Canoeing and fishing the Two Hearted River

The entire Two Hearted River is a trout stream. Most of it can be fly-fished. Fishing pressure, generally low to moderate, is highest at the Reed & Green Bridge and at the river mouth in spring and fall. Tom Huggler's large-format Fish Michigan: 50 More Rivers details fishing opportunities on all the Two Hearted's branches.

TWO HEARTED CANOE TRIPS at Rainbow Lodge (906-658-3357) near the river mouth offers up-to-date fishing tips and shuttle service on the Two Hearted. Two- or three-day canoeing trips from High Bridge Campground are $78 for two nights, $115 for three nights. The short 1 1/2 hour trip to the river mouth is good for families with small children: $34 for two people, $5/extra person.

The very popular, easy half-day trip ($41) from the Reed & Green Bridge State Forest Campground to the river mouth combines the virtues of family canoeing in an area that's largely wilderness, except for a few cabins. "The river is 35-45 feet wide, and depth is two to four feet over a bottom of gravel and scattered large rocks or sand," writes Jerry Dennis in Canoeing Michigan Rivers: A Comprehensive Guide to 45 Rivers. "Low hills of oaks, birch, pines, and spruce rise away from the river's occasionally short, steep banks. . . . Toward the end of this section, dunes appear. The Lake Superior surf can be heard long before the river's end. . . . Numerous sandbars make convenient resting and picnic stops.

"Basic paddling skills are sufficient to handle any of the Two Hearted's light riffles, except in early spring when extremely high water creates hazards," Jerry continues. "Early and midsummer plagues of black flies are legendary and should be prepared for."

Directions to Two Hearted Canoe Trips: From Newberry, take M-123 19 miles northeast to CR 500. In about 7 miles, turn left onto CR 414. Follow signs to Rainbow Lodge.
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Return to Two Hearted River Mouth Area

TWO HEARTED RIVER MOUTH AREA
POINTS OF INTEREST

Mouth of the Two Hearted River. Bedlam rules here at April's trout opener. But fishing (for steelhead, salmon, and menominee) is heavy here into fall, except for a July lull. A swinging suspension bridge across the river mouth, fun for kids, gives access to a scenic point looking out over Superior ... more

Canoeing and fishing the Two Hearted River. The shallow, gravelly river bottom makes this trout stream good for fly-fishing and for family paddling. Two Hearted Canoe Trips at Rainbow Lodge drops you upstream for an easy trip to the mouth ... more

Crisp Point Lighthouse. Crisp Point caused many shipwrecks on this remote Superior point, subject to storms from several directions. Hence the tall ighthouse was built here in 1902. Now it's just a tower. Improved gravel roads make this remote beach accessible by ordinary vehicles. ... more

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