Muskegon River

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The Muskegon River is a 216-mile-long (348 km) river in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula. It starts at Houghton Lake in Roscommon County and flows generally southwest to its mouth at Muskegon Lake in the city of Muskegon, where it reaches Lake Michigan. The river drains about 2,350 square miles (6,100 km2) and collects tributaries such as the Little Muskegon River, Hersey River, and Clam River. It passes through the cities of Muskegon, Newaygo, Big Rapids, Evart, and Houghton Lake.

Three man-made reservoirs on the river—Rogers Dam Pond, Hardy Dam Pond, and Croton Dam Pond—are owned and operated by Consumers Power for electricity. A smaller dam, Reedsburg Dam, is located near the river’s source.

Historically, the Muskegon was a favored logging river in the late 1800s. Logging activity left behind logs on the river bottom that can still be seen today. The river is important to local Algonquian peoples for fishing and hunting. One famous logging railroad, started by Winfield Scott Gerrish, ran seven miles from Lake George to the Muskegon River; other early Michigan logging railroads operated in the 1850s.

Wildlife is plentiful, including black bears, otters, waterfowl, white-tailed deer, and bald eagles. Some areas remain fairly remote with much state-owned land. The 8,411-acre Muskegon State Game Area runs along parts of the river between Maple Island Road and US-31 and is open to licensed hunting for deer and waterfowl. People also fish, camp, and hunt on nearby public lands. There are about 31 bridges across the river, including roads, railways, and several former railroad bridges now used for non-motorized traffic.

The three main dams generate about 45,600 kilowatts of power, with roughly 30,000 kW coming from Hardy Dam, enough to supply a community of about 23,000 people. The smaller Reedsburg Dam is near the river’s source.

In 2002, National Geographic reported concerns about a plan by Nestlé Waters North America to bottle up to 210 million gallons per year from an aquifer that recharges the Muskegon River.