Grand Traverse County warns paddlers of dangerous Boardman River debris, closures

Paddlers heading for the Boardman River found a blunt warning from Grand Traverse County: access between Brown Bridge Landing and Cass Road/Jack’s Landing was closed, and the county said, “RISK IS SIGNIFICANT AND LIFE THREATNING CONDITIONS EXIST.” The May 27 advisory, issued with the Grand Traverse Conservation District, said people could still put in at Forks and Scheck’s Place Landing, with float time from Forks to Brown Bridge Landing expected to be about four hours.

The county said the danger was not limited to natural snags or high water. It warned that there was “MUCH DEBRIS IN CLOSED AREAS INCLUDING ASPHALT, REBAR, PROPANE TANKS, DOCKS, CHAIRS AND NATURAL MATERIALS.” Nate Alger, Grand Traverse County administrator, said debris from the river valley had been carried downstream and landed in places where it had not been before the flood. That kind of change matters on a river system where the surface can look passable while submerged hazards, unstable banks and shifted current lines still threaten kayakers and canoeists.

The warning came as county and conservation officials continued to sort through a landscape altered by April’s historic flooding. Grand Traverse County declared a local state of emergency on April 14 because of flooding impacts, and Michigan later issued Executive Order No. 2026-7 the next day, citing prolonged rainfall, rapid snowmelt, straight-line winds and tornadoes across the region. Local damage estimates in May reached $21.2 million, a reminder that the paddling advisory sits inside a broader recovery effort that still includes roads, bridges, trails and river infrastructure.

As of May 27, Beitner Canoe Landing was closed for upstream and downstream traffic, and Keystone Rapids Trailhead was closed. Brown Bridge Canoe Launch was closed for downstream access but remained open for takeout from upstream access. The county said Brown Bridge Canoe Landing to Beitner Landing was closed until further notice, and Beitner Landing was closed to all access. By contrast, the stretches from Forks Campground to Scheck’s Campground and from Scheck’s Campground to Brown Bridge Canoe Landing were open to the public, though they had only been cleared of fallen trees as of May 21 and new obstructions could still exist.

The county also listed more restrictions in the Natural Education Reserve, including the connecting trail between Jacks Landing and Beaver Pond TH, all trails south of Cass Road, the Boardman-Ottaway River Trail and Oleson Footbridge except Lone Pine TH and trail markers 16 and 17. In Brown Bridge Quiet Area, the Grasshopper footbridge was closed. The county said Jacks Landing to Boardman Valley Nature Preserve in Garfield Township was navigable and accessible only with caution.