Positives: the 5 hour trip down the Ausable river was great. It really was a pretty trip down with our canoes. We saw some awesome wildlife! There wasn't as many easy access stops on the sides, though.
Negatives: From the very beginning, the owner or manager was extremely cold and rude. We waited 15 minutes for him to come check us in, which is fine, but once he walked into the check in room, he barked at us "what do you want". The entire conversation was uncomfortable like we were putting him out. A few other couples we met later on the trip said the same exact thing as well.
The ride to the drop off area was a bit wild. The busses went so fast and once the guys pulled our canoes off the back of the busses, they didn't say a word to us or tell us any tips on how to get into the docking area. They barely let us have time to ask any questions if we had any--they literally duped us off and left within seconds.
The end of the trip was quite interesting as well. The sign to get off is covered in weeds. There is no current for the last 1/2 hour of the 5 hour trip. It would have been nice to have known that but it wasn't too big of a deal for us since we had the canoes anyway. The worst part was finding the dock. It was extremely hidden and you could easily miss it with the lack of the sign and the way it was positioned. Once you get off, the workers weren't any more friendly than earlier.
You also have to walk about 10 flights of stairs up a cliff, so be aware! Wish they would have done a better job with giving us that as a heads up. read more
