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[djkimmel]

If you are thinking about making the run to Crooked and Pickerel Lakes from Indian River, you will need to go through a small boat lock on the Crooked River near Crooked Lake - you may want to confirm the lock will be operating with a lock operator present:

2006 Crooked River lock schedule
http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7-153-10365_10884-32552--,00.html
Weekends only until Memorial - 9AM until 5PM

Memorial Day Weekend
8AM to 9PM

May 30 - Jun 30
8AM to 9PM

Fees are listed below:
One-way Passage: $4.00
Commercial Pass: $8.00
Seasonal Pass: $30.00

For additional information:
Petoskey State Park
2475 M-119
Petoskey, Michigan 49770
(231) 347-2311

[ktcommanche]

Dan,

How long does the lock to Crooked take?  Never locked through to anywhere so I was curious how it worked?

Thanks

[djkimmel]

The Crooked River lock is a small boat lock with a very short drop - just a few feet - I went through it once 7 or 8 years ago. Got right in - there won't be a ton of traffic that weekend - and I seem to remember is took less than 10 minutes, maybe even just over 5 minutes. It was fast.

Small lock with a short drop. I don't recall the exact dimensions, but it seemed like 4 to 6 bass boats at least could fit in it (nothing like the huge barge locks on the big rivers South of us). It's less formal than the big locks, so you idle up and let the lock operator you are there - he/she will be able to see you. They will tell you when you can enter through the open gate.

I don't even recall if the Crooked River lock has ropes or other holds - been too long. NEVER TIE A ROPE IN A LOCK TO YOUR BOAT! You hold the rope. The lockmaster will signal when you can go out through the other end. This will probably be verbal because of the small size.

In the big locks on the Ohio and Mississippi, etc., there are signal lights - red and green usually - just like traffic lights. There's usually a small boat signal bell of some kind at the gates to let them know you are there. You can also contact them on certain channels on a VHF radio. You can call them on the phone, but this seems to make most of the big lockmasters mad. You don't want a lockmaster mad at you...

The Cheboygan River lock falls quite a bit more, but still takes less than 15 minutes due to small size and no real commercial traffic to mess you up - I've been through that one half a dozen times. It might take a while on a busy weekend if a lot of Tuna boats are traveling, but that usually happens a little later in the summer up there.

[ktcommanche]

Thanks fo the info Dan!  Is the idle from Burt to Crooked as long as it is from Mullet to Burt.  If I remember right it seemed to take 45min. to an hour to get through the Indian river.

[djkimmel]

You're welcome. I think about 45 minutes going against the current to Burt and about 30 to 35 going to Mullett with the current... but it's been a while since I idled through the whole river. Remember, you have those 'no high speed boating' stretches that go faster.

Crooked River should be faster if there isn't a lot of pleasure boat traffic because you can run some of it, but probably ends up the same becuase of the lock though now that I think about it.

It has been so long since I went the whole distance, I don't recall the exact timing. If I were going to go through, I'd probably time it to be sure. I don't know if we'll see marine patrols much or not...? I motored through the whole chain one time years ago to time it all. I can recall how long it took to get from Burt Lake to Lake Huron and back, but not the other way.

[PapaChris]

WOW, when did they start charging? I never had to pay there before..

[djkimmel]

I think the MDNR enacted the lock fees in 2004 Chris. I wanted to give new people a heads up and people who hadn't been there in a while too.