The Best Paddling Routes on the Huron River for Fall Colors

The arrival of Southeast Michigan's peak fall colors transforms the beautiful Huron River into a can't-miss autumnal destination. Here are the six best routes for paddling, experiencing, and capturing the river's vibrant colors.

Let’s start with the obvious: there’s no wrong way to enjoy the Detroit region’s fall colors.

While even just a short walk around your neighborhood will produce Pinterest-worthy foliage content, we at Expedition Detroit like to get a little more intrepid with our autumnal adventures. Trail runs and mountain biking sessions are obvious choices, but now that the temperatures are dropping and winter is almost ready for its grand entrance, we’re opting to explore via paddle while we still can.

With that decision locked in, the logical follow-up question is where to drop in at. As we all know, there are seemingly endless water destinations to explore in our corner of the Great Lakes. If you really wanted to, you could honestly just grab an inflatable kayak or paddle board, pick a direction, and start walking a few miles before hitting a suitable body of water.

For Expedition Detroit’s inaugural fall paddling, however, we’re going to exert a little more intentionality than that. We’re paddling the Huron River National Water Trail - the 104-mile river trail that defines the heart of the Detroit region’s most beautiful parks, forests, and trail towns.

Even more specifically, we will be paddling down the following 6 routes for viewing the best of Southeast Michigan’s famous colors.

1. Proud Lake State Recreation Area to Milford Central Park

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