Recreation
Ride. Cast. Hike. Glide.
Thornapple River - State Highway 27 to Bruce
Rusk County's little known Thornapple River winds its way through miles of wild lands.
The undeveloped banks are full of wildlife - the river's backwaters support nesting wood ducks and mergansers, and a timber wolf pack live in the area. The Thornapple is also one of the most important sturgeon spawning areas in the region.
The best paddle is from the put-in at State Highway 27 to the Town of Bruce, located just below the confluence with the Chippewa River. This stretch can be dangerous during spring floods and difficult during low-water periods. But, when the water levels are just right, this stretch offers six hours of extraordinary paddling.
See a map with details on river features and public access locationsย here.
To locate the primary access points and obtain GPS coordinates, see the Google map below.
