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 | Goose Creek State Forest Campground Michigan DNR state forest campground | Campsite | 44.76200, -84.83844 | Uppermost state forest campground on the mapped river, at the Goose Creek mouth. |
| 2 | Upper Manistee River State Forest Campground Michigan DNR state forest campground | Campsite | 44.74764, -84.83650 | State forest campground on the upper river above the M-72 corridor. |
| 3 | Shel-Haven Tube, Kayak and Canoe Rental Livery and shuttle · upper river | Outfitter / canoe rental | 44.69317, -84.84665 | Livery at the Manistee River Bridge campground, serving the upper floats. |
| 4 | Manistee River Bridge State Forest Campground Michigan DNR state forest campground | Campsite | 44.69403, -84.84688 | State forest campground at the Manistee River Bridge crossing. |
| 5 | Special Regulation Section - downstream limit at CCC Bridge Designated special-regulation reach | Regulation section limit | 44.61468, -84.99143 | Downstream end of the special-regulation water, which the source words as running from Michigan #72 down to the CCC Bridge. The upstream limit at M-72 is not a named feature in OSM and is unmarked. This sheet marks the boundary only. |
| 6 | CCC Bridge State Forest Campground Michigan DNR state forest campground | Campsite | 44.61338, -84.99203 | State forest campground at the CCC Bridge, the busiest put-in on the upper river. |
| 7 | High Banks River access | Access / boat ramp | 44.54064, -85.14175 | Access on the high-banks reach below the CCC Bridge. |
| 8 | Smithville Landing Private campground and livery | Campsite | 44.52494, -85.17900 | Campground and canoe livery on the river at Smithville. |
| 9 | Smithville Boat Ramp Boat ramp · Smithville | Access / boat ramp | 44.52326, -85.17948 | Ramp at Smithville. A second launch sits about 500 m upstream and is not shown separately. |
| 10 | Rainbow Jim Bridge Boat Ramp Boat ramp at the Coster Road crossing | Access / boat ramp | 44.52734, -85.27552 | Ramp at the Rainbow Jim bridge; a park polygon tags the same site. |
| 11 | Lucas Road Boat Launch Michigan DNR boating access site | Access / boat ramp | 44.50551, -85.31069 | Launch at the Missaukee Bridge crossing on Lucas Road, which sits 30 m away. |
| 12 | Chippewa Landing Livery and campground | Outfitter / canoe rental | 44.48774, -85.40328 | Long-standing livery and campground on the middle river; OSM carries it three times, as a campsite, a way and a boat rental. |
| 13 | US-131 Roadside Park Boat Ramp Boat ramp at the US-131 roadside park | Access / boat ramp | 44.48538, -85.40467 | Ramp at the US-131 crossing; the roadside park and the highway bridge are at the same spot. |
| 14 | Old US-131 State Forest Campground Michigan DNR state forest campground | Campsite | 44.49185, -85.42146 | State forest campground on the old US-131 alignment. |
| 15 | Baxter Bridge State Forest Campground Michigan DNR state forest campground | Campsite | 44.49329, -85.52378 | State forest campground at the Baxter Bridge crossing. |
| 16 | Baxter Bridge Boat Ramp Boat ramp at Baxter Bridge | Access / boat ramp | 44.49284, -85.52793 | Ramp at Baxter Bridge, beside the state forest campground. |
| 17 | Harvey Bridge River Access Michigan DNR access | Access / boat ramp | 44.43915, -85.64216 | Access at the Harvey Bridge crossing, which sits 20 m away and is not shown separately. |
| 18 | Kohn Family Nature Preserve Land trust preserve | Park / conservation area | 44.43428, -85.67686 | Riverside preserve above the Mesick gauge. |
| # | Point | Type | Lat, Lon | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 | USGS 04124000 - Manistee River near Sherman Real-time stage and discharge | USGS gauge | 44.43639, -85.69868 | The gauge float levels on this river are read from, above Hodenpyl Dam Pond. |
| 20 | Wilderness Canoe Trips Livery and shuttle · Mesick | Outfitter / canoe rental | 44.43563, -85.69983 | Livery at the M-37 crossing, the usual shuttle for the middle river. |
| 21 | Red Bridge River Access Site River access at the North Coates Highway crossing | Access / boat ramp | 44.28379, -85.86205 | Access at Red Bridge, at the head of the Tippy reach; tagged as a campsite in OSM, and a campground shares the name. |
| 22 | Tippy Dam Consumers Energy hydro dam | Dam / hazard | 44.25961, -85.93893 | The lower of the river's two big dams. The tailwater below it is the best-known steelhead and salmon water on the river; do not approach the dam from above. |
| 23 | Upper Tippy Dam Boat Ramp Boat ramp above the dam | Access / boat ramp | 44.26052, -85.93864 | Ramp on the impoundment side of Tippy Dam. |
| 24 | Lower Tippy Dam Boat Ramp Boat ramp below the dam | Access / boat ramp | 44.25986, -85.94323 | Ramp in the tailwater below Tippy Dam and the standard put-in for that reach. |
| 25 | Tippy Dam State Recreation Area Michigan DNR state recreation area | Park / conservation area | 44.26324, -85.93715 | State recreation area around the dam and its tailwater, with the walk-in bank access. |
| 26 | Sawdust Hole River Access U.S. Forest Service river access | Access / boat ramp | 44.26864, -85.95146 | Forest Service access in the tailwater below Tippy Dam. Tagged as a campsite in OSM; it is an access. |
| 27 | High Bridge Access Site River access at High Bridge | Access / boat ramp | 44.26776, -86.01602 | Access at the High Bridge crossing on the lower river. |
| 28 | Blacksmith Bayou Campground National forest campground | Campsite | 44.26170, -86.03627 | Forest Service campground and launch at Blacksmith Bayou. |
| 29 | Andy's Tackle Box Tackle shop | Bait, tackle & fly shop | 44.30397, -86.01001 | Tackle shop serving the Tippy tailwater and the lower river, 3.7 km north of the water. |
| 30 | Bear Creek River Access River access at the Bear Creek mouth | Access / boat ramp | 44.29138, -86.11435 | Access on the lower river where Bear Creek comes in. |
| 31 | Rainbow Bend River access | Access / boat ramp | 44.29204, -86.14872 | Access on the lower river below Bear Creek. |
| 32 | Matson's Big Manistee River Campground Private campground | Campsite | 44.28357, -86.16073 | Riverside campground on the lower river. |
| 33 | Coho Bend Campground Private campground | Campsite | 44.27127, -86.20081 | Riverside campground on the lowest free-flowing reach. |
| 34 | Caberfae Highway M-55 crossing above Manistee Lake | Bridge crossing | 44.26422, -86.29543 | Last road crossing above Manistee Lake and the harbour. |
| 35 | 1st Street Boat Launch City of Manistee boat launch | Access / boat ramp | 44.24733, -86.33992 | Lowest launch on the river, at the harbour in Manistee. |
Gauge: USGS 04124000 — MANISTEE RIVER NEAR SHERMAN, MI. Live flow on the web page.
Species: Brook Trout, Brown Trout, Chinook Salmon, 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.
CCC Bridge and Sharon: upper river access in the Manistee River State Forest.
Smithville and Sherman: mid-upper access points near the gauge, boat launches and camps.
Hodenpyl Dam Pond: the bottom of the upper trout water.
Tippy Dam Recreation Area: the famous bank fishery below the dam.
High Bridge: the standard lower-river boat launch below Tippy.
Bear Creek and Rainbow Bend: lower river access toward Manistee.
Manistee Lake and the harbor: the mouth, for run timing and pier fishing.
April through June: trout season opens, then caddis, sulphurs and the June hex hatch at night.
July and August: terrestrials and mouse fishing after dark on the upper river.
September and October: chinook and coho below Tippy Dam, the busiest weeks of the year.
November through April: steelhead in the lower river, with a spring run that peaks around ice-out.