Dundee, Michigan is between Toledo and Ann Arbor in Southeast Michigan, on the River Raisin. Both the Macon River and the Saline River flow into the River Raisin near Dundee. The River Raisin is a popular fishing and canoeing river, with limited public access in Dundee and only one canoe livery.
Accessing the Raisin
You can get your canoe into the River Raisin in Dundee--aside from the one livery--at only two points: under the Interstate-23 /Brewer Road intersection, and where Davis Road crosses Little River Raisin, which empties into the main river about 220 yards downstream.
Canoe Livery
The only canoe livery in Dundee is the River Raisin Canoe Livery, four miles east of town on Plank Road. Run by Chuck and Cherry Haddix, the livery features canoe rentals and guided canoe trips. They rent canoes by the hour or up to a day. The Raisin River Canoe Livery also offers half-day and full-day guided canoe trips.
Pollution Warning
Canoeists who are also fishing are strongly advised not to eat fish from the River Raisin. Industrial and agricultural runoff have contaminated the river for decades, and remediation has been slow and spotty. Most of the River Raisin runs through agricultural areas using heavy amounts of nitrogen fertilizer, herbicides, and pesticides, and areas near the mouth are EPA Areas of Concern for PCBs, a potent carcinogen.
Canoe on Lake Erie
William C. Sterling State Park in Monroe is 20 minutes from Dundee, on Lake Erie. Canoes and kayaks can put in at a public launch with more than 250 parking places. This is near the mouth of the River Raisin, so all health warnings about fish apply here as well.
Canoe the Huron River
There are numerous canoe liveries in Ann Arbor, which is about half an hour away. You can canoe the Huron River that runs through Ann Arbor, where Michigan's Travel and Tourism site lists four liveries. Ann Arbor has numerous public access sites to the Huron.
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