A field reference by Chris Izworski
The Au Sable River, mapped honestly
This is a working map of the Au Sable River in Michigan, built and maintained by Chris Izworski. It exists because most Au Sable maps online are wrong in small, frustrating ways: guessed pins, missing regulation lines, basemaps that fail to load, and no sense of how far it really is from one landing to the next. Every point here carries a verified coordinate, or an honest note when it does not, and every mainstem access point carries a real river mile measured along the surveyed channel from the Grayling public access down to the mouth at Lake Huron near Oscoda.
The river runs about 120 miles from Grayling to Lake Huron, the same distance raced each July in the Au Sable River Canoe Marathon. It is the birthplace of Michigan trout fishing and the home water of Trout Unlimited, and it carries some of the most storied fly water in the country.
The five reaches
The map splits the river the way anglers and paddlers actually think about it. The Holy Water is the flies-only, catch-and-release mainstream from Burton's Landing down to Wakeley Bridge, about nine miles of legendary trout water. The Mainstream below it runs general regulations toward Mio. The South Branch holds the Mason Tract, a second flies-only stretch from Chase Bridge to the Lower High Banks. The North Branch threads through Lovells. The Lower river and dams begins at Mio Pond and steps down a chain of six hydro impoundments, Mio, Alcona, Loud, Five Channels, Cooke and Foote, before the last free run to the lake below Foote Dam.
Planning a float
Each mainstem access point has a river mile, so the planner can give you a distance and an estimated time between any put-in and take-out. Estimates assume roughly 3.2 miles per hour on free-flowing river and 2.2 on the flatwater ponds, plus a portage at each dam. Below 4001 Bridge Canoe Landing, the last take-out on the National Scenic stretch, camping shifts to the federal dispersed system: 102 individually designated sites that require a reservation from May 15 to September 30 through recreation.gov. Developed Forest Service campgrounds at Gabions, Rollways and Monument, plus Old Orchard Park on Foote Pond, give vehicle-accessible options.
Plan anything, not just a float
Use the activity filter to show only what matches the day. Fish surfaces the access points and fly shops, Paddle the launches and liveries, Camp the state forest and federal campgrounds, Hike and Ski the Highbanks and Corsair trails and Wakely Lake, Scenic the overlooks and fall color, and Stay and Shop the lodges, guides and local businesses. The River now tab carries live USGS flow at Grayling and Mio, a month-by-month hatch calendar, and the stewardship groups that keep the water cold. Every location card links to driving directions, and many link to the guide service, the reservation page, the agency site, or the gauge.
Every access point, mile by mile
Holy Water (flies-only, catch-and-release)
- Burton's Landing, Launch & wade. mile 6.0. Holy Water begins: flies-only, catch-and-release.
- Louie's Landing, Bank access. mile 6.7. Holy Water: flies-only, C&R.
- Keystone Landing, Launch & camp. mile 7.4. Holy Water: flies-only, C&R.
- Wa Wa Sum, Historic lodge. On the Holy Water.
- Thendara Road Access, Wade & float. mile 8.8. Holy Water: flies-only, C&R.
- Gates Au Sable Lodge, Lodge & fly shop. On the Holy Water.
- Stephan Bridge, Bridge access. mile 10.7. Holy Water: flies-only, C&R.
- Wakeley Bridge, Launch. mile 15.3. Holy Water ends here. Downstream regs change.
- Wakely Lake, Foot-access lake & trails. Quiet area, flies-only lake.
Mainstream
- Hartwick Pines State Park, State park. State park, Rec Passport.
- Drake's Fly Shop, Fly shop & guides. Grayling.
- Grayling Public Access, Town put-in. mile 0.0. General regulations.
- Old AuSable Fly Shop, Fly shop & guides. Grayling.
- Canoe Marathon Start, Race landmark. Grayling.
- Penrod's AuSable Canoe, Livery. General regulations.
- White Pine Canoe Camp, Canoe-in camp. mile 17.7. General mainstream.
- Connors Flats Launch, Boat launch. mile 20.2. General mainstream.
- Rainbow Bend Campground, Camp & access. mile 21.8. General mainstream.
- McMasters Bridge, Bridge & launch. mile 23.1. General mainstream.
- Parmalee Bridge, Launch & camp. mile 32.1. General mainstream.
South Branch and the Mason Tract
- Chase Bridge, Launch. Mason Tract flies-only begins.
- Mason Tract Access, Pathway access. Mason Tract: flies-only.
- Canoe Harbor Campground, Camp & shore. Mason Tract: flies-only.
- Smith Bridge, Take-out. Mason Tract: flies-only.
North Branch
- Lovells Canoe Launch, Launch. North Branch general regs.
- North Branch Outing Club, Historic lodge. On the North Branch.
- Kelloggs Bridge, Bridge access. North Branch general regs.
- North Branch Access (Morley Rd), River access. North Branch general regs.
Lower river and dams
- Whirlpool Launch (Mio Pond), Launch & shore. mile 36.3. Above Mio Pond.
- Rainbow Resort, Livery & cabins. Mio area.
- Camp 10 Bridge Launch, Launch. mile 41.6. On Mio Pond.
- Mio Dam, Hydro dam. mile 44.7. Below Mio Dam: steelhead and salmon tributary rules.
- Hinchman Acres, Livery & cabins. Mio area.
- Mio Au Sable Launch, Boat launch. mile 45.0. Below Mio Dam: tributary rules.
- Au Sable Scenic Overlook (Mio), Overlook & access. mile 47.8. Au Sable National Scenic River.
- Comins Flats Launch, Boat launch. mile 52.3. Au Sable National Scenic River.
- McKinley Landing, Boat launch. mile 59.8. Au Sable National Scenic River.
- Highbanks Overlook, Overlook. River Road byway.
- Gabions Campground, Federal campground. Huron National Forest. Reservation season May 15 to Sep 30.
- 4001 Bridge Landing, Canoe landing. mile 67.3. Last take-out on the National Scenic River. Day-use fee.
- Alcona Dam Launch, Dam & launch. mile 72.3. Impoundment. Portage at the dam.
- Alcona Canoe Rental, Livery. Glennie area.
- Thompson's Landing, River access. mile 78.9. Semi-primitive nonmotorized stretch.
- Rollways Campground, Federal campground. Huron National Forest. Reservable.
- Westgate Overlook, Overlook. River Road byway.
- Loud Dam, Hydro dam. mile 86.0. Impoundment. Portage.
- Loud Pond Launch, Boat launch. mile 87.2. Loud Pond impoundment.
- Five Channels Dam, Hydro dam. mile 90.3. Impoundment. Portage.
- Iargo Springs, Springs & overlook. River Road byway.
- Lumberman's Monument, Monument & overlook. River Road byway.
- Monument Campground, Federal campground. Huron National Forest. By Lumberman's Monument.
- Corsair Trails, XC ski & hiking trails. Huron National Forest.
- Cooke Dam, Hydro dam. mile 94.6. Impoundment. Portage.
- Sawmill Point Launch, Boat launch. mile 95.1. On the lower ponds.
- Old Orchard Park, Park & campground. County park on Foote Pond.
- Foote Dam, Final hydro dam. mile 107.9. Last dam. Free-flowing below.
- Below Foote Launch, Boat launch. mile 108.6. Free-flowing. Steelhead and salmon.
- Whirlpool Angler Access, Angler access. mile 113.4. Below Foote. Steelhead and salmon water.
- Eagle Run, River trail & access. Lower Au Sable near Oscoda.
- Oscoda Canoe Rental, Livery. Oscoda, near the mouth.
- Au Sable River Mouth, Mouth at Lake Huron. mile 119.6. Approaching Lake Huron.
About the data
The river channel and the impoundment shapes are drawn from OpenStreetMap survey geometry. Access coordinates are verified individually rather than scraped, and the few approximate pins are labeled as such. River miles are computed by projecting each access point onto the stitched channel, which is why the mouth lands at about 119.6 miles, within a rounding error of the marathon distance.