2021 Fall Paddle Trip on the Lower Rouge River Water Trail

On Saturday, October 23, Friends of the Rouge hosted its Fall Paddle Trip on a stretch of the Lower Rouge River Water Trail in Dearborn. Over 25 paddlers met at Dearborn Hills Golf Course where the City of Dearborn plans to install a universally accessible kayak launch next year. The group received a few paddling tips from Motor City Canoe and Kayak Rental, who was also on hand to rent boats and paddling equipment.

The trip from Dearborn Hills downstream to Ford Field Park delivered a spectacular perspective of the Rouge. There were a few bubbling rapids, and logjams to navigate around and under. The group paddled under bridges at Outer Driver and Military Streets and floated from the cover of dense tree canopies into the open sections where the sun peeked through the clouds. Evidence of beaver activity was abundant, and the sighting of a great blue heron is always a treat.

Thank you to all who attended and helped open logjams this summer and fall to make this paddle trip possible! Enjoy a few pictures from the day’s adventure! We hope you will join us on our next paddle trip. Stay tuned!