canoes or Rafts) and transport it yourself to and from a nearby lake, beach, or stream. Equipment must be rented and returned between the hours of 8:30 am and 6:30 pm. Requires signed, open ended credit card slip for security equipment deposit. Prices are per watercraft. 24 hours $29; 2 or 3 days (weekdays) $49; 2 or 3 days (weekends) $54. Monday-Friday $64; Full week (7 days) $84. Tubes; requires $5 security equipment deposit. Daily until 6:30 pm $9 per tube.

We provide transportation for guests and their privately-owned equipment to the desired starting point. Arrangements are to be made in advance. Spotting service trips depart with our regularly scheduled trips. Rates include maps, transportation, parking, and Daily Use Permit. Prices for 1 canoe, 1 kayak, or 2 kayaks: White Road (1 hour) $15, Midway (3 hours) $20; Rondo Rd. (4 hours) $23; Wolverine (5 hours) $25.

Approx. Float Time	45-60 min	1½-2 hrs	3½-4 hrs
Price per person	$12.50	$17	$25
Departures	9:00-5:30 pm Every ½ hr	9:00-5:00 pm Every ½ hr	9:00-2:30 pm Every ½ hr

Approx. Float Time	1-1½ hours	2½ hours
Price per person	$11	$15
Departures	9:30-6:00 pm Every ½ hr	9:30-4:30 pm Every ½ hr