Bundy Road Access
This roadside site a few hundred yards upstream of Bundy Road bridge gives access to the Paw Paw River. The next access downstream is the new Riverside Kayak Park on Coloma Road which is 2.5 miles downstream. Once pathway work is done for the season, this stretch is considered Beginner to Intermediate level, depending on the water level (more difficult at low water levels when more logs are exposed). Basic maneuvering skills are required to follow the paddle pathway through the passageways cut through downed trees.
Bundy Road Access is also the take-out for trips starting 4.5 miles upstream at Coloma or 7.5 miles upstream at Watervliet. This segment is considered Intermediate at normal water levels but is more difficult at extremely low water levels when more logs are exposed and lots of maneuvering is required to follow the pathway. DO NOT start this segment late in the day or you run the very real risk of losing your way in the dark in the false channels near Bundy Road.
An interesting (and possibly confusing) feature of the stretch of river from Coloma to Bundy Road is that Google Maps is wrong. Approximately a half mile or so upstream of Bundy Road, the map will show the river making some very long meandering oxbow bends. In fact, the river cut through two narrow pieces of land several years ago and created two dead-end looping false channels, one on each side of the main river channel. At low water, this is not a navigational challenge DURING DAYLIGHT HOURS because the current only follows the new cut-through channel. But at very high water, there is a current in the main channel and the false channels (which have not been cleared of fallen trees).
Note that if you start at the Coloma access behind the Public Works building, you will pass under two bridges. The first bridge (Paw Paw Street) is a quarter mile downstream and there is a place to put-in/take-out on River Right just past the bridge (where the old electrical sub-station was recently removed) but it is much easier to use the upstream Coloma Public Works Building access. The second bridge is Defield Road one mile downstream and there is a difficult take out on River Left before the bridge which is normally only used as an emergency take-out. Remember, the Bundy Road take-out is BEFORE you see the Bundy Road bridge and is on River Right where you can see the road.
To find this access site, take Coloma Road from either Coloma (Exit #39 on I-94) or Riverside (Exit # 4 on I-196). Turn north on Bundy Road. Go over bridge and continue until road begins to turns to left, then pull off on right side of road to load/unload boats. After loading/unloading, turn vehicle around and park on shoulder of southbound lane with tires off of pavement. Shoulder is narrow so don't pull off too far.
On Road Shoulder parking is available.
Carry-In boat access.
Length of access is less than 50 yards.
The pull-off area to load/unload is only big enough for a few vehicles so should not be used for parking. Park across road on shoulder of southbound lane with tires off pavement but not too far off, this shoulder is narrow. The bank is muddy and the water is deep in spots so take care getting in and out of boats here.
