Solo up Mallets Creek

Creeking on Mallets
September, 2007

I’d been wondering if Mallets Creek may be navigable by canoe. I knew it needed lots of water, so when the end of almost a week of afternoon thunderstorms coincided with a free Saturday, I headed out with my Wenonah Jensen Solo canoe, a regular paddle, and an 8.5 foot poling paddle. I put in at the eastern end of Gallup Park, off Dixboro road. A green heron lead the way, flying ahead and barking whenever I caught up with his hiding place. I was looking for the creek’s outlet under the railroad tracks where Mallets joins the main stem of the Huron River. I found it, but it is not passable by canoe. Its completely underwater - the only indication of it’s existence is swirls of water coming up from an unseen culvert. So the choice became to drag the canoe over the fence, trespass across the railroad tracks, and re-enter the water on the other side, or return to the parking lot, and drive to a put-in where Mallets crosses under Huron River Drive. I chose the latter. The heron lead the way again, almost all the way back to the car.
There is a small gravel parking area just east of Mallets creek, and a short two-track down to a grassy fishing spot on the creek, littered with beer cans and bait tubs. From here I poled upstream, under Huron River drive, under Chalmers drive, up many stretches of riffles, under overhanging branches and bumping into submerged rocks. The first culvert under Huron Parkway proved to be quite a challenge, as the tunnel was quite long, water was very fast, and the sides of the concrete culvert were fairly smooth and difficult to get a good grip on. The last 20 feet were very difficult as the stream velocity increased to 7-10 feet per second. After three unsuccessful attempts, the culvert was finally passed. There are several downed trees that block the river. Some of them I could duck under, others I pushed over. One of them I was able to push the boat under while I hopped over. Only for two trees did I have to get out and drag the boat - once over the log, once on shore around the obstruction. I also had to step out into several of the riffles where the water got too shallow, and push or pull up to deeper water. Onward and upward, under Huron Parkway a second time (much easier) and to Washtenaw Ave. The culvert here is very long, also fast, and one cannot see any light at the end of the tunnel. I’d been poling up the creek for over an hour in occasional light rain, so I turned around and headed back down. If I had chosen to continue, I would portage over the road, and rejoin the creek beyond the retail stores on the south side of the road.
Downstream is, of course, much easier. I still had to get out and drag over the logs, but most of the riffles I could at least bump my way down. Shooting through that difficult culvert was exhilarating. I continued on past my take-out, and into the marsh between Huron River Drive and the railroad tracks. I was pleasantly surprised by how much wildlife is here right in the city. There were cormorants, wood ducks, gulls, and others in the distance.
All up and down the creek there were large quantities of litter, including basket balls, tennis balls, baseballs, volley balls and more. The litter was also found throughout the marsh beyond the creek’s outlet. As is typical of this style of creeking, passing under and through overhanging vegetation littered the bilges of the canoe with sticks, leaves, bugs and many spiders. Stepping in and out brought water onboard, and the light rain brought more. All this was left at the take-out. I was pleased to find very little poison ivy.
I can report that Mallets is indeed navigable, but only just barely, at higher flow rates, and only with great difficulty.