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| RIVER: | Silver River, Upper |
| LOCATION: | 5 miles E. of L'Anse, MI |
| AMENITIES: | Click for Michigan Amenities (food, lodging, etc.) |
| PUT-IN: | Silver Road Bridge |
| TAKE-OUT: | Arvon Road bridge (or continue downstream to do the Lower Silver, to Silver Falls, off of Skanee Road) |
| SHUTTLE: | Silver Road (W.) 0.5mi to Indian Road, bear right (N.), continuing 1.7 mile to Dynamite/Arvon Road, right (E.) 0.5mi to river.
Or, to shuttle for full run (Upper and Lower Silver), at Dynamite Road bear left (W.) to head back out to Hwy.41, head right (north) into L'Anse, bearing right (straight ahead) when the highway bears left, to proceed to stop light at downtown. Turn right, and follow Skanee Road 7 miles to Silver Falls Road (sand/gravel), right about ¾ mile to parking at Silver Falls. |
| DIST: | 2.5 miles |
| TIME: | 3.5 hours (yes, you'll be scouting a lot on this run) |
| CLASS: | II-V |
| CHARACTER: | Upper Peninsula creeking at its finest; this one will separate the 'wannabees' from the 'Iams' |
| GRADIENT: | 300FPM in cabin section |
| GAUGE: | A U.S.G.S. gauge now exists on this river. Boatable levels are 7.4' to 9.0' on that gauge (about 180 to 600 cfs or so).
A boaters standard had been to measure down from a 'hip' on the Skanee Road bridge (downstream of the Lower Silver take-out). Good levels were from 10-19" down. Problem is the bridge has been replaced. Measuring down from the downstream left underside of the new bridge deck, 72" (6') down seemed close to a "minimum" level. This would imply good levels for the river might be from 5-6' (60" to 72") down. I have also received a report that if you measure down from the bottom of the concrete on the bridge on the upstream left side and subtract that number from 14.81 feet, that will give you the gauge height (this will correlate very nicely with the USGS gauge height that appears on the web. This could be especially useful in the event the USGS reading is unavailable). Also, visual inspection at put-in should have the river looking slightly boney. (Too boney or not boney is too low or too high.) |
| SEASON: | A couple weeks in spring (around April 10 to May 10, give or take) and randomly (briefly) with adequate summer storms. |
From the put-in, about a half mile of rocky warm-up rapids brings you to the first big combination, Hail Mary (scout left). This is a drop in three main pitches.
The first pitch starts with a jumbled 7' slide followed by a left turn, as the river narrows and runs beneath a footbridge through a series of diagonal waves and holes. |
A brief pool allows you to collect your thoughts to prepare for the second pitch. A crown of rock mid-stream divides the flow. To the right, it stays high on a smooth tongue, then dumps off into a mushy hole. To the left, it slides into a small pocket/hole and past the cascade from the right. As the river passes under a second footbridge, it drops down a smooth tongue into a gnarly hole, with a diagonal wave funneling into an undercut wall on the right.
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The third pitch is preceded by ~50 yards of compression waves, before the river widens to spread across an irregular sloping face. The left side pitches into a narrow slot with overhanging wall, as shown above left (avoid!). The right drops over short, rocky pourovers, slides into a wall of rock, to be diverted 90 degrees to the left (shown above right). As the river is squeezed to about 10' in width, a particularly wicked looking hole forms at the base of this slide at higher water levels.
A brief paddle brings you next to a great series of sloping ledge drops. This is a fairly long, fairly continuous stretch of drop, though it can be 'sectioned' off to run in 2-3 pitches (and will be less intimidating if you consciously do so). The first pitch slides around a left-hand bend. A table of rock in the center diverts the flow. The left side slides into a huge rock on shore, creating a diagonal wave diverting the water back out into a couple more holes. A BRIEF respite leads to the next pitch, where the main flow is river left, dropping through a wrapping wave and across a shelf of bedrock. That brief pause leads to another sliding drop down the left, into good runout current to finish this series. |
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| A fine stretch of class II-III boogie leads to the next significant drop. Scout right when you see the horizon line. This 4-5' ledge is 'boof-able' to the right, though there are some submerged rocks you may land on. At most levels, it is also a fine run right down the center, where it is more a sliding-boof into a hole. An interesting obstructed line (at lower water levels) also exists from far left, twisting and diving into the pool. |
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| More easy boogie leads to the Cabin Section (scout right, being respectful of private cabins along here). Mere words cannot begin to describe what happens here. The river drops (equivalent to 300 fpm) down an incredible series of ledges and slides before being squeezed through a narrow (~12') slot. A strong group, with plenty of safety/support is recommended to run these drops. |
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From here to the take-out bridge (not far downstream), the river settles down to class I-II fun to finish your day. Or, continue downstream (if you have budgeted your time, and the levels are right) to do the Lower Silver. While the Lower is generally easier, it is a great run as well. When done together, this makes a great day!
Note: Vidcaps (photos) from run at 7.43 (2002.04.27). |