The Platte River is about 14 miles long and it runs from Platte Lake to Lake Michigan. Much of the river winds through the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. The river shows two faces, as Michigan Water Trails’ page on the Platte River explains:

Challenging in its upper reaches, the Platte turns into a placid, family-friendly float as it nears Lake Michigan. The Platte River offers two vastly different paddling experiences, depending on whether you put in above or below Platte Lake. For much of the 9-mile segment upstream of the lake, the river races along at a swift pace. Intermediate paddlers will enjoy maneuvering through narrow passages to avoid the logjams, sweepers, gravel bars, and other obstacles that litter this stretch. Beginners, on the other hand, are better off starting downstream of the lake. Over the last 4 miles before it enters Lake Michigan, the Platte flows at a leisurely pace through the sandy paradise of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.

You can rent canoes, kayaks, tubes and rafts from Riverside Canoe Rental and the Honor Trading Post.

Photo credit: Kayaking the Lower Platte by mstephens7