Rivers

Water is my heart churning in white hydraulic
my tongue longing for a quiet pools, the skin of night
settling in, mayflies on the edge of moonlight

So wrote local poet Mike Delp in his “Mad Angler Manifesto,” a tribute Northern Michigan’s many rivers. Our streams, brooks and creeks offer anglers– as well as walkers, swimmers, canoers, and kayakers– some of the most intimate and profound experiences of Sleeping Bear Dunes. In the Sleeping Bear Dunes, there are two rivers. Both the Platte and the Crystal River offer excellent fishing, tubing, and tubing, though their navigability depends heavily on the season and the rainfall. Shalda and Otter Creeks offer excellent fishing, as well as prime opportunities to see beaver, muskrats, and other wildlife.