Rifle River

River in Michigan, United States

44°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]

Canoe liveries serving the Rifle River

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]

References

^ 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
^ "Rifle River". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
^ "Scanned Maps Collection | Map Library | MSU Libraries". lib.msu.edu.
^ "Whispering Pines Campground and Canoe Livery". Michigan. December 29, 2016.
^ "Welcome to Rifle River Campground | Rifle River Campground". www.riflerivercampground.com.
^ "River View Campground & Canoe Livery - Sterling MI". riverviewcampground.com.
^ "Whites Canoe Livery Rental and Camping on the Rifle River".
^ "Big Bend Campground | Standish Michigan". www.bigbendcamp.com.
^ "Riverbend Campground & Canoe Rental | Omer, Michigan". Retrieved October 30, 2022.
^ "Russell Canoes and Campgrounds". Russell Canoe Livery and Campgrounds, Inc. Retrieved October 30, 2022.