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River · Jackson County in south-central Michigan, at the headwaters of the state's longest river above Eaton Rapids, Lansing and the Grand Rapids reach · Michigan

Grand River Fishing Guides

The headwater reach of Michigan's longest river at Jackson, a warmwater smallmouth and pike fishery far upstream of the Grand Rapids salmon and steelhead water.

A dark forest stream running fast over stone

Map of the Grand River

89 numbered points: 26 access points, 3 campsites, 4 outfitters, 25 bridges, 17 parks and conservation areas, 1 agency office, 1 USGS gauge, 12 points of interest. Tap a marker for details. Reviewed Oct 23, 2026.

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Access / boat ramp (26)
Campsite (3)
Outfitter / canoe rental (4)
Bridge crossing (25)
Park / conservation area (17)
Agency / conservation office (1)
USGS gauge (1)
Point of interest (12)

Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Points are curated from OpenStreetMap and state agency sources; confirm access and hours before you go.

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.

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All 89 points on this map

#	Point	Type	Lat, Lon	Notes
1	South Meridian Road (US 127) Liberty Township	Bridge crossing	42.14147, -84.36440	Uppermost mapped crossing on the chained relation.
2	Brooklyn Road (M 50) Jackson	Bridge crossing	42.21377, -84.37445
3	South Cooper Street Jackson	Bridge crossing	42.24726, -84.40046
4	West Louis Glick Highway Jackson	Bridge crossing	42.24933, -84.40664
5	Jackson County Conservation District Jackson	Agency / conservation office	42.25448, -84.40972	The only river or conservation agency office OSM places near this river.
6	Lions Park City of Jackson	Park / conservation area	42.26252, -84.41074
7	USGS streamgauge Live stage and discharge	USGS gauge	42.28365, -84.40885	Roster coordinate; USGS 04109000, Grand River at Jackson.
8	East Parnall Road Jackson	Bridge crossing	42.29110, -84.40564
9	Maple Grove Bridge Access Site Michigan DNR boating access site, Jackson County	Access / boat ramp	42.34248, -84.40296
10	Lansing Avenue Jackson County	Bridge crossing	42.39590, -84.41377
11	Rives Eaton Road Jackson County	Bridge crossing	42.40376, -84.48582
12	Trestle Bridge Access Site Michigan DNR boating access site, Eaton County	Access / boat ramp	42.39649, -84.48908
13	Tompkins Bridge Jackson County, state game area launch	Access / boat ramp	42.39127, -84.54186	Recovered by the second-pass refill of the band Overpass lost on the first try.
14	Gale Road Access Site Eaton County	Access / boat ramp	42.48247, -84.58143
15	Gale Road Grand River State Game Area Michigan DNR	Park / conservation area	42.48528, -84.58996
16	Smithville Dam Eaton County	Point of interest	42.49967, -84.62918	Mapped as a weir in OSM; a low-head dam and a portage.
17	McArthur Park Launch Eaton Rapids	Access / boat ramp	42.50484, -84.64867
18	State Street Dam Eaton Rapids	Point of interest	42.50895, -84.65505	Mapped as a weir in OSM; a low-head dam and a portage.
19	Eaton Rapids Outdoor Recreation Center Eaton Rapids	Outfitter / canoe rental	42.51360, -84.65445	Livery on the Eaton Rapids reach.
20	East Sanitary Dam Eaton Rapids	Point of interest	42.51474, -84.65305	Mapped as a weir in OSM; a low-head dam and a portage.
21	Bunker Road Canoe Landing Ingham County Parks	Access / boat ramp	42.55248, -84.62084
22	North Michigan Road (M 99) Dimondale	Bridge crossing	42.63100, -84.62271
23	Danford Island Park Village of Dimondale	Park / conservation area	42.64748, -84.65033	OSM mis-spells the operator as Village of Diamondale.
24	Dimondale Canoe & Kayak Dimondale	Outfitter / canoe rental	42.67126, -84.64294	Livery on the reach above Lansing.
25	Grand Pointe Marina Dimondale	Access / boat ramp	42.67064, -84.64154
26	South Waverly Road Lansing	Bridge crossing	42.70922, -84.60305
27	Grand River Park City of Lansing	Access / boat ramp	42.72030, -84.58762
28	South Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard (M 99) Lansing	Bridge crossing	42.72099, -84.56901
29	Moores Park Dam Lansing	Point of interest	42.71829, -84.56088	Mapped as a weir in OSM; a low-head dam and a portage.
30	Moores Park City of Lansing	Park / conservation area	42.71705, -84.55927
31	River Point Park Lansing, at the Red Cedar confluence	Park / conservation area	42.72395, -84.54987
32	Sweeney's Landing City of Lansing, no fee	Access / boat ramp	42.72651, -84.54588
33	River Town Adventures Lansing	Outfitter / canoe rental	42.72751, -84.54730	Livery on the Lansing river trail reach.
34	East Michigan Avenue Lansing	Bridge crossing	42.73358, -84.54972
35	The Power of Water Lansing	Outfitter / canoe rental	42.74047, -84.54714	Paddling shop; OSM tags it shop=boat.
36	East Saginaw Street (M 43) Lansing	Bridge crossing	42.74084, -84.54942
37	North Lansing Dam Lansing	Point of interest	42.74570, -84.55003	Mapped as a weir in OSM; a low-head dam and a portage.
38	Turner-Dodge Park Lansing	Park / conservation area	42.75119, -84.55244
39	North Waverly Road Lansing	Bridge crossing	42.75328, -84.60285
40	Willow Canoe Launch Delta Township	Access / boat ramp	42.75622, -84.71040
41	South Bridge Street (M 100) Grand Ledge	Bridge crossing	42.75457, -84.74406
42	Tyler Lee Murphy Memorial Fishing Dock Grand Ledge Riverwalk	Point of interest	42.75524, -84.74514	A fishing dock, not a launch.
43	Island Park City of Grand Ledge	Park / conservation area	42.75607, -84.74839	A second island park is mapped nearby; only this one is kept.
44	Grand Ledge Dam Grand Ledge	Point of interest	42.76321, -84.76256	Mapped as a weir in OSM; a low-head dam and a portage.
45	Kruger Memorial Landing Clinton County	Access / boat ramp	42.86719, -84.90978
46	Portland Dam Portage Portland	Access / boat ramp	42.88851, -84.93013	Signed portage around the municipal dam.
47	Portland Municipal Dam Portland	Point of interest	42.88870, -84.93093	Mapped twice in OSM, as a dam and as a weir; collapsed to one point. A portage.
48	Webber Dam Boat Access Site Michigan DNR, Ionia County	Access / boat ramp	42.95386, -84.90480	OSM writes the name Boad Access Site and the operator Departement; corrected here.
49	Webber Dam Portage Ionia County	Access / boat ramp	42.95214, -84.90159	Signed portage around the dam.
50	Webber Dam Consumers Energy, Ionia County	Point of interest	42.95318, -84.90282	OSM names this Weber Dam; it is Webber Dam.
51	Wagar Dam Ionia County	Point of interest	42.96588, -84.91385	Mapped as a weir in OSM; a low-head dam and a portage.
52	Green View Point Park Ionia County Parks	Park / conservation area	42.98639, -84.92007
53	Lyons Village Boat Launch Lyons, no fee	Access / boat ramp	42.97753, -84.94163
54	Public Fishing Access Village of Lyons	Access / boat ramp	42.98141, -84.94884
55	South State Road (M 66) Ionia	Bridge crossing	42.97207, -85.06931
56	Saranac Riverwalk Park Village of Saranac	Park / conservation area	42.93257, -85.21152
57	Boat Launch Park Village of Saranac	Access / boat ramp	42.93229, -85.21443	Named Boat Launch Park in OSM and tagged as a park; it is the village launch.
58	South Hudson Street Lowell	Bridge crossing	42.92523, -85.34292
59	Grand River Fulton Street Preserve Ada Township	Park / conservation area	42.95432, -85.47282
60	Fulton Street East (M 21) Ada	Bridge crossing	42.95533, -85.47554
61	Ada Boating Access Site Michigan DNR	Access / boat ramp	42.95630, -85.47782
62	Woodrick Memorial Wetland Observation Deck Ada	Point of interest	42.98401, -85.53184
63	Roselle Park Ada	Park / conservation area	42.98764, -85.53364
64	Knapp Street Bridge Boating Access Site Michigan DNR, Grand Rapids	Access / boat ramp	43.00473, -85.54154
65	Northland Drive Northeast (M 44) Grand Rapids	Bridge crossing	43.06358, -85.57990
66	Rogue River Mouth Boat Launch Grand Rapids, at the Rogue confluence	Access / boat ramp	43.06302, -85.58505
67	Donald J. Lamoreaux Park Grand Rapids	Park / conservation area	43.05007, -85.64262
68	Riverside Park Boat Launch Grand Rapids	Access / boat ramp	42.99951, -85.67186
69	Canal Street Park Grand Rapids, above the Sixth Street Dam	Park / conservation area	42.98062, -85.67239
70	Sixth Street Dam Grand Rapids	Point of interest	42.97444, -85.67453	Mapped as a weir in OSM; the head of navigation and a portage.
71	Sixth Street Dam Boat Launch Grand Rapids	Access / boat ramp	42.97438, -85.67352
72	Bridge Street Northwest Grand Rapids	Bridge crossing	42.97043, -85.67486
73	Lyon Square Grand Rapids riverfront	Park / conservation area	42.96724, -85.67434
74	Fulton Street West Grand Rapids	Bridge crossing	42.96326, -85.67615
75	Gerald R Ford Freeway (I 196) Grand Rapids	Bridge crossing	42.94764, -85.71041
76	Johnson Park Boat Launch Michigan DNR, Walker	Access / boat ramp	42.93021, -85.75629
77	Wilson Avenue Southwest (M 11) Grandville	Bridge crossing	42.91502, -85.76678
78	Steamboat Park Campground Grandville	Campsite	42.93703, -85.80024	Private caravan park on the bank.
79	Grand River Park Boat Launch Ottawa County	Access / boat ramp	42.94452, -85.85466
80	Lake Michigan Drive (M 45) Ottawa County	Bridge crossing	42.97200, -85.87658
81	Deer Creek Park Boat Launch Ottawa County	Access / boat ramp	43.01076, -85.93635
82	68th Avenue Ottawa County	Bridge crossing	43.01529, -85.95560
83	Burr Oak Landing West Open Space Area Ottawa County	Park / conservation area	43.02102, -86.01740
84	Conestoga Grand River Campground Coopersville	Campsite	43.03056, -86.03389	Private caravan park.
85	Robinson Boat Launch Ottawa County	Access / boat ramp	43.03982, -86.08391	The Robinson site is mapped twice, as a launch node and a DNR access-site way; collapsed to one point.
86	Eastpointe RV Resort Ottawa County, fee	Campsite	43.06421, -86.20428	Private caravan park.
87	North Beacon Boulevard (US 31) Grand Haven	Bridge crossing	43.07529, -86.21788	The last crossing above the harbour.
88	Bicentennial Park Grand Haven	Park / conservation area	43.06345, -86.23554
89	Fishermens Park Grand Haven	Park / conservation area	43.05880, -86.25247

Guides on the Grand River

Claimed profiles take booking requests. Unclaimed profiles are built from public records so the river is never empty; the guide can claim or remove one any time.

Order on this page: premium and outfitter plans first (labelled Premium placement), then claimed free profiles, then unclaimed — one published price, no bidding for position. How placement works

Betts Guide Service

Newaygo, MI

Fishes Au Sable River, Grand River, Manistee River, Muskegon River and 1 more

Full-Day FloatHalf-Day Float

Public website

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Getting Bit Guide Service

Grand Rapids, MI

Fishes Grand River

Full DayPowerboat Trip

Public website

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About the Grand River

The Grand is Michigan’s longest river, running about two hundred and sixty miles from Jackson County northwest through Lansing and Grand Rapids to Lake Michigan at Grand Haven. Most anglers who know the name know the lower river, where salmon and steelhead run up to the Sixth Street dam at Grand Rapids and where the guided fishery is concentrated. This gauge is at Jackson, near the very top of the system, and the water it reads is a completely different river – small, warm, agricultural and entirely warmwater in character.

That upper reach is genuinely worth fishing and almost nobody does. Smallmouth bass are the main quarry through the summer, holding in the riffles and around woody structure in a river narrow enough to wade in many places. Largemouth occupy the slower pools and the impounded stretches, northern pike hold in the weedy backwaters, and rock bass are everywhere. Channel catfish are abundant, common carp reach substantial sizes and are increasingly fished on purpose with fly gear, and walleye are present in the deeper water downstream toward Eaton Rapids.

Dam removal has changed this reach over the past decade, with restoration work in and above Jackson reopening river habitat that had been impounded for a century. The result is more riffle, more gravel and better smallmouth water than the upper Grand had a generation ago. Anglers should still expect an urban and agricultural river with variable clarity, and should give it a few days after heavy rain. This gauge at Jackson reports turbidity, discharge and stage but no water temperature, and the turbidity series is the useful one for judging whether the river has cleared after a storm. Anglers heading for salmon or steelhead want a gauge two hundred miles downstream, not this one.

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The photo at the top of this page is not Grand River.

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Read the full license

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The version of this license you accepted is stored with your submission and printed with the photo. A later version does not apply to a photo you have already sent unless you agree to it.

Access

Jackson riverfront and the Grand River Trail - in-town bank access closest to the gauge.
Blackman Park in Jackson - parking and shoreline access on the upper river.
Sharp Park and the restored reach through Jackson - wadeable riffle water opened by dam removal.
Eaton Rapids river access - downstream access with a ramp and bank fishing.
Onondaga Road crossings - rural roadside access between Jackson and Eaton Rapids.
Grand River County Park in Ingham County - developed access with parking and a launch.
Portage River confluence above Jackson - tributary access and an alternative when the mainstem is high.

Seasons

Spring: high, coloured water from snowmelt and spring rain, with pike active early in the backwaters.
Summer: the main season, with smallmouth in the riffles and carp on the flats in low, clear water.
Fall: cooling water, aggressive smallmouth and very little competition on the upper river.
Winter: low and often iced in the slow reaches, with almost no angling activity above Eaton Rapids.

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Questions

What is the current flow on the Grand River?

As of Nov 2, 6:30 am, the USGS gauge GRAND RIVER AT JACKSON, MI reads 69 cfs. Conditions update every 15 minutes.

What species can you catch on the Grand River?

Anglers target Channel Catfish, Common Carp, Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Rock Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye on the Grand River in Michigan.

Are there fishing guides on the Grand River?

GuidedFloats lists 2 guides and outfitters on the Grand River. Claimed profiles accept booking requests; unclaimed profiles are built from public records and link to the business.

Where can you access the Grand River?

Jackson riverfront and the Grand River Trail - in-town bank access closest to the gauge. Blackman Park in Jackson - parking and shoreline access on the upper river. Sharp Park and the restored reach through Jackson - wadeable riffle water opened by dam removal. Eaton Rapids river access - downstream access with a ramp and bank fishing. Onondaga Road crossings - rural roadside access between Jackson and Eaton Rapids. Grand River County Park in Ingham County - developed access with parking and a launch. Portage River confluence above Jackson - tributary access and an alternative when the mainste...

When is the best time to fish the Grand River?

Spring: high, coloured water from snowmelt and spring rain, with pike active early in the backwaters. Summer: the main season, with smallmouth in the riffles and carp on the flats in low, clear water. Fall: cooling water, aggressive smallmouth and very little competition on the upper river. Winter: low and often iced in the slow reaches, with almost no angling activity above Eaton Rapids.

Where are the fishing regulations for the Grand River?

Regulations change by season and section. Read the current rules on the Michigan agency site: https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/things-to-do/fishing/fishing-regulations

At a glance

State: Michigan
Licence: Michigan fishing licence
Type: River
Gauge: USGS 04109000
Guides: 2

Species

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Regulations

Rules change by season and section. Read the current regulations from the Michigan agency. We never restate regulations.

Nearby waters

Flow, gauge height, and water temperature: U.S. Geological Survey National Water Information System, provisional data subject to revision. Percentile computed from USGS daily statistics for this calendar day. All data sources.

Grand River Fishing Guides

Map of the Grand River

Guides on the Grand River

Betts Guide Service

Getting Bit Guide Service

About the Grand River

The photo at the top of this page is not Grand River.

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