In the past when we paddled the Upper Little Manistee, we put-in at Driftwood Valley Campground, had lunch at Bear Track Campground, and took out at Nine Mile Bridge. One time when we were doing this paddle, Lois talked to some people who had paddled from Indian Bridge to Bear Track, and they said they didn't need to portage, so we decided to give it a try. From just gazing at the map, I thought it would be about an eight mile paddle, which is about right for an exploratory trip.
Eleven people signed up to blaze the trail. The brave participants were: Kati Flees, Lois Goldstein, Gail Hastings, John Heiam, Harold Lassers, Pam Lassers, Tracie Lord, Barb Rodenberg, Mike Rodenberg, Fred Swartz, and Jocelyn Trepte.
We found the put-in at Indian Bridge without a problem. It turned out to be very well developed fishing access with a pit toilet and ample parking. The river was wide enough, and deep enough that we thought it would be an easy paddle. We had lunch after about an hour on the river, and then we continued our journey. After a couple of hours of easy paddling, I asked some cabin owners how far to Bass Lake Bridge, which I figured was about an hour and a half from our intended take-out. They told me it was another three hours to the Bass Lake Bridge!
I then asked Harold to show me where we were on his GPS. At that point it became clear our planned route was more like 16 miles, and at the rate we were paddling we wouldn't finish until about 8 PM. A plan was hatched to send the fastest paddlers ahead to the cars, and the others took out before the Bass Lake Bridge at Dewitt Bridge on Granger Road. With five of us paddling at top speed for an hour and a half we made it to the cars, we hauled our boats and gear up the steps, and then drove back to get the others.
For those interested in trying this stretch, I would suggest starting at Indian Bridge as we did, and
taking out at Dewitt Bridge on Granger Road. It is difficult to make fast progress down this stretch of river because the current is gentle, and there are many obstructions that require precise maneuvering. This is a very cold stream up this high, so you won't want to swim until you near the end. The stream itself is very pretty, with high banks most of the way, however there isn't a lot of public land. John Heiam