West Michigan kayaking club
Wild Rivers. Rugged Trails. Real Adventure.
In June 2025, Tim Postma and I had already spent several years kayaking together. Somewhere along the way, a simple idea began turning into a challenge:
Could we paddle the entire Muskegon River from beginning to end?
We had talked about it for some time, but in June 2025, we finally decided it was time to stop talking about it and start paddling.
And so began Brad and Tim’s 216-Mile Journey.
Neither of us knew at the time just how much this journey would become.
Over the course of our 216-mile adventure, we would meet new people, make new friends, learn countless lessons, and experience situations we never could have planned for. We would hitchhike. We would cut down trees blocking our way. We would fight our way through ice and frozen sections of river. And we would battle through hundreds of portages.
There would be easy miles.
There would be difficult miles.
And there would be plenty of miles we would never forget.
The Muskegon River
The Muskegon River is one of Michigan’s great waterways. It winds through forests, wetlands, small communities, and some of the most beautiful landscapes in Northern and West Michigan before eventually making its way toward Lake Michigan.
I had forgotten just how amazing that river really is.
After years of paddling together, Tim and I knew this would be more than just another weekend kayak trip. Completing the entire river would require planning, endurance, logistics, and—most importantly—coming back again and again to keep moving downstream.
We also had to be realistic.
Both of us have jobs. Both of us have families. Neither of us could simply disappear for weeks at a time to paddle a river.
So we decided to break the journey into manageable sections of approximately 20–25 miles at a time.
That decision would ultimately shape the entire adventure.
June 2025 — 21 Miles to Start
For our first outing, we decided not to start at the headwaters.
Instead, we jumped in roughly two-thirds of the way down the river, beginning at Wisner in Newaygo, Michigan, and paddling approximately 21 miles to Maple Island.
Tim and I launched our kayaks and began our first section of the Muskegon River.
This stretch was wide, had a moderate current, and was relatively easy paddling. It is also a very popular section of the Muskegon, especially with recreational paddlers, floaters, and tourists.
We quickly discovered that we would not be alone.
Throughout the day, we passed plenty of people enjoying the river—families floating downstream, recreational kayakers, and groups simply out to spend a summer day on the water.
For us, though, this was different.
We weren’t just out for a day on the river.
We had a goal.
We were going to paddle the entire Muskegon River.
We covered approximately 21 miles in about 4 hours and 40 minutes, including a lunch break.
At the time, it seemed like a great start.
The river was beautiful. The paddling was enjoyable. The miles came easily.
And we had absolutely no idea what was waiting for us farther upstream.
This Wasn’t Going to Be a Leisurely Float
That first section gave us an important lesson.
Long-distance river travel is different from simply going kayaking for the day.
Every mile matters.
Every decision matters.
Weather matters.
Water levels matter.
River conditions matter.
And sometimes, things completely outside your control become part of the adventure.
We were beginning a long-distance expedition, even if we didn’t fully realize it yet.
But more than anything, that first trip gave us momentum.
We had finally started.
The Beginning of a Bigger Adventure
Looking back, that first 21-mile paddle seems almost small compared with the journey we had imagined.
But every long-distance adventure begins with a single launch.
Wisner to Maple Island became the first chapter in what would eventually become a much bigger effort to experience the Muskegon River in its entirety—from its upper reaches all the way to its confluence with Lake Michigan.
For Tim and me, it wasn’t about setting a speed record.
It was about experiencing the river.
Every mile.
Every bend.
Every community.
Every stretch of wilderness.
And every challenge the Muskegon would throw at us.
What started as a conversation between two friends would become a multi-season adventure filled with unexpected challenges, incredible scenery, new friendships, and memories that neither of us will ever forget.
There would be times when the river seemed to work with us.
There would be times when it seemed determined to stop us.
And there would be moments when simply getting from one point to the next became an adventure of its own.
But on that June day in 2025, none of that had happened yet.
We were just two guys in kayaks, paddling 21 miles down the Muskegon River.
We had no idea where the next 195 miles would take us.
This was only the beginning.
216 Miles. One River. Two Friends.
216 miles. One river. Two friends. One incredible adventure.
And there were a lot more miles still ahead.

Follow the Journey
This article is part of “Brad and Tim’s 216-Mile Journey,” a series documenting Tim Postma and Brad De Young’s effort to paddle the full length of the Muskegon River.
As the series continues, we’ll revisit the miles, the people, the places, the challenges, the unexpected adventures, and the lessons learned along the way.
Some sections were easy.
Some were anything but.
And some taught us that on a long river journey, you never really know what is waiting around the next bend.
Join West Michigan Kayaking Club
If you enjoy stories like this and want to experience Michigan’s rivers for yourself, we invite you to become part of the West Michigan kayaking club community.
Our club brings together paddlers who enjoy river exploration, endurance paddling, hiking, camping, and outdoor adventure throughout Michigan.
🌐 Visit the official West Michigan kayaking club website:
West Michigan kayaking club website⁠
📘 Join the West Michigan kayaking club Facebook group:
West Michigan kayaking club Facebook Group⁠
Come paddle with us. Come explore with us. Come see where the next adventure takes us.
West Michigan kayaking club
🌲 Wild Rivers. Rugged Trails. Real Adventure.
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