Yet another beautiful free Michigan park!…read more This is connected to Furstenberg Park by a short trail that is mostly boarded by wood and has some small bridges. I like to bird watch and saw a cool Wood Ducks in the water, a tree swallow, and a swan! You can also stop by the water (very close to the shore) in the short hike at least 3 times and see some turtles. And there are many chipmunks and some other birds along the path. And there are a lot of people canoeing or kayaking on the water.

Gallup Park (broader than just the Canoe Livery) is one of my absolute favorite parks in Ann Arbor!…read moreEasy but varied and interesting trails, paved and unpaved, with great views of water, nature, and animals. Great park for distance running - when I was training for a half marathon, I would come here for anywhere from 3-8 mile runs. I actually typically like parking at the boat launch entrance off Geddes, but there is plenty of parking at the main entrance as well. It's just a little bit of a quieter entrance to the park. Over the last couple of years, they've had some fantastic art displays there as well. Very dog friendly, kid friendly, bike friendly, all of the above! Tends to be one of the busier parks, but for good reason.

Jen and Mark were so friendly and flexible. The river was low (making for some bottom-scraping…read moreadventures), but Mark was sure to alert me to that fact before our trip. They have a variety of trips to choose from, ranging in difficulty from an easy paddle in the pond to a more advanced 5 hour trip. I will be going back next season!

This is a great place to "get your feet wet" if you are new to kayaking (sorry, had to do it!) I…read moresay that because it is an easy put-in with lots of help from the staff. Water is calm and wide-open from the launch site so you have plenty of time to get your sea legs before you set off. Excellent place for groups or families. Very affordable. Singles are $10 for one hour rental, $15 for two. Doubles are $15/20. Life jackets, complimentary! There is a much longer trip you can take, but I can't give pricing or comment since we did the shorter route. Standard disclosures and waivers must be signed. Staff give you all the low-down on the routes and what you can expect to see along the way. It was fun to paddle both open lake and river sections. On the lake we mingled with swans and lily pads, on the river we enjoyed some beautiful and quiet spots with overhanging trees and a nice, gentle current. Although this review is for the paddling company where you rent your equipment, I will add a brief note to say it is located in Indian Crossing Trails Park and there is a public, free launch in the same location. So if your friend has a kayak, but you don't, no one is left out! The park itself is a lovely location with convenient parking for kayakers bringing their own or renting.

I give this lake 5 stars because it fulfils all I require from a laking experience. Some folks like…read morea mini jobie nooner every weekend, I like to chill. I don't want to hear other people's children "playing" or whatever it is they do that's so loud. I don't want to vie for space on the sand bar. I don't want to hear other people's music, or see them dancing. You get the point, I'm not into the social scene that can be typical of Michigan lakes. You might be saying "why don't you get your own lake then you anti social jerk?". Well, that's basically what Orchard Lake is. It's amazing. There is literally like, no one on this lake 99% of the time. If you're lucky enough to be able to boat during the weekdays, you can often be the ONLY person on the water. You could totally lay out nude and no one would even be around to see you. The busy weekends don't really seem busy, and I have yet to feel crowded or annoyed. It's silent, peacful, serene and relaxing. Perfect. This is a VERY clean lake, and I believe it's the second or third largest in Oakland County. The water is clear and sparkling in most areas except for the very deepest parts. There is only seaweed in a few spots but these are not the chill areas and are easy to avoid. I love the variety of wildlife that can be seen on this lake including egrets, swallows, hawks, ducks, swans and lots of cute little fish that seem happy to hang out by the humans. The sandbar is spotless, probaly due to the "no drinking" poloicy that we, of course, follow to a T. LOL. The no drinking policy is most likely what keeps this lake fairly empty, and it works for me.

The owner was such a wonderful soul! So was his staff they really made our experience much better…read more I can't swim so I really was scared but everything worked out I listened to what the owner said and I got out there! enjoyed myself we love put in Bay

This place is fun, service was good. They educate you on safety and you have to pass a (easy) test…read more They didn't have a boat to rent when I went, but I was able to rent a jet ski. Really fun place!

Great Marina! Convenient location with great views and a beach. Helpful office staff.read more

Very nice marina filled with wonderful new management. A…read morevery helpful and personable manager named John helped me throughout our interactions and I truly enjoyed meeting him. Charley's

Had a fantastic experience for my friends 30th birthday. As a group of 4, we had the pleasure of…read morehaving Christian as our boat driver he was super knowledgeable about the area and was very very accommodating. I will definitely come back and recommend using Christian as your captain.

Beautiful October night sailing the Detroit River and Lake St. Claire. Cameron was a great Captain…read more He was engaging and fun to talk to, but also gave us space to be with the family. The sail was peaceful and exciting all at once. Gorgeous special event!

We had just the best time at Skips! Everything was very California- relaxed, fun, vibey…read more I'm really glad we packed snacks and dressed in long sleeves since the sun can be intense. Everyone was super nice. The bus ride to get to the drop off zone was pretty bumpy, brings you back to the ole' days of grade school. Overall we had a great time and would definitely do it again!

Come on out, Skips is our favorite Canoe Livery, we have been coming to Skip's for years. Skip's…read morereally makes the whole process smoth, from signing in, getting you down to the launch and helping you out when your trip ends back at Skip's Yesterday was absolute beautiful on the water. We had a great time floating down the river. There is so much to see, Fish, Turtles, Muskrat, Blue Heron and if your lucky maybe a few Deer.

In regard to waterfowling, people often dump on this place because:…read more 1) The open marsh areas can get super crowded--not a great thing for a sport involving shotguns. Get out there early if you want a good spot, but don't be surprised if someone motors in ten minutes before shooting time and sets up 50 yards from you. 2) You will run into slob hunters: people who skybust, crowd your zone in the managed areas, try to bully you out of your spot, call constantly (and badly) thus driving off ducks working your spread, shoot grebes, seagulls, and swans, and dump trash in parking lots. 3) A lot of time the hunting can be poor. 4) There are only about four zones in the managed area that are usually productive. 5) Thefts from cars aren't unusual at the boat launches, and when you get to one in the wee hours of the morning, you can run into some sketchy characters. But you have to take the bad with the good. There is probably not a better public waterfowling area near Detroit. It's accessible for walk-in hunters as well as those with boats. There's some great habitat and the staff there works hard maintaining and improving it. Hit this place during a migration and the hunting can be fantastic. And while the slobs are always out, you'll meet some great people there too: very skilled hunters, guys who will help you get your boat in and out, even some who invite you to join their party. More often than not other hunters are sportsmanlike and friendly, despite those sometimes sour a hunt there. If Pte. Mouillee were farther from a major population center it likely wouldn't have many of the problems it does. But waterfowlers in Detroit wouldn't enjoy nearly the opportunities they have thanks to it.

I only go here for fishing, and it's a very peaceful place sometimes. It's not crowded with kids…read moreor other park goers, because nobody ever goes back there except to fish or boat. On weekends, it's hard to find a place to even fish, because it's so crowded. There's always a flow of boats coming and going from the docks. I like that you can pull up right to the water and fish, so it's convenient to listen to the radio in your car and not lug supplies all around. I've been here many times with a cooler full of beer and haven't had a problem with that. The waters can be somewhat clogged with grass, but there are some good fish in there.