Print it. Bag it. Bring it.Phones die, screens crack, and most of this water has no signal. Print this map, fold it into a zip-top bag or dry bag with your license, and you have a backup your electronics can’t give you. Every marker is numbered so you can say exactly where you are.
| # | Point | Type | Lat, Lon | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Forks Canoe Launch Michigan DNR launch | Access / boat ramp | 44.67325, -85.40096 | Uppermost access on the mapped main stem, at the forks above Scheck's Place. |
| 2 | Forks State Forest Campground Michigan DNR state forest campground | Campsite | 44.67338, -85.40218 | Small state forest campground at the Forks launch, 100 m from the water. |
| 3 | USGS 04126970 - Boardman River near Mayfield Real-time stage and discharge | USGS gauge | 44.65667, -85.43673 | The gauge float levels on this river are read from, at the Brown Bridge Road crossing. |
| 4 | Brown Bridge Road Upper river crossing | Bridge crossing | 44.65678, -85.43850 | Road crossing at the gauge; the usual upper reference point for float lengths on the state forest water. |
| 5 | Scheck's Place River Access Launch beside the Scheck's Place trail camp | Access / boat ramp | 44.65129, -85.44653 | Unnamed slipway in OSM; it is the launch serving the Scheck's Place trail camp 160 m away, which OSM spells 'Sheck's'. |
| 6 | Scheck's Place State Forest Campground Michigan DNR state forest campground | Campsite | 44.65258, -85.45589 | State forest campground on the middle river, with a separate walk-in trail camp just upstream. |
| 7 | Brown Bridge Quiet Area City of Traverse City nature reserve | Park / conservation area | 44.65328, -85.49235 | Large riverside nature reserve on the reach restored after the Brown Bridge Dam was removed; foot access only. |
| 8 | Howard and Mary Dunn Edwards Nature Sanctuary Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy | Park / conservation area | 44.64789, -85.52611 | Conservancy preserve on the south bank below the Quiet Area. |
| 9 | Shumsky Road Shumsky Road crossing | Bridge crossing | 44.64825, -85.58771 | Named crossing on the lower state forest reach and a standard take-out reference. |
| 10 | Michigan DNR Traverse City Customer Service Center Michigan Department of Natural Resources | Agency / conservation office | 44.65521, -85.65693 | DNR customer service centre for this river, about 3 km south of the water; the place to ask about access and campground status. |
| 11 | Beitner Park Grand Traverse County | Park / conservation area | 44.67456, -85.62975 | County park at the Beitner Road crossing, on the last free-flowing reach above the city. |
| 12 | Beitner Park Kayak/Canoe Launch Launch inside Beitner Park | Access / boat ramp | 44.67478, -85.63020 | The park's own launch. The Beitner Road bridge sits about 45 m away and is not shown separately. |
| 13 | Cass Road Cass Road crossing | Bridge crossing | 44.69869, -85.62332 | Crossing on the reach between Beitner Park and the Sabin and Boardman impoundments. |
| 14 | River East Recreation Area Garfield Charter Township | Park / conservation area | 44.71914, -85.61670 | Township recreation area on the river just above Boardman Lake. |
| 15 | Medalie Park Grand Traverse County Parks & Recreation | Park / conservation area | 44.73462, -85.61496 | County park at the south end of Boardman Lake, where the river enters the lake. |
| 16 | Kayak Launch Park City of Traverse City | Park / conservation area | 44.75639, -85.61574 | City park and launch on the north-west shore of Boardman Lake. |
| 17 | Hull Park City of Traverse City | Park / conservation area | 44.75673, -85.60977 | City park on the north-east shore of Boardman Lake, with the library and the lake loop trail. |
| 18 | American Legion Park City of Traverse City | Park / conservation area | 44.76165, -85.62056 | Riverside park on the short city reach between Boardman Lake and the bay. |
| 19 | South Union Street City crossing at the dam site | Bridge crossing | 44.76204, -85.62382 | Downtown crossing. Unnamed dam and weir structures sit on the centreline just upstream, at the Union Street Dam and FishPass site; OSM names none, so none is pinned. Treat the water above as impounded and portage. |
| 20 | The Northern Angler Fly shop · Traverse City | Bait, tackle & fly shop | 44.76437, -85.62955 | Full fly shop a short walk from the lower river in Traverse City. |
| 21 | Boardman Weir Weir on the lower city reach | Dam / hazard | 44.76448, -85.62694 | The one named in-stream structure on the city reach; sits on the centreline. |
| 22 | Open Space Park City of Traverse City | Park / conservation area | 44.76665, -85.62436 | The waterfront Open Space at the river's mouth on West Grand Traverse Bay. |
| 23 | Streamside Orvis Fly shop · Traverse City | Bait, tackle & fly shop | 44.76399, -85.61775 | Orvis fly shop on the lower river. OSM records the name as 'Orivis Streamside'; the shop's own site spells it Streamside Orvis. |
Gauge: USGS 04126970 — Boardman R above Brown Bridge Road nr Mayfield, MI. Live flow on the web page.
Species: Brook Trout, Brown Trout, Rainbow Trout, Steelhead
Regulations: www.michigan.gov/dnr/things-to-do/fishing/fishing-regulations
Emergency: call 911 and give the number of the nearest point on this map plus its coordinates.
Brown Bridge Quiet Area near Mayfield - trail and bank access on the upper river at the former impoundment.
Forks Campground at the confluence of the branches - developed access at the top of the mainstem.
Scheck's Place State Forest Campground - riverside camping and wading access on the upper river.
Shumsky access site off Supply Road - established launch and parking on the middle river.
Beitner Park in Traverse City - lower river access with parking and a canoe launch.
Sabin and Boardman dam sites - restoration-area access below the former impoundments.
Union Street dam area in Traverse City - lower river access for steelhead and salmon runs.
Spring: high water and the steelhead run in the lower river, with the upper river settling into good trout fishing by May.
Summer: prime wading months on the upper river, with strong evening hatches and best fishing in the shaded cedar reaches.
Fall: brown trout turn aggressive before the spawn and salmon push up from the bay into the lower river.
Winter: cold and quiet, with limited trout fishing